Chapter 3 - The Dark House
Elias gripped the leather steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned completely white.
He kept his angry eyes locked fiercely on the dark road ahead.
He did not look at Rourke, but his mind raced with terrifying realizations.
If Rourke had called the thugs, then Rourke was the mole working for Cormac Haverin all along.
The adviser had purposefully placed Adeline's name on the suspect list just to frame her.
Elias realized he was driving his most precious cargo directly into a deadly trap.
He needed to act naturally until he secured a tactical advantage.
"We are almost at the safe house," Elias announced with forced, heavy calm.
The vehicle pulled smoothly into the hidden driveway of a secluded mansion surrounded by thick pine trees.
There were supposed to be four heavily armed guards patrolling the perimeter at all times.
The grounds were completely empty and deadly quiet.
Elias parked the car cautiously near the heavy steel front doors.
"Rourke, go inside and check the security panel," Elias ordered firmly.
Rourke nodded confidently and stepped out of the vehicle, walking briskly toward the entrance.
As soon as Rourke was out of earshot, Elias turned sharply to Adeline.
"I believe you, and we need to run right now," he whispered urgently.
He grabbed a heavy tactical shotgun from the hidden compartment under his seat.
He helped Leo out of the car and guided them quickly toward the dense woods instead of the house.
Suddenly, the massive floodlights surrounding the safe house snapped on, blinding them instantly.
A dozen heavily armed men stepped aggressively out from the dark tree line.
They were all wearing the distinct insignia of the Haverin crime syndicate.
Rourke stood safely on the front steps of the mansion, holding a two-way radio.
"I am truly sorry, Elias, but the Baron era is officially over," Rourke announced loudly over the loudspeaker.
Elias aggressively pushed Adeline and Leo behind the thick armored engine block of the sedan.
Bullets immediately began to rain down on the vehicle, shattering the bulletproof glass into spiderwebs.
Elias returned fire rapidly, taking down two of the approaching mercenaries with his shotgun.
He knew they could not hold this exposed position for more than a few agonizing minutes.
"Adeline, when I give the signal, run to the old greenhouse in the back," Elias commanded.
He pulled a thick smoke grenade from his tactical vest and yanked the metal pin.
He tossed it directly into the center of the paved driveway.
Thick gray smoke instantly filled the freezing night air, completely obscuring their escape route.
"Go right now!" Elias roared passionately over the deafening gunfire.
Adeline grabbed Leo securely and sprinted blindly through the thick smoke.
Elias provided covering fire, walking slowly backward toward the massive glass structure.
Just as he reached the wooden door of the greenhouse, a sharp pain exploded violently in his shoulder.
He looked down to see dark blood pouring freely from a fresh bullet wound.
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Before he could react, the ground beneath his boots violently gave way.
The floor of the greenhouse opened up completely, swallowing all three of them into a pitch-black underground tunnel.
