Chapter 3 - The Vault
The radio went dead, leaving a suffocating silence in the bedroom.
Dominic had trusted Marcus with his life, his secrets, and his empire for over a decade.
The betrayal stung worse than any bullet ever could.
He grabbed his customized pistol from the bedside drawer and chambered a round.
"Doctor, unhook her IV," Dominic ordered without looking back.
"But she needs the fluids to survive the poison," Dr. Evans protested.
"She will not survive at all if we stay in this room for another minute."
Dominic picked up the unconscious Elena and threw her over his broad shoulder.
He grabbed Sofia's tiny hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her.
They sprinted down the private hallway, avoiding the main staircase where he could hear boots stomping heavily.
Gunfire erupted from the front courtyard, shattering the million-dollar stained glass windows.
Dominic led them into his massive library, locking the heavy mahogany doors behind them.
He pulled a specific red book from the shelf, triggering a hidden mechanism in the wall.
The bookcase slid sideways, revealing a dark, concrete tunnel.
"Get inside," Dominic pushed the doctor and the little girl into the darkness.
He followed them, hitting the button to seal the secret door just as the library doors exploded inward.
The tunnel was pitch black, smelling of damp earth and old concrete.
He clicked on a flashlight, guiding his new, fragile family down the spiral staircase.
This was a prohibition-era escape route that only he and his father knew about.
They walked for fifteen agonizing minutes until they reached a heavy steel vault door.
Dominic punched in a nine-digit code, and the vault hissed open.
Inside was a small underground garage containing a fully fueled, armored black SUV.
He laid Elena gently in the backseat, pulling Sofia in next to her mother.
He started the engine, the roar echoing loudly against the concrete walls.
Suddenly, the passenger door was yanked open from the outside.
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Dr. Evans stood there, holding a suppressed pistol aimed directly at Dominic's head.
"I am sorry, Dominic, but I want to live to see tomorrow," the doctor whispered.
