Chapter 5 - Beneath the Marble
Elena reached up and took Matteo’s hand. His grip was scorching hot, iron-strong, pulling her effortlessly to her feet. Without a word, he scooped Mia against his uninjured shoulder. The girl buried her face in his neck, instinctively clinging to the familiar smell of cedar and gunsmoke, her small whimpers muffled against his collar.
Matteo didn't take the corridor toward the elevators. Instead, he led Elena into the nursery’s walk-in closet. He bypassed the rows of miniature designer dresses and pressed his thumb against a discreet brass seam in the rear paneling. The entire back wall swung backward on hydraulic hinges, revealing a narrow concrete shaft illuminated by emergency red LEDs.
"Service conduit," Matteo muttered, nudging Elena inside first. "Direct access to the private sub-basement. Move quickly. Watch your footing on the steel rungs."
Elena scrambled down the ladder, her palms sweating against the cold metal rungs. Matteo descended behind her with unbelievable agility despite holding Mia with one arm. The air grew damp and chilled, smelling of wet stone and motor oil. When Elena's feet hit the concrete floor twenty feet down, Matteo was already beside her, punching a code into a reinforced blast door.
They emerged not into a parking garage, but into a private underground vault housing three blacked-out SUVs. Two men in tactical vests were already loading black duffel bags into the rear of an armored Suburban.
"Boss," one of them said, racking the slide of a shotgun. "They hit the surface garage. Marco and Leo bought us five minutes, no more."
"Are the routes clear?" Matteo demanded, stepping past them and pulling Elena toward the passenger side.
"South tunnel to the docks is open. North highway is locked down by state police—someone paid off dispatch to claim an active shooter in the district."
Matteo turned to Elena, thrusting Mia into her arms. "Get in. Lie on the floorboards with her. Keep her head down."
Elena scrambled into the footwell, tucking Mia tightly against her chest beneath a heavy wool blanket. The doors slammed shut, sealing them into darkness. The heavy V8 engine roared to life with a violent shudder, throwing them forward as the tires shrieked against the concrete.
Through the darkened windows, Elena heard the distant stutter of automatic gunfire. Then, a massive explosion rocked the tunnel behind them, rattling the heavy chassis.
"Matteo!" Elena cried out in the pitch black.
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"Hold on!" his voice barked from the front seat. "We're breaching the gate!"
A horrific crash followed as the bumper tore through steel mesh, sending the SUV airborne for an agonizing second before slamming down hard onto slick asphalt.
