Chapter 3 - The Escape Plan
Lorenzo tried to sit up again, groaning as the sharp pain from his bullet wounds finally broke through the fading paralysis.
Hannah instantly reached out, placing her hands firmly but gently against his shoulders to push him back down.
"You cannot get up yet, Mr. Moretti," she scolded him, her maternal instincts completely overriding her fear of his reputation.
"You lost a significant amount of blood, and those stitches are going to tear if you move too fast."
Lorenzo glared at her, completely unaccustomed to receiving orders from anyone, let alone an employee.
But as he looked into her stubborn, caring eyes, his harsh expression slowly softened.
"We cannot stay in this room, Hannah," he explained patiently.
"Once the sun rises, the undertaker will arrive to collect my body."
"When he discovers I am missing, Dante will lock down the entire estate and hunt us like animals."
Hannah’s stomach dropped into her shoes as the reality of their ticking clock hit her.
"What do we do?" she asked, her voice trembling with sudden anxiety.
"We need to get out of the mansion before dawn," Lorenzo instructed, his mind operating at lightning speed.
"Is the service elevator in the laundry corridor still functional?"
"Yes," Hannah nodded quickly. "It goes directly down to the old bootlegger tunnels beneath the wine cellar."
"Perfect," Lorenzo said, attempting to sit up once more, his face turning pale with the immense effort.
Hannah didn't try to stop him this time; instead, she wrapped her arm securely around his waist, offering herself as a human crutch.
He leaned heavily against her, his large frame dwarfing her soft curves, but she held her ground firmly.
"I need clothes, and I need a weapon," Lorenzo demanded, looking down at the hospital gown covering his lower half.
Hannah guided him toward the small doctor’s locker room attached to the operating theater.
She found a set of dark blue surgical scrubs and a heavy winter coat belonging to Dr. Caldwell.
While Lorenzo dressed, wincing in pain with every movement, Hannah searched the medical supply cabinets.
She couldn't find a gun, but she did find a heavy, surgical steel bone saw and a large bottle of industrial rubbing alcohol.
"It's not a gun, but it's something," Hannah offered, holding up the terrifying surgical instrument.
Lorenzo actually smiled, a genuine, dark expression of approval that sent a strange flutter through Hannah’s chest.
"You are surprisingly resourceful for a woman who polishes silver," he noted, taking the bone saw and slipping it into his coat pocket.
"I grew up in a neighborhood where you learn to make do with what you have," she replied simply.
They slowly made their way toward the heavy steel door of the medical wing.
Hannah peeked through the small window, scanning the long, fluorescent-lit hallway for any signs of Dante’s guards.
The corridor was completely empty, the guards having abandoned their posts believing the room only held a corpse.
"The coast is clear," Hannah whispered, punching the exit code into the keypad.
They slipped out into the hallway, moving as quickly and quietly as Lorenzo’s injured body would allow.
They reached the laundry corridor without incident, the smell of bleach and fresh linen bringing a strange comfort to Hannah.
She pressed the call button for the service elevator, her heart hammering violently as the ancient gears began to grind.
If anyone walked into the corridor right now, they would both be dead before the doors even opened.
The elevator finally arrived with a loud, metallic ding that sounded like a gunshot in the silent house.
Hannah pulled Lorenzo inside and smashed the button for the sub-basement.
As the doors closed, sealing them in the dark, descending box, Lorenzo looked down at her.
"Once we are out of the tunnels, you need to run, Hannah," he instructed seriously.
"I have a safe house in the city, but it is too dangerous for you to follow me."
May you like
Hannah looked back at him, her chin lifting with stubborn defiance.
"I am not leaving you, Mr. Moretti."
