Chapter 3 - The Shadow in the Cellar
A muffled gunshot echoed from the ground floor, sending Raymond racing back down the stairs in total blackout conditions. Emergency red floodlights flickered to life along the baseboards, casting long, bloody silhouettes across the foyer.
Raymond burst into the study. Marcus was on one knee, pressing a bleeding shoulder, while his guard partner covered the rear french doors that led toward the private conservatory. Clara was gone.
""Marcus!"" Raymond roared.
""Tear gas cannister through the window, sir,"" Marcus gasped, coughing violently. ""Two operatives in tactical gear. They took Mrs. Vance through the wine cellar access before we could return fire.""
Raymond’s mind operated with lethal clarity. The wine cellar led to an old carriage tunnel built beneath the estate in the 1920s, exiting near the wooded perimeter where the surveillance cameras had blind spots. He drew a custom semi-automatic from his shoulder holster and racked the slide.
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He didn't wait for backup. Slicing through the thick haze of smoke, Raymond descended into the damp chill of the subterranean cellar. The iron cellar gate was blown off its hinges. As Raymond stepped into the brick corridor, Clara’s silver charm bracelet lay discarded on the wet stone floor. Beside it, painted on the wall in wet red lipstick, was an address in the industrial district.
Suddenly, the heavy iron cellar doors slammed shut behind Raymond, the magnetic lock engaging with a deafening click.
