Chapter 7 - The Blast
Vance pressed the switch without hesitation. A flash of blinding light erupted from the south wing of the manor, followed by an ear-splitting shockwave. Plaster, dust, and shattered wood exploded into the corridor. The force of the detonation threw Julian backward across the floor.
Elena was slammed against the iron door of the panic room, her body acting as a human cushion for Lily. The child shrieked in terror as thick gray smoke instantly filled the hall, burning Elena’s throat and eyes.
Through the haze, Vance disappeared down the service stairs. Julian scrambled to his feet, coughing violently, blood dripping down his cheek into his collar. He stumbled toward Elena, his hands frantically checking her and the screaming toddler.
""Are you hit? Are either of you hit?"" he demanded, coughing through the fumes.
""We’re okay! We’re okay!"" Elena cried out, wiping dust from Lily’s face. ""The stairs—he went down the service stairs!""
""The fire suppression system will trap us if we don't move now,"" Julian said, grabbing Elena’s arm and pulling her along. The sprinklers triggered with a hiss, raining cold water down upon them, drenching Elena’s uniform and flattening Julian’s hair.
Julian bypassed the safe room; the explosion had breached the south foundation, rendering the mansion structurally unsafe. Sirens finally wailed in the distance—the local authorities and Sterling's private tactical team had finally breached the jammed gates.
Julian led Elena through a service hatch down into the underground wine cellar, bypassing the debris-choked main foyer. The lower tunnels led directly to an auxiliary garage beneath the detached guest house.
Julian punched the code into the garage terminal, and the heavy security door rolled open, revealing a reinforced matte-black SUV.
""Get in the back,"" Julian ordered, tossing his bloody jacket aside. ""The police won't know who to trust. Vance’s connections run straight through the state magistrate.""
As the vehicle roared to life, Elena looked into the rearview mirror. In the darkness of the backseat, little Lily reached up with trembling fingers and wiped a trace of soot from Elena’s cheek.
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""Don't cry, Mommy,"" the child whispered.
Elena pulled her child tight, but as Julian accelerated out into the foggy night, Elena’s gaze caught something horrific tucked into Lily’s plush rabbit: a tiny, blinking red tracker Vance had slipped in during the gala.
