Chapter 3 - The Ghost Protocol
Harper was right. The traitor wouldn't just leave us in here to starve. They locked the door to trap me so they could stage an assassination. My mind raced through the blueprints of my own estate. When I built this house, I anticipated rival cartels or federal raids. I never anticipated the threat coming from inside my own walls.
"Wrap him up," I instructed Harper, moving toward the massive, built-in bookshelf that lined the far wall of the nursery. "Keep him warm. And whatever happens next, do not let go of him."
Harper nodded, swiftly buttoning her uniform and wrapping Luca tightly in a thick cashmere blanket. She held him against her chest, pressing her back against the wall to stay out of the line of fire.
I reached behind a collection of leather-bound Italian classics on the third shelf. My fingers found the concealed biometric scanner. I pressed my thumb against it. The machine hummed quietly, reading my print, and with a soft click, the entire bookshelf slid forward and to the left, revealing a dark, narrow passageway built into the masonry of the house.
"A panic tunnel," Harper whispered in awe.
"It leads straight down to the underground garage," I said, grabbing a tactical flashlight from the emergency supply box hidden just inside the threshold. "Move. Quickly."
I ushered Harper into the darkness and stepped in behind her, hitting the manual override switch to pull the bookshelf shut. The moment the hidden door sealed, the muffled sounds of heavy footsteps echoed from the main hallway outside the nursery.
"Blow the lock," a muffled voice ordered through the drywall.
It was a voice I recognized instantly. Vincenzo. My own brother.
The realization hit me with the force of a freight train. Vincenzo, my ambitious, ruthless younger brother. The man who had stood beside me at Elena’s funeral, wiping away fake tears. The man who stood to inherit the entire Bianchi empire if I and my heir were eliminated.
May you like
A massive explosion shook the walls as Vincenzo's men blew the deadbolt off the nursery door. Harper gasped, clutching Luca tighter as the dust rained down from the ceiling of the hidden tunnel.
"They're inside," I whispered, flicking on the flashlight. "Keep moving, Harper. We have to reach the cars before they realize the room is empty."
