Chapter 25 - THE GAMBIT
"What is this?" Elena stared into the yawning darkness of the tunnel, the cool, damp draft smelling of earth and ancient brickwork.
"An old smuggling passage from the Prohibition era," Luca explained, checking the magazine of his weapon with practiced, methodical movements despite his trembling fingers. "It runs beneath the east gardens and emerges behind the grand staircase in the main hall. Enzo thinks we're trapped inside this vault like rats. He expects us to open the front door or die waiting."
"You can barely walk, Luca," Elena said, stepping in front of him, her voice trembling. "Your shoulder is torn open. You've lost liters of blood. You'll collapse before we make it twenty yards."
Luca looked down at her. In the crimson glow, his towering presence was terrifying, yet when his gaze met hers, something soft and fierce flickered in the depths of his eyes. He reached out, his hand steady this time, and gently cupped the side of her neck, his thumb tracing the jawline she had once kissed.
"Then be my strength, Elena," he murmured. "Help me walk. Help me hold this weapon. But do not ask me to sit here while they threaten what belongs to me."
*What belongs to me.* The words resonated in her chest with a shiver that was both terrifying and intoxicating.
"I'm not a soldier," she whispered.
"You don't have to be. You just have to stay behind me and keep breathing." He handed her a lightweight Glock, wrapping her fingers around the textured grip. "Safety is off. Point, pull the trigger, don't hesitate. Anyone who isn't me or your brother is an enemy. Understood?"
Elena looked down at the cold, heavy steel in her hand. Her life as an ordinary caretaker, a girl trying to pay off an unfair debt, had vanished entirely in the span of four days. She nodded firmly. "Understood."
Luca draped his heavy left arm over her shoulders, leaning heavily on her for support. Elena braced her legs, bearing his weight without flinching. Together, step by agonizing step, they stepped into the suffocating blackness of the subterranean tunnel. Behind them, Luca hit the manual release, and the hidden panel clicked shut, plunging them into utter darkness save for the narrow beam of a tactical flashlight mounted beneath his barrel.
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Above them, the faint, rhythmic vibrations of the mansion shook dust from the ceiling. Enzo’s men were still burning through the vault door, completely oblivious that the predator had already slipped out of the cage.
***
