Chapter 7
Within an hour of the breach, the estate was transformed into a staging ground for a rapid evacuation. Luka wasted no time explaining the gravity of the situation; the attackers were part of a rival faction led by Viktor Vance, a ruthless lieutenant who had usurped control of her father's old syndicate. Vance knew Clara was alive and possessed the cryptographic keys to the hidden legacy accounts. Staying at the stone house meant inviting a larger, heavily armed assault that the current garrison could not withstand indefinitely. Elena was already loading supplies and ammunition into a reinforced van parked in the underground garage.
Clara packed a single canvas bag with infant supplies, her hands steady despite the adrenaline still pumping through her veins. She strapped the baby securely to her chest, refusing to let the child out of her physical grasp for even a second. When she entered the kitchen, she found Luka conferring with Martha, who refused to leave the estate, insisting her presence would help cover their tracks. Clara felt a pang of sorrow at parting with the kind housekeeper who had offered her comfort during her darkest hours, but Martha embraced her briefly, whispering a blessing for the infant's safety.
May you like
They departed through the subterranean drainage tunnel that led half a mile into the dense pine forest beyond the perimeter walls. The air inside the damp concrete tube smelled of wet earth and rust, and the echoing sound of their footsteps amplified every movement. Luka led the way with a tactical flashlight, his gun drawn and ready, while Elena brought up the rear, sweeping the tunnel behind them with thermal optics. After a grueling twenty-minute trek through the dark, they emerged into a hidden ravine where an unassuming utility van waited beneath a camouflage tarp.
Clara climbed into the passenger seat, settling the baby carefully into the makeshift travel bassinet secured on the middle row. Luka slammed the van doors shut and took the driver's seat, revving the engine with a quiet, suppressed roar. As they bounced along the unpaved logging road, leaving the burning lanterns of the estate behind them, Clara looked at Luka through the dashboard's dim illumination. She asked where they were going, and for the first time, Luka hesitated before answering, revealing that they were heading toward the one place Vance would never dare to look—her father's final, secret stronghold beneath the city.
