Chapter 4 - Into the Shadows
The service elevator lurched to a sudden halt, the doors groaning open to reveal the pitch-black, damp expanse of the old bootlegger tunnels.
The air smelled strongly of wet earth, aged wine, and centuries of hidden secrets.
Lorenzo stumbled slightly as he stepped out of the elevator, a low hiss of pain escaping his clenched teeth.
Hannah immediately caught him, wrapping her arm tighter around his waist and supporting his massive weight.
"I told you to run, Hannah," Lorenzo growled through the pain, trying to pull away from her grip.
"And I told you I am not leaving you," Hannah fired back, her voice surprisingly firm.
"You can barely walk, you have no money, and if you collapse in an alley, you are completely dead."
"I have a cousin who lives in a small apartment three miles from here. We can hide there until you recover."
Lorenzo stopped fighting her, recognizing the undeniable logic in her stubborn refusal to abandon him.
He was a king without a kingdom, and this plain, soft-spoken maid was currently his only loyal soldier.
"Fine," Lorenzo conceded, his voice exhausted but laced with a new, profound respect.
"But if things go bad, you drop me and you run. That is an absolute order."
Hannah didn't argue, simply nodding as she guided him through the winding, dark tunnels.
She used the flashlight app on her cheap cell phone to illuminate the treacherous, uneven dirt floor.
They walked in silence for nearly twenty minutes, the sound of their ragged breathing echoing off the stone walls.
Finally, they reached a heavy, rusted iron grate that led out into the dense woods surrounding the estate.
Lorenzo pushed the grate open with his good arm, the rusty hinges screaming loudly in protest.
They stepped out into the freezing night air, the dense canopy of trees hiding them completely from the mansion above.
"The main road is about a mile through these trees," Hannah whispered, shivering as the cold wind bit through her thin uniform.
Lorenzo noticed her shivering and stopped, pulling off Dr. Caldwell’s heavy winter coat.
"Put this on," he demanded, holding it out toward her.
"No, you are injured, you need to stay warm," Hannah protested, pushing the coat back.
"Put the damn coat on, Hannah," Lorenzo commanded, his voice returning to its usual, terrifying authority.
"If you freeze to death, I have no way to reach your cousin's apartment."
Hannah reluctantly slipped the oversized coat over her shoulders, the residual heat from his body immediately warming her chilled skin.
They continued their grueling trek through the dark woods, moving slowly to accommodate Lorenzo’s injuries.
Every snapped twig and rustling leaf made Hannah jump, expecting Dante’s men to burst from the shadows with guns raised.
But the woods remained quiet, their escape completely unnoticed by the traitors celebrating in the library.
They finally reached the edge of the woods, stepping out onto a deserted, two-lane county road.
"We need a car," Lorenzo stated flatly, leaning heavily against a speed limit sign.
"My cousin lives near the train station, we can walk," Hannah suggested, trying to be optimistic.
"I am not walking three miles with two bullet holes in my chest," Lorenzo replied dryly.
Suddenly, the bright headlights of an approaching vehicle pierced the darkness.
It was an old, rusted pickup truck, sputtering down the road at a leisurely pace.
Lorenzo stepped out into the middle of the road, raising his good arm directly into the headlights.
The truck screeched to a halt, the driver—an older man wearing a faded baseball cap—rolling down his window aggressively.
"Are you crazy, buddy? Get out of the road!" the driver yelled angrily.
Lorenzo walked over to the driver’s side door, pulling the heavy surgical bone saw from his pocket.
He didn't raise it; he simply let it catch the glare of the headlights, a silent, terrifying threat.
"I need to borrow your truck for a family emergency," Lorenzo said, his voice completely calm and utterly terrifying.
"Leave the keys and start walking."
The older man took one look at Lorenzo’s dark, deadly eyes and immediately scrambled out of the passenger side door, running into the woods without a single word.
"Get in," Lorenzo told Hannah, tossing the bone saw onto the dashboard.
May you like
Hannah climbed into the passenger seat, completely astounded by the sheer, effortless power he commanded, even while bleeding and broken.
The king was back on the board.
