Chapter 12 - The Iron Bird
The black twin-rotor helicopter hovered over the estate’s manicured lawns like a mechanical predator, its spotlight carving through the darkness, illuminating the dead bodies and smoking wreckage scattered around the driveway. High-powered loudspeakers blared from the aircraft, an automated countdown repeating in three languages:
"Evacuate immediately. Air strike incoming on grid Vance Alpha in three minutes."
"Julian wasn't the head of the snake," Dominic realized, his voice dropping into a dangerous rumble. "He was the suicide pawn. Victoria's syndicate called in an offshore black-ops strike to wipe the entire estate off the map."
"The underground tunnels," Elena said urgently, stepping forward. "The old wine cellars connect to the limestone caves leading down to the river wharf. I saw the blueprint in the housekeeper’s registry!"
Dominic looked at her with renewed respect. "She’s right. The caves are shielded by fifty feet of solid bedrock. Nothing short of a bunker-buster can touch them."
"I can't make the run, boss," Marcus groaned, clutching his bleeding shoulder as he slumped against the mahogany desk. "My lung is punctured. I'll only slow you down."
Dominic stepped over to his loyal lieutenant, grabbing him firmly by the back of the neck with one hand while holding the twins tight against his chest with the other. "You stood by my family when my own flesh and blood betrayed me. You don't get to die in my library, Marcus. Up. Now."
Elena moved instantly to Marcus's wounded side, hooking his uninjured arm around her neck. Despite her slender frame, she possessed the stubborn, resilient strength of someone forged by hard labor. "Lean on me," she ordered the giant bodyguard. "Move your legs!"
Together, they hauled Marcus toward the hidden vault door leading down into the subterranean catacombs.
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Above them, the scream of incoming missiles split the night sky. The first projectile struck the east wing, the concussive force blowing out every window in the mansion and shaking the foundation like an earthquake.
"Down! Get down the hatch!" Dominic roared, throwing open the iron trapdoor.
