Chapter 4 - The Underground Secret
Roman tackled Nora to the ground just as the stone planter exploded into dust.
Bullets whizzed over their heads, shredding the glass walls of the greenhouse.
He dragged her and Maisie crawling through the dirt until they reached the large potting station.
Roman frantically pushed a heavy bronze statue of a gargoyle to the left.
A hidden latch clicked, and a trapdoor in the floor swung open.
"Get in," Roman commanded, pushing them toward the dark abyss.
Nora didn't hesitate, clutching Maisie tight as she climbed down the cold iron ladder.
Roman followed, pulling the heavy trapdoor shut just as footsteps stormed into the greenhouse above them.
They stood in absolute darkness for a moment.
Then, Roman flipped a switch, and dim yellow lights flickered to life down a long concrete tunnel.
"What is this place?" Nora asked, her voice shaking.
"Old bootlegger tunnels from my grandfather's era," Roman explained, leading them deeper underground.
The air was damp and smelled of mildew.
Maisie buried her face in Nora’s neck, exhausted and terrified.
Roman limped slightly, his burned skin protesting every movement.
He explained that the tunnel led to a reinforced bunker beneath the estate.
If they could reach the bunker, they could call for loyal reinforcements.
They hurried past rows of old wine casks and rusting pipes.
Nora’s mind was racing, wondering why she and her daughter had to be dragged into this mob war.
They finally reached a massive steel vault door at the end of the corridor.
Roman typed a rapid sequence of numbers into the digital keypad.
The machine flashed red and beeped a horrifying error tone.
"Access Denied," a computerized voice announced.
Roman stared at the screen, his face turning pale.
Below the keypad, a small plastic device was wired into the main circuit board.
Bright red numbers were counting down on a digital timer.
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Three minutes remained.
The entire tunnel was rigged with military-grade C4 explosives.
