Chapter 4 - The Darkness
Dominic quickly pulled Hannah behind the thick marble staircase as the first suppressed gunshot shattered the silence.
The bullet struck the spot where Hannah had been standing a fraction of a second earlier.
"How many men did Arthur send?" Hannah whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"If they bypassed my exterior security, it means my own men were bought off," Dominic realized grimly.
"It could be a dozen, or it could be fifty."
He handed Hannah a spare, loaded pistol from his ankle holster.
"Do you know how to use this?"
"I am a surgeon, Mr. Moretti. I know exactly where the vital organs are," Hannah replied, checking the safety mechanism with practiced ease.
Dominic allowed a small, incredibly rare smirk to cross his face in the darkness.
"Stay behind me, Doctor."
They moved silently through the dark corridors, heading back toward the east conservatory to protect Eleanor.
They encountered two heavily armed mercenaries near the kitchen.
Dominic dropped them both with two precise, flawless shots before they even knew he was there.
When they finally reached the conservatory, the room was empty.
Eleanor Moretti was gone, and her empty wheelchair was overturned on the floor.
"They took her," Dominic snarled, raw panic finally bleeding into his composed voice.
Hannah quickly knelt beside the overturned chair, shining her small medical penlight on the floor.
"No, they didn't," Hannah said, pointing to a subtle, drag mark on the expensive rug.
"Your mother dragged herself toward the hidden panic room behind the library."
"She is trying to lead them away from us."
They sprinted toward the library, moving as silently as ghosts through the massive mansion.
They found the heavy steel door of the panic room wide open and completely compromised.
Inside, Arthur Sterling was standing over Eleanor, holding a pistol to the old woman's head.
Arthur smiled a cruel, victorious smile when he saw Dominic and Hannah enter.
"Right on time, Dominic," Arthur chuckled, his voice echoing in the small steel room.
"And you brought my runaway surgeon with you."
Dominic raised his weapon, aiming it squarely between Arthur's eyes.
"Let her go, Arthur, or I will paint this room with your brains," Dominic threatened coldly.
Arthur simply laughed and pressed the barrel harder against Eleanor's silver hair.
"You always were too emotional about your family, boy."
"Drop the gun, or she dies right now."
Dominic hesitated, his finger hovering over the trigger, completely trapped by his love for his mother.
"Do it, Dominic!" Eleanor ordered fiercely, refusing to show a single ounce of fear.
"Shoot the bastard!"
Before Dominic could make the impossible choice, Hannah stepped forward, lowering her weapon entirely.
"Arthur, please, let her go," Hannah begged, her voice trembling with genuine submission.
"I will come back to work for you."
"I will pay off the debt, I promise."
Arthur looked at Hannah, his greedy eyes lighting up with malicious triumph.
"You really think you can negotiate with me, little girl?" Arthur sneered.
"I don't need to negotiate with you, Arthur," Hannah said, her voice suddenly dropping the trembling facade.
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"I just needed you to inhale deeply."
Arthur frowned, confused, just as he suddenly gasped and dropped his weapon, clutching his own throat in sheer, suffocating agony.
