Chapter 16 - Into the Abyss
Enzo left with twenty heavily armed men. The estate went into complete lockdown. I took Leo and Mia down to the panic room, a reinforced steel bunker hidden deep beneath the wine cellar. It was stocked with food, water, medical supplies, and a bank of security monitors. I put a movie on for the children, turning the volume up to drown out any noise from above. I sat at the security desk, watching the camera feeds of the empty mansion corridors. My heart was beating so fast I could feel it pulsing in my throat. I had a secure radio earpiece connecting me to Marco's tactical channel. "We are in the tunnels, Mrs. Valenti," Marco's voice cracked over the static. "The boss is approaching the main gate." "Be careful, Marco," I whispered into the microphone. I watched the digital clock on the screen, counting every single excruciating second. Through the radio, I heard the faint echo of Enzo's engine shutting off. "Russo has ten men on the ground floor," Marco whispered. "We are in position directly below the grating." Then, I heard Enzo's voice echoing through the radio, cold and commanding. "I am here, Victor. Let Lorenzo go." Victor Russo's voice replied, dripping with arrogance. "You really are a fool, Valenti. The great lion, surrendering for a civilian." "Marco," Enzo said loudly, the pre-arranged signal word. "Now." The radio erupted into a deafening roar of gunfire and shouting. I closed my eyes, gripping the edge of the metal desk so hard my fingernails cracked. I listened to the terrifying symphony of war, praying for the man I loved. "Target down!" Marco yelled over the radio. "We have Lorenzo! He is safe!" I let out a massive breath of relief, tears stinging my eyes. But then, a completely different voice crackled over the emergency channel. It was Dante, who had stayed behind to guard the estate. "Mrs. Valenti," Dante said, his voice frantic and accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. "Russo sent a second team. They are inside the house."
