Chapter 12
The heavy oak door of the linen closet swung wide, revealing the steep, uncarpeted metal steps of the service stairwell plunging downward into the shadows of the mansion’s substructure. A cool draft rushed up from below, carrying the faint scent of damp concrete and electrical wiring.
"After you, Clara," Julian said urgently, keeping his body positioned between the stairwell and the advancing security guards.
Clara didn't hesitate. She threw one last defiant glance toward Victoria and Arthur Sterling, then slipped past Julian into the stairwell, her bare feet hitting the metal steps with a rapid, echoing clatter. Julian followed immediately behind her, securing the baby carrier tight against his chest as the twin babies’ cries slowly transitioned into exhausted whimpers.
"Stop them!" Victoria shrieked, her aristocratic composure entirely disintegrating as she pointed frantically toward the open closet. "Don't let them leave the estate!"
The two security guards lunged forward, their polished leather shoes stamping against the hallway floorboards. But as they reached the threshold of the linen closet, Julian slammed the heavy wooden door shut right in their faces, sliding the thick brass deadbolt into place with a resounding clack. Immediately afterward, he reached up and smashed the manual electronic keypad beside the doorframe with the heavy metal buckle of his belt, disabling the remote override from the upstairs master control.
Inside the stairwell, plunged into sudden semi-darkness illuminated only by the flickering green glow of emergency exit signs, Julian and Clara descended at a reckless, headlong pace.
"Down to the lower service tunnel!" Julian called out over the sound of their echoing footsteps and the infants' continued whimpers. "There’s an exit that leads directly to the perimeter gardens. My car is parked in the auxiliary lot."
Clara took the lead down the final flight of steps, her bruised hands gripping the metal handrail. "Mr. Cole, are you sure about the server backup? Did Mrs. Sterling really have no idea?"
Julian descended the last step, stepping out onto the cold concrete floor of the mansion’s subterranean utility corridor. The air was thick with the hum of massive HVAC units and backup generators. He shook his head, a grim smile touching his lips in the dim light.
"There was no automated server backup, Clara," Julian confessed quietly, his eyes scanning the long, concrete corridor ahead. "I was bluffing. If we hadn't bolted through that door when we did, Arthur’s guards would have dismantled us piece by piece."
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Clara stopped abruptly, turning to look at him with wide, astonished eyes. "You bluffed the most powerful man in the city?"
"Desperate men don't play poker by the rules," Julian replied firmly, adjusting the baby carrier. "Now move. They’ll figure out how to bypass that deadbolt within three minutes."
