Chapter 11
Ryan held his breath, his knuckles whitening around the grip of his pistol. The sound of Marcus rattling the heavy brass doorknob echoed through the silence of the master suite like gunshots. Behind him, Emily was trembling, pulling Sarah and the trembling, emaciated girl from the wall deeper into the shadows of the walk-in closet.
"Boss?" Marcus called out again, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register Ryan had heard him use on dozens of enemies over the years. "I know you're awake. The perimeter sensors in the east wing were tripped. We found blood near the utility entrance. I need you to open the door."
Ryan looked down at Sarah. The little girl was crying silently, her tiny hands clutching Emily’s silk robe. She had heard Marcus on that phone. She had heard him talking about taking over, about waiting for Ryan to show weakness. If Marcus realized the child behind the wall had been discovered, none of them would make it out of this room alive.
"Give me a second, Marcus," Ryan called back, his tone deceptively smooth, masking the cold fury burning in his chest. "Emily had a nightmare. She knocked over a glass. I’m cleaning it up before the kids wake up."
"Let me help, Boss," Marcus insisted, the handle turning with more force now. "My men are already sweeping the grounds. We should secure you in the safe room downstairs."
"Stand down, Marcus," Ryan commanded, projecting the authority that had kept fifty armed soldiers in line for a decade. "I said give me a minute."
Through the frosted glass panel beside the door frame, Ryan saw the bulky silhouette of his top lieutenant pause. Marcus didn't step back. He stood perfectly still, his head tilted as if listening to the breathing on the other side of the wood.
Ryan crept backward, his bare feet making no sound on the hardwood floor. He reached the closet, grabbed Emily by the arm, and whispered directly into her ear. "The secondary tunnel behind the shoe rack. It leads down to the old wine cellar. Take both of them and go. Do not stop. Do not make a sound."
Emily looked at the wild, terrified girl clinging to Sarah. "Ryan, who is she? What did Marcus do to her?"
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"I don't know yet," Ryan breathed, glancing at the strange, silver locket resting against the mystery child's dirty collarbone. "All I know is she’s the reason Marcus is here to kill us. Move. Now."
As Emily pulled the secret release on the shoe rack, the heavy oak door behind Ryan suddenly groaned under the violent impact of a tactical boot.
