Chapter 4 - The Escape into the Storm
"She didn't leave the house," Victor spat, his face hardening as he stood up, thrusting the flash drive into his inner jacket pocket. "She went down to the service garage to clear out the server backup drives!"
"Victor, wait!" Lily grabbed his coat sleeve. "She's dangerous! You heard the recording—she was willing to hurt Ethan!"
"Which is precisely why she dies tonight if she tries to leave this property," Victor said, his tone colder than sub-zero steel. He pulled a small black remote from his desk drawer and handed it to Lily. "This controls the secret elevator behind the wardrobe. It leads straight to the guest cottage on the east lawn. Take Ethan there. Lock the reinforced doors. Do not open them for anyone except me."
"Victor, don't do anything reckless," Lily pleaded, her eyes searching his. "Ethan needs his father."
Victor looked at Lily, his gaze softening for a fleeting second. For months, he had viewed her merely as a quiet, efficient housekeeper. But over the last hour, she had protected his son with her life, defied Serena, and uncovered the truth that had eluded him for four agonizing years.
"I will come back for both of you," Victor promised, placing a firm, warm hand on the back of Lily’s neck. "I swear it."
Without another word, Victor ushered Lily and Ethan toward the wardrobe hidden in the corner of the room. He pressed a panel inside, revealing a small, lit elevator cab. Lily stepped inside, holding Ethan close.
As the motorized door began to slide shut, Lily watched Victor turn back toward the library, drawing a concealed firearm from his shoulder holster.
The elevator descended smoothly, leaving the wailing sirens of the main house behind. When the doors opened, Lily found herself in the cool, rain-scented interior of the guest cottage. Outside, a violent thunderstorm had broken over the Chicago estate. Rain slammed against the French windows, and lightning illuminated the dark oak trees lining the driveway.
Lily quickly locked the thick cottage door, throwing all three heavy deadbolts into place. She carried Ethan to the plush sofa, wrapping him in a soft fleece blanket.
"Lily?" Ethan asked, his voice sleepy and frightened. "Is Daddy going to fight the bad lady?"
"Daddy is taking care of everything, sweetheart," Lily whispered, sitting beside him and pulling him onto her lap. "Just rest your eyes. I'm right here."
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She turned toward the glass window, watching the rain pour down. In the distance, through the thick curtain of water, she saw the shadow of the garage doors sliding open.
A sleek black SUV pulled out onto the gravel driveway, its headlights cutting through the storm. But before it could reach the main gates, a heavy armored sedan—Victor’s personal vehicle—roared out from the secondary pavilion, broadsiding the SUV with a deafening crunch of metal and shattering glass.
