Chapter 6 - The Broken Vault
The blinding sparks from the thermal torch showered onto the concrete floor outside the vault.
The thick steel door was glowing bright orange as the intense heat melted through the locking pins.
"Stand back," Elena ordered Salvatore, pushing the old man behind the heavy server racks.
She gripped her pistol tightly, aiming it directly at the center of the melting door.
The metal groaned in agony before a massive, terrifying crack echoed through the room.
The heavy door was violently kicked inward, crashing against the concrete wall.
Elena did not hesitate.
She pulled the trigger twice, firing into the thick cloud of smoke pouring through the doorway.
A loud curse rang out, and a man dove behind the metal doorframe for cover.
"Hold your fire, Elena!" a familiar, pained voice shouted from the smoke.
Elena froze, her finger hovering over the trigger.
Damian stepped into the doorway, clutching his bleeding side, his face pale and covered in sweat.
He had dragged a heavy thermal cutter all the way from the garage to get them out.
"Damian!" Salvatore cried out, rushing forward to help his son.
Elena immediately lowered her weapon and ran to Damian's other side.
"You're shot," Elena said, pressing her hand firmly against the wound on his abdomen.
"It went straight through, missed the organs," Damian grunted, leaning heavily on her shoulder.
"Carlo is dead in the library, and Grant is locked in there with him."
"We need to get to the extraction tunnels beneath the wine cellar," Damian instructed.
"The rest of Carlo's men are sweeping the upper floors, but they will be down here soon."
They moved slowly out of the panic room, the sound of heavy boots echoing from the stairs above.
Elena supported most of Damian's weight while Salvatore led the way with a flashlight.
They navigated the dark, damp corridors of the wine cellar, surrounded by thousands of expensive bottles.
Salvatore stopped in front of a solid brick wall at the far end of the cellar.
He reached down and pulled a hidden lever disguised as an old wine rack.
The brick wall slowly swung open, revealing a dark, muddy tunnel leading out toward the coastal cliffs.
"Go," Damian urged them, pulling his gun to cover their retreat.
"I am not leaving you," Elena argued, refusing to let go of his arm.
"That is an order, Miss Brooks," Damian said, his voice laced with absolute authority.
"I need you to keep him safe."
Before Elena could argue again, the heavy wooden doors of the wine cellar were kicked open.
Six of Carlo's heavily armed mercenaries poured into the room, their flashlights cutting through the darkness.
Damian shoved Elena backward into the tunnel and raised his weapon to fight them off.
But before Damian could fire a single shot, a massive explosion rocked the foundation of the mansion.
The ceiling of the wine cellar completely collapsed, burying the mercenaries under tons of rubble.
A thick cloud of dust engulfed them, plunging the world into total darkness.
When the dust finally settled, Elena realized the explosion had not been an accident.
Standing in the ruins of the cellar, holding a remote detonator, was a woman dressed entirely in black tactical gear.
May you like
The woman lowered her mask, and Damian stared at her in absolute disbelief.
It was his mother, Lucia Russo.
