Chapter 6 - THE FIRE IN THE BASEMENT
The floor violently shook.
The glass in the guest room windows shattered inward, showering the carpet in thousands of deadly shards.
Luca threw his arms around me, spinning us away from the blast zone and taking the brunt of the flying glass against his broad back.
We crashed to the floor together.
The mansion's fire alarms instantly began screaming.
Thick, black smoke billowed up the grand staircase.
"What was that?!" I coughed, struggling to sit up.
Luca was already on his feet, pulling a heavy black handgun from his shoulder holster. His eyes were wide with a sudden, horrifying realization.
"The basement vault," Luca growled. "Anthony didn't just steal money. He rigged the vault to destroy the evidence."
Panic seized my chest. "Rachel! She just went downstairs!"
Luca grabbed my hand. "Stay behind me."
We ran to the landing. The main foyer was filled with smoke. Guests were screaming, rushing out the front doors into the Chicago night.
At the bottom of the stairs, a structural pillar had partially collapsed, trapping someone underneath.
It was Sarah.
The emerald-green dress was covered in ash. She was screaming in pain, her leg pinned beneath the heavy marble.
Rachel was on her knees beside her, desperately trying to lift the stone.
"Help her!" Rachel cried as we ran down the stairs.
"She ruined your life, Rachel!" I shouted over the alarms.
"She's my sister!" Rachel sobbed.
Luca didn't hesitate. He holstered his weapon, planted his boots on the marble floor, and drove his massive shoulders under the pillar. With a guttural roar, he lifted the stone just enough.
I grabbed Sarah by the arms and dragged her out.
"Go!" Luca yelled, dropping the pillar. "Get out of the house!"
Rachel and I supported Sarah, half-carrying her out the front doors onto the expansive lawn.
The cold night air hit my lungs like a blessing. Firetruck sirens wailed in the distance.
In the center of the driveway, Mia—a terrified sixteen-year-old girl in a oversized hoodie—was crying, surrounded by Luca's guards.
Rachel let go of Sarah and ran to her daughter. They collapsed into each other's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Sarah sat on the grass, clutching her broken leg, watching the family she destroyed hold each other. She finally looked ashamed.
I turned around to look for Luca.
He was standing on the front steps, his white shirt stained with soot, watching the smoke pour from his ancestral home.
His phone rang.
He answered it.
"Boss," Marcus's voice crackled over the speaker. I was standing close enough to hear it. "We got a problem."
"What is it, Marcus?"
"Anthony escaped during the blast. But that's not the worst part."
May you like
Luca's jaw tightened. "Tell me."
"We picked up Emily's brother from his dorm," Marcus said. "But he's not alone. Anthony got to him first. He's holding the kid at gunpoint in the back of my SUV."
