Chapter 4 - The Poison in the Crystal Glass“Get down!” Luca shouted.
The velvet curtains shredded.
Buckshot tore through the room like iron hail.
Plaster exploded from the walls.
Glass from the skyline windows shattered outward into the storm.
Cold rain and wind instantly rushed into the suite.
Luca fired back four rapid shots through the shredded fabric.
A heavy groan followed.
A body collapsed behind the curtain with a dull thud.
Luca didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward.
He grabbed my arm with crushing force.
He dragged me across the floor toward the doorway.
Michael was already scrambling into the hallway.
00:15.
00:14.
00:13.
The timer beeped faster.
A high-pitched, shrill whine began to emanate from the baseboard.
“Run!” Luca barked.
We threw ourselves out into the hallway.
Luca slammed the heavy fireproof suite door shut behind us.
He threw his massive body over both Michael and me against the opposite wall.
The shockwave hit a second later.
The explosion blew the double doors off their hinges.
A blast of orange fire and black smoke surged through the corridor.
Ears ringing.
Dust everywhere.
My head spun violently.
Coughing, I pushed myself up from beneath Luca’s heavy trench coat.
Luca was already on his feet.
His face was streaked with soot.
His eyes burned with terrifying fury.
“They didn't want him dead,” Luca said, wiping blood from his cheek.
“They wanted the evidence burned.”
Down the stairwell, heavy bootsteps echoed.
Multiple men.
Rushing upward.
“More shooters?” Michael gasped, clutching his dislocated shoulder.
Luca checked his magazine.
“Three rounds left.”
He grabbed my hand.
His grip was hot and covered in drywall dust.
“Service elevator,” I said through coughs.
Luca looked at me.
“It's locked down.”
“The service car has a manual override key behind the electrical panel,” I said quickly.
“Night auditors keep the master key in the linen room.”
Luca stared at me for half a second.
A grim smirk crossed his lips.
“Lead the way, Emma.”
We bolted down the smoke-filled corridor.
I kicked open the linen closet door.
Behind a stack of bleached white towels hung the brass service key.
I slammed it into the elevator keyhole beside the freight doors.
The iron gears ground together.
The heavy steel doors rattled open.
We tumbled inside just as three masked men with automatic rifles rounded the corner.
Bullets pinged violently off the closing steel doors.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The elevator dropped like a stone.
My stomach rose into my throat.
We fell five floors before the brakes caught with a brutal jolt.
Michael slumped against the steel wall, breathing raggedly.
“Where do we go, boss? The Bellinis own the streets.”
Luca looked at the elevator ceiling.
“Not all of them.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket.
The screen was cracked, but it worked.
He dialed a single number.
“Marco,” Luca said into the phone.
“The Bellinis have flipped. Matteo is alive. Prep the safe house in Cicero.”
Luca paused.
He looked down at me.
I was shivering in my ruined maid uniform.
My stockings were torn.
My knees were covered in soot and blood.
“And Marco?” Luca added.
“Get clothes. Women’s clothes. Size small.”
He hung up.
The elevator hit the basement sub-level.
The doors opened into the damp, concrete boiler room.
An old scent hit me immediately.
Sweet almond.
Faint.
Almost hidden beneath the smell of rusted pipes.
Luca stepped out first.
I grabbed his arm.
“Wait,” I whispered.
Luca halted instantly.
“What is it?”
I pointed toward the corner ventilation intake.
A small glass vial lay broken on the concrete floor.
Liquid pooled beneath the grate.
The industrial fans were pushing that vapor straight up into the mansion’s dedicated air lines.
Cyanide.
Vanessa hadn't just planned an explosion downtown.
She had poisoned his entire estate before she left.
Luca stared at the puddle.
His voice dropped into a terrifying whisper.
“She wanted me dead tonight, no matter where I slept.”
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Suddenly, the steel door behind the boiler clicked open.
A shadowy figure stepped out with a raised revolver.
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