Chapter 5 - The Safe Room
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"Harper, look at me," I whispered to myself, trying to regulate my own breathing before turning to Finn. "Everything is okay, Finn. Look at my eyes."
Finn peeked out from behind his small hands, his chest heaving. The sound of muffled shouting from the front gates bled through the thick walls of the mansion.
"We're going to play a game," I said, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "Do you remember the secret room your dad showed us? The one behind the bookshelf?"
Finn nodded slowly, tears tracking through the dirt on his cheeks.
"We are going to go in there and practice being as quiet as mice. Can you do that for me?"
I stood up, pulling him with me. I walked over to the massive built-in bookshelf on the far wall of Victor's study. I remembered the code Victor had casually mentioned months ago, never thinking I would actually need it. I punched the numbers into the hidden keypad behind a leather-bound encyclopedia.
The heavy bookshelf hissed, sliding open to reveal a reinforced steel door.
I pushed it open and ushered Finn inside the dimly lit, windowless panic room. The walls were lined with emergency supplies, monitors, and an alarming arsenal of weapons.
I locked the steel door behind us, plunging us into total silence. The soundproof walls instantly cut off the shouting from outside.
I sat on the floor with Finn, pulling a blanket around his trembling shoulders. We sat in the dark for what felt like hours. I watched the security monitors on the wall, seeing the tense standoff at the gates. The men in the black SUVs were posturing, heavily armed, while Victor stood perfectly still, delivering a message I couldn't hear but could clearly understand by the rigid terror in the enemies' posture.
Finally, the black SUVs backed away, peeling out into the street.
The screen showed Victor turning around and sprinting back toward the house. His face was a mask of absolute, unadulterated panic.
Minutes later, the heavy steel door of the panic room beeped and swung open.
Victor stood in the doorway, chest heaving, his suit jacket discarded. His eyes swept the small room, landing immediately on us huddled in the corner.
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He dropped to his knees on the concrete floor, sliding across the distance until he crashed into us. He wrapped his massive arms around both me and Finn, burying his face in my hair, his body shaking with a violent tremor.
"You kept him safe," Victor choked out, his voice cracking with a raw, desperate emotion. "You kept him safe."
