Chapter 9 - The Smuggler's Tunnel
The intense heat of the burning garage blistered the exposed skin on Vincent's face and hands.
He gritted his teeth in absolute agony and shoved against the heavy steel beam pinning his left leg to the concrete.
Miraculously, a pair of strong hands grabbed the beam from the opposite side and helped him lift it just enough to slide free.
Clara dragged him violently out of the flames, ignoring the thick, toxic smoke filling her own lungs.
She had completely abandoned the blocked servant passage and pushed Matteo's wheelchair deep into the fiery chaos to save him.
Vincent heavily leaned on Clara's shoulder, his injured leg screaming with pain as they hobbled toward the back wall of the garage.
He used his bloody hand to press a hidden sequence of bricks near an old drainage pipe.
A heavy section of the concrete wall swung outward, revealing an ancient, damp smuggler's tunnel that led directly to the coastal cliffs.
They rushed inside and sealed the heavy stone door just as the Falcone mercenaries began firing blindly into the smoke behind them.
The tunnel was freezing cold, smelling strongly of rotting seaweed and salty ocean water.
Vincent could barely walk, forcing Clara to physically carry the paralyzed boy on her back while holding her flashlight.
They navigated the treacherous, slippery rocks for what felt like hours, listening to the roaring ocean waves growing closer.
They finally emerged from the dark tunnel into the freezing, torrential rain battering the rocky shoreline.
A small, heavily armored speed boat was completely hidden beneath a camouflage tarp tied to a rusted wooden dock.
Vincent handed Clara the keys, completely exhausted and rapidly losing blood from his severe injuries.
She gently placed Matteo into the passenger seat and quickly untied the heavy mooring lines holding the vessel.
Clara jumped behind the steering wheel and violently cranked the heavy ignition, roaring the massive outboard engines to life.
May you like
Before she could push the throttle forward, a blindingly bright spotlight snapped on from the dark waters ahead.
A massive, heavily armed Falcone gunboat had been waiting in the bay to cut off their only route of escape.
