Chapter 8 - Into the Belly of the Beast
The iron grate of the drainage culvert groaned softly as Lorenzo pushed it aside.
A wave of freezing, stagnant air rushed up from the subterranean depths, carrying the distant scent of the East River.
Amelia didn’t hesitate.
She slipped into the dark opening first, her boots splashing softly into the shallow, icy water running along the concrete channel.
Lorenzo followed immediately behind her, his tactical rifle held high, scanning the gloom with his night-vision monocle.
The tunnel stretched out before them like the throat of a metallic beast.
Water dripped rhythmically from overhead pipes, echoing loudly in the enclosed space.
“Watch your step here,” Amelia whispered back over her shoulder, her voice bouncing softly off the curved concrete walls. “The junction ahead leads directly into the sub-basement ventilation control room.”
“How do you know this layout so well?” Lorenzo asked, keeping his voice low as he navigated the slick footing.
“I spent six months reviewing Moretti’s real estate portfolio when I was working as a corporate paralegal before meeting you,” Amelia replied, her steps steady. “I memorized every blueprint he ever filed.”
Lorenzo’s respect for the woman marching ahead of him deepened with every passing second.
She wasn’t just a runaway bride trying to escape a nightmare.
She was a tactical asset born from the ashes of betrayal.
After ten minutes of silent marching through the dark, damp labyrinth, Amelia stopped in front of a rusted steel access hatch set into the upper wall of the culvert.
“This is it,” she whispered, pointing upward. “It opens directly into the utility corridor behind the main holding cells.”
Lorenzo stepped up beside her, boosting himself effortlessly onto the ledge.
He grabbed the heavy steel wheel of the hatch and turned it counterclockwise with a sharp, metallic twist.
Screeech.
The rusted hinges protested quietly in the damp air.
Lorenzo pushed the hatch open, peering out into the dimly lit concrete hallway beyond.
Empty.
For now.
He hoisted himself up through the opening, then turned around, reaching down to grab Amelia’s hands and hauling her effortlessly up into the hallway.
They stood side-by-side in the shadows, their breathing synchronized and quiet.
“Cell Block C should be at the end of this corridor,” Amelia whispered, pressing her back against the damp concrete wall.
“Stay behind me,” Lorenzo ordered, raising his rifle as he led the way down the narrow passage.
The sound of heavy boots echoing from the floor above made them both freeze.
“Check the perimeter again! Moretti wants total security around the girl’s cell until midnight!” a rough voice barked overhead.
“Relax, man. No one’s getting down here. The Bianchi crew is halfway to Canada by now.”
Laughter echoed down the stairwell.
Lorenzo exchanged a sharp glance with Amelia.
They crept silently around the corner of the corridor, coming face-to-face with a heavy steel security door guarded by two armed syndicate thugs casually leaning against the wall, smoking cigarettes.
The thugs didn’t even see them coming.
Lorenzo moved with terrifying, blinding speed.
He closed the distance in two giant strides, slamming his gloved hand over the first guard’s mouth while driving his combat knife upward into his chest.
At the same time, Amelia swept the second guard’s legs out from under him with a brutal, textbook roundhouse kick.
The second thug hit the concrete floor hard, gasping for air.
Amelia didn’t hesitate—she brought the butt of her pistol down squarely across his temple, knocking him out cold before he could scream.
It was over in three seconds.
Lorenzo stared at her, genuinely impressed.
“Where did you learn that?” he whispered.
“My older brother used to drag me to self-defense classes when we were kids,” Amelia whispered back, wiping a speck of dust off her cheek. “I told you, Enzo. I’m not a liability.”
Lorenzo gave a single, approving nod.
May you like
He swiped the keycard off the unconscious guard’s belt, swiped it through the electronic lock on the heavy steel door, and pulled it open.
Inside Cell Block C, sitting tied to a metal chair beneath a harsh overhead incandescent bulb, was Elena.
