Chapter 5 - The Panic Room
The entire mansion shook as another explosive charge detonated near the front gates.
Dante dragged me up by my arm, his pistol already raised and ready.
“We have to get to the nursery right now!”
We sprinted blindly through the dust-filled hallway as the smoke alarms began screaming.
Loyal guards were exchanging heavy fire with men dressed entirely in black tactical gear.
We reached the nursery to find Maria cowering in the corner, shielding Leo with her body.
Dante scooped the crying baby into one arm and grabbed my hand with his free hand.
He kicked open a hidden panel behind the massive wooden bookshelf.
A dark, narrow staircase spiraled downward into the reinforced concrete foundation of the house.
We descended rapidly into the pitch-black space, the heavy steel door slamming shut and locking behind us.
The underground panic room lit up with harsh fluorescent emergency lights.
It was stocked with medical supplies, weapons, and a bank of security monitors.
Dante set Leo down gently in a small playpen in the corner.
That was when I noticed the dark crimson stain spreading rapidly across Dante’s white dress shirt.
He had been shot in the shoulder during our sprint down the hallway.
He leaned heavily against the steel table, his face turning incredibly pale.
“Alina, open the red medical kit on the wall.”
I rushed to grab the bandages, my hands shaking violently as I tried to apply pressure to his wound.
Dante looked up at the security monitors and cursed loudly in Italian.
May you like
I followed his gaze and felt all the blood drain entirely from my face.
One of Dante’s most trusted bodyguards was standing in the hallway upstairs, calmly unlocking the mansion doors for the heavily armed assassins.
