Chapter 7 - The Traitor Inside
Wednesday afternoon, I was doing laundry in the basement when I heard footsteps.
The basement was massive, filled with old furniture and mechanical equipment.
I peeked around a stack of boxes and saw Marcus, the head of Adrian's security team.
He was kneeling near the main electrical panel, attaching a small, blinking device to the wires.
My heart started pounding.
Marcus wasn't fixing the power.
He was planting a remote explosive or a hacking device to disable the security cameras.
He was the traitor who had let the rival family into the house.
I took a slow step backward, trying to sneak away to warn Adrian.
But my foot knocked against a stray metal pipe on the floor.
It echoed loudly through the concrete room.
Marcus snapped his head up, locking eyes with me.
He drew his gun in a flash, pointing it directly at my chest.
"Don't move, nanny," Marcus growled, stepping away from the electrical panel.
I froze, raising my hands slowly in the air.
"What are you doing, Marcus?" I asked, trying to keep him talking.
"Making sure the Moretti family finishes the job tonight," he sneered.
"Adrian Vale is a dead man, and anyone in this house goes down with him."
He walked toward me, pulling a heavy zip-tie from his tactical vest.
"Turn around," he ordered.
"Give me your hands."
I knew if I let him tie me up, I was dead.
The boys were dead.
Adrian was dead.
I faked a stumble, falling forward and grabbing a handful of laundry detergent powder from an open box on the table.
As Marcus lunged to grab me, I threw the powder directly into his eyes.
He screamed in pain, dropping his gun and clawing at his burning face.
I didn't wait to see if he recovered.
I kicked the gun under a heavy washing machine and bolted up the basement stairs.
"Boys!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I hit the main floor.
"Evan! Caleb! Get your brothers!"
I heard doors opening upstairs.
Footsteps thundered up from the basement behind me.
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Marcus was blinded, but he was furious and chasing me blindly up the stairs.
I had to protect the kids.
