Chapter 27
|
Leo stared at my hand for a long, agonizing moment before slowly wrapping his cold, fragile fingers around mine. His grip was remarkably weak, a physical testament to the months of chemical sedation and absolute isolation he had endured.
"He told me I was sick," Leo whispered, tears finally spilling over his pale cheeks. "He said my brain was broken because of the boat accident. He said if I went outside, I would hurt people. I didn't want to hurt anyone."
"You are not sick, Leo," I stated with absolute, unyielding certainty, looking directly into his eyes. "Your brain is perfectly fine. Your uncle lied to you because he wanted to steal your company. The medicine they gave you is what makes you feel confused. But it will wear off. You are going to be completely okay."
"Emma," Luis’s voice suddenly crackled sharply in my earpiece, entirely abandoning his previous calm. "The system diagnostic just completed. The security guards realize the camera feed is looped. They are dispatching two armed contractors to the sub-basement right now. You have sixty seconds before they breach that stairwell."
My heart hammered violently against my ribs. I stood up quickly, pulling Leo gently but firmly to his feet.
"We have to move right now, Leo," I instructed, my voice dropping into a hardened, authoritative register. "Can you walk?"
Leo stumbled slightly, his legs trembling from muscle atrophy, but he nodded, his fear of the dark room finally overriding the lethargy of the drugs. "I can walk."
I wrapped his arm securely over my shoulder, supporting his weight, and guided him out of the sterile cell and into the dim, cavernous wine cellar.
"Luis, I cannot go back up the main servant stairwell," I whispered urgently, moving as fast as Leo’s weakened state would allow. "If the guards are coming down, they will trap us in the concrete corridor. Is there a secondary exit?"
"Checking the blueprints," Luis responded, the sound of frantic typing echoing in my ear. "There is an old, manual freight elevator at the far north end of the cellar. It was used to transport wine casks directly to the loading dock in the garage. It doesn't require a keycard, just manual power. Go north. Fast."
May you like
I half-carried, half-dragged Leo through the labyrinth of expensive wine racks, the heavy, thudding sound of combat boots echoing from the stairwell behind us. The security guards had breached the sub-basement.
"They are in the cellar," I breathed, pushing Leo forward. "We are almost out of time."
