Chapter 6 - In the Dark
Luca immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me silently toward a hidden panel behind the massive bookshelf.
He pressed a concealed button, and the heavy wall slid open to reveal a dark, narrow passageway.
“Move quickly and don't make a single sound,” he whispered, pushing me gently into the secret corridor.
He closed the wall behind us just as the study doors were violently kicked open by the intruders.
We navigated the suffocating darkness of the hidden tunnels using only the faint glow of his cell phone flashlight.
My heart was hammering against my ribs so loudly I was certain the armed men upstairs could hear it.
We finally reached a reinforced steel door at the end of the tunnel, which Luca opened with a quick biometric scan.
It was a high-tech panic room, heavily stocked with weapons, medical supplies, and several glowing security monitors.
To my absolute relief, the older housekeeper was already inside, rocking a fast-asleep Leo in a small portable crib.
Luca locked the heavy vault door, perfectly sealing us off from the violent chaos echoing through his home.
He slumped against the steel wall, wincing in obvious pain as he pressed a hand tightly to his ribs.
I rushed over to him, gently moving his expensive jacket aside to see a dark stain spreading across his white shirt.
“You were shot at the restaurant,” I gasped, realizing he had been bleeding this entire time without saying a word.
“It is just a graze,” he muttered stubbornly, trying to swat my hands away like an annoyed lion.
I ignored his arrogant protests, grabbing a first-aid kit from the shelf and forcing him to sit down on a small cot.
As I carefully cleaned the bloody wound, our faces were incredibly close in the claustrophobic space of the bunker.
He watched my hands work with a surprising gentleness in his dark, dangerous eyes.
“You are very brave, Avery,” he said softly, reaching up to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
I leaned into his touch instinctively, craving the sudden comfort and security this terrifying man offered.
“I really don't have a choice right now,” I whispered, looking deep into his hypnotic eyes.
He pulled me closer, his lips crashing down onto mine in a desperate, bruising kiss that completely stole my breath.
I kissed him back with equal hunger, my fingers tangling in his dark hair as the adrenaline fueled our sudden passion.
A deafening screech of metal tearing against metal violently interrupted our moment.
May you like
We both jumped apart, staring in sheer horror at the massive steel door of the panic room.
A blinding line of sparks began to cut through the heavy lock as the intruders started breaching the impenetrable vault with a blowtorch.
