Chapter 7 - A Traitor’s Price
The faint glow of a cigarette burned in the darkness near the heavy iron grate of the service tunnel. A lone figure leaned against the damp masonry, a heavy trench coat draped over broad shoulders. The glowing cherry of the cigarette illuminated a pair of weary, hollow eyes.
""You took your sweet time, Ryan,"" the man spoke, his voice raspy and familiar.
Ryan lowered his guard slightly, stepping out from the shadows, though his hands remained clenched into tight fists. ""Thomas?""
Thomas had been the Sterling family’s head groundskeeper for over thirty years. He had taught Ryan how to ride a horse, how to fix an engine, and how to survive the cold cruelty of Eleanor’s household. But seeing him here, blocking their only escape route, sent a chill down Ryan’s spine.
""What are you doing here, Thomas?"" Ryan demanded, his voice echoing softly against the barrel vaults.
Thomas took a slow drag from his cigarette and dropped the butt onto the wet cobblestones, crushing it beneath his heavy boot. ""She paid off my daughter’s medical debts, Ryan. Three hundred thousand dollars. All it took was a promise to watch the old tunnel.""
Clara gasped, stepping back into the darkness. ""Thomas, you watched Leo grow up. How could you?""
Thomas looked down, genuine shame flickering across his weathered features, but his hand rested firmly on the iron crossbar that locked the heavy exit grate. ""I have my own family to save, Clara. Eleanor knows everything. She knew you’d come this way. She knows Ryan better than he thinks.""
""Then you know what I’m going to do, Thomas,"" Ryan said, stepping forward, his eyes narrowing into cold determination. ""Step away from the gate.""
""I can't do that, son,"" Thomas sighed, drawing an old, heavy crowbar from behind his back. ""If I let you walk, Eleanor takes the house from my daughter. She destroys what’s left of my life.""
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""And if you don't step aside,"" Ryan whispered, ""you won't have a life left to worry about.""
The sound of dogs barking violently from the upper cellar entrance shattered the standoff. Marcus and the tracking hounds had entered the lower vaults.
