Chapter 1
That was not an answer.
Two of his security men rushed into the foyer. One was broad-shouldered with gray at his temples. The other looked barely older than I was.
“East gate is secure,” the older man reported. “A vehicle struck the outer barrier. No one breached the house.”
“Any identification?”
“Nothing yet.”
Victor nodded once. “Move everyone to the lower level.”
The housekeeper who had greeted me hurried toward the doctor, her face pale but controlled. Victor motioned for us to follow and pushed Lily’s stroller through a narrow doorway hidden behind the staircase paneling.
I stumbled after him.
The passage beyond was dim and surprisingly plain. No chandeliers. No marble. Only concrete walls, recessed lights, and a set of stairs leading downward.
Lily whimpered.
The sound cut through every other noise.
I pulled free from Victor’s grip and leaned over the stroller.
“I’m here, sweetheart. Mama’s here.”
Her eyelids fluttered, but she did not wake fully. Her skin was still flushed, and each breath came too quickly.
“The doctor needs to finish examining her,” I said.
“He will.”
“Now.”
Victor turned.
For the first time since the explosion, something like surprise crossed his face.
“My daughter is sick,” I said. “Whatever is happening outside, whatever that locket means to you, none of it matters more than her.”
His jaw tightened.
For one terrible moment, I thought I had gone too far.
Then he looked at the doctor.
“Can you treat her downstairs?”
“Yes,” the doctor said. “But I need my case.”
One of the guards retrieved it from the foyer.
May you like
Victor continued down the stairs.
The room beneath the mansion was not the bunker I had imagined. It resembled a small underground apartment, with a kitchen, a sitting area, several closed doors, and shelves stocked with water, blankets, and medical supplies.
