Chapter 9 - PROTECTING THE BLOODLINE
The air in the room shifted instantly from an atmospheric mystery to a deadly, imminent threat. Roman turned to Mia, his posture relaxing into a calm, reassuring stance as he crouched down beside her once more.
He reached out and gently rested his large hand on her small, red shoulder, avoiding the delicate folds of the blue shawl holding her baby sister.
"Mia," Roman said, his voice clear, steady, and filled with an absolute authority that made the little girl stop trembling. "You did a very good job tonight. The floors are clean."
Mia looked into his dark eyes, a small flicker of hope returning to her face. "Mommy won't lose her job?"
"Your mommy is never going to worry about a job again," Roman promised quietly.
He stood up and looked into the dark passage at the silver-haired woman standing in the shadows.
"Take the children through the lower access tunnel behind the wine cellar," Roman commanded flatly. "It leads out past the carriage house into the garden conservatory. Stay in the shadows until I clear the main drive."
May you like
The old woman nodded, reaching her thin hand out from the dark passage toward Mia. "Come, sweet girl. Bring your sister."
Mia looked at Roman, then at the gentle hand extending from the hidden room. Recognizing the warmth in the old woman's voice, she stepped over the threshold into the secret passage, her small boots making quiet sounds against the stone floor as the blue shawl held her sleeping sister securely against her back.
