Chapter 5 - The Underground Escape
|
“Breach the club?” Chloe gasped, stumbling out of the leather chair. “There are hundreds of innocent people down there! You have to call the police!”
“The police who respond will likely be on Volkov’s payroll,” Dominic snapped, moving swiftly to a massive bookshelf on the far wall. “I handle my own security. Vincent, lock down the main floor. Keep the guests inside, cut the music, and deploy the heavy tactical team to the entrances. Nobody gets in.”
“Yes, Boss,” Vincent nodded, rushing back out and slamming the heavy doors.
Dominic reached up, pulled a specific leather-bound book, and the entire bookshelf clicked heavily. It swung open silently on hidden hinges, revealing a dark, narrow concrete stairwell.
“Move,” Dominic commanded, grabbing Chloe’s hand and pulling her into the darkness.
“Where does this go?” she asked, her voice echoing in the damp, claustrophobic space as Dominic pulled the bookshelf shut behind them. The office vanished, leaving them in absolute darkness save for the small flashlight Dominic produced from his pocket.
“The Prohibition era built this city, Chloe,” Dominic explained, his voice echoing off the cold stone walls as they descended rapidly. “This building used to be a speakeasy. This tunnel runs exactly three blocks east, ending beneath an old subway maintenance access. Volkov’s men are watching the streets, but they don't know the bones of Boston like I do.”
Chloe struggled to keep up in her cheap work shoes, her breathing ragged. The air smelled of mildew and old earth.
“You’re risking your club, your men, your entire business for those drives,” Chloe said, panting as she gripped his hand tightly to keep from falling in the dark.
“I am protecting what is mine,” Dominic corrected sharply. “Volkov disrespecting my territory by sending armed men into my club is an insult I will not tolerate. The drives are merely the prize for winning the war.”
They reached the bottom of the stairs. Dominic pushed open a heavy iron grate, leading them into a massive, abandoned subway service tunnel. The distant rumble of a train vibrated beneath their feet.
“We walk from here,” Dominic said, turning off the flashlight to avoid being spotted. “Stay close to the wall. Keep quiet.”
As they moved through the darkness, Chloe’s phone buzzed violently in her apron pocket. The sound was deafening in the silence of the tunnel.
Dominic instantly pinned her against the cold brick wall, his hand covering her mouth.
“Check it,” he whispered harshly, his body pressed intimately against hers, shielding the glow of the screen.
May you like
Chloe pulled the phone out with shaking hands. The caller ID was a scrambled, unknown number. But she knew immediately who it was.
“It’s him,” Chloe whispered, her eyes wide with fear. “It’s Tommy.”
