Chapter 8 - THE GHOST IN THE WALLS
I paced the parlor, frantic. The windows were locked and barred. The heavy doors were bolted from the outside. I thought of Sophia, asleep in the quarters, with Alessandro bleeding out under the bed.
I looked at the massive fireplace. Like many Gilded Age mansions, the Moretti estate was built with an intricate network of servant passages and dumbwaiters, designed so the wealthy family never had to see the staff moving coal or laundry. I had spent fourteen months cleaning these grates. I knew exactly where they went.
I grabbed the heavy iron poker from the fireplace tool stand and jammed it into the side of the decorative iron grate. I put all my weight into it. With a loud crack, the rusty bolts gave way.
I squeezed myself into the dark, soot-filled shaft. It was pitch black and smelled of a century of ash. I climbed upward, scraping my knees and elbows on the rough brick, moving entirely by memory. I needed to get to the security room to trigger a distraction, then get back to Alessandro.
I crawled through the narrow passage for what felt like miles, finally reaching a vent that looked out over the main security hub. Two guards loyal to Victoria were sitting at the monitors, drinking coffee.
I carefully unscrewed the vent cover, slipped my hand out, and yanked the main fire alarm lever located just below the ceiling.
Klaxons blared instantly. Emergency sprinklers activated, flooding the security room and the hallways. The two guards cursed, scrambling out of the room to locate the fire.
The moment they left, I dropped out of the vent. I moved to the main console, my hands flying over the keyboard. I didn't know how to hack, but I knew how to press the "Unlock All" button for the estate's magnetic doors.
I ran. Through the chaos of the flooded hallways, past guards running in the opposite direction, I sprinted back to the servant's quarters. I burst into my room. Sophia was awake, crying at the noise. Alessandro had managed to drag himself out from under the bed and was sitting up, his gun aimed at the door. He lowered it when he saw me.
"They know," I gasped, scooping Sophia into my arms. "Victoria knows. She sent Dante to find the ledger. We have to move."
Alessandro grimaced, forcing himself to stand. His face was the color of ash, but his eyes burned with a deadly resolve. "Where is she?"
"In the main drawing room. She's coordinating the lockdown."
Alessandro checked the magazine of his Beretta. He slammed it home with a sharp click. "You take Sophia and go out the back gate. The electronic locks are off."
"No," I said firmly. "I'm not leaving you to die. You can barely walk."
"Elena, this is family business now. It ends in blood."
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"She killed Isabella," I reminded him, my voice fierce. "She threatened my daughter. It's my business too. I know a way to get you right behind her without the guards seeing."
Alessandro looked at me, a mixture of awe and grim determination on his face. "Show me."
