Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Wall
Heavy footsteps thundered down the grand corridor. The sound of wood groaning under blunt force echoed through the bedroom door as the private guards threw their shoulders against it.
""Ryan!"" Clara whispered in terror, holding Leo against her shoulder. Leo was fully conscious now, his large hazel eyes wide with fright, though his breathing had stabilized into an even, albeit fragile, rhythm. ""They’re going to breach it in seconds!""
""Not through this door,"" Ryan said. He grabbed an old iron poker from the cold fireplace, crossed the room toward the antique mahogany wardrobe, and wedged the tip into the carved molding along the base. With a sickening splinter of wood, the panel popped outward.
Behind the decorative wardrobe lay the narrow opening of the mansion’s old servant passages, built over a century ago to keep the domestic staff invisible from the Sterling family. Dusty, cobwebbed, and pitch-black, it smelled of dry timber and decaying foundation.
""Get in,"" Ryan commanded softly.
Clara didn’t hesitate. She squeezed through the narrow gap, pulling Leo gently behind her. ""It’s so dark, Ryan.""
""Follow the incline down,"" Ryan instructed, clicking on the small flashlight attached to his car keys. The narrow beam cut through decades of undisturbed dust. ""It leads to the old wine cellars beneath the eastern wing. The cellars have a service tunnel that connects to the old carriage house outside the perimeter wall.""
Behind them, the bedroom door gave way with a deafening crack. Wood splintered, and the frame exploded inward.
""Find them!"" Marcus’s gruff voice roared from inside the room. ""Check the balcony! Check the bathroom!""
Ryan squeezed through the gap behind Clara and pulled the wardrobe’s false backing shut just as heavy boots crunched over the shattered porcelain in the room. He held his breath, pressing his back against the rough, unfinished studs of the inner wall. Through a tiny crack in the wood, he saw Marcus, a burly man with a scar running across his cheek, scanning the empty bed with a flashlight.
Beside Marcus, Eleanor stepped into the ruined room, her black dress trailing across the floor.
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""They didn't jump,"" Eleanor said coldly, looking down at the empty window sill. ""Search the walls. Ryan spent his childhood hiding in this godforsaken architecture. Find the passage!""
Marcus drew a heavy handgun from his holster and turned directly toward the wardrobe.
