Chapter 13 - The Betrayal
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The plan was set. They spent the rest of the day cleaning weapons and finalizing the logistics of their infiltration. But the quiet of the forest was broken by the sound of crunching gravel outside.
Damian immediately killed the lights. He moved to the window, peering through the slats of the steel shutters.
"Two black SUVs," Damian whispered, gripping his pistol. "How did they find us?"
Norah’s mind raced. "The VPN. When I logged into the company archive to read my mother's diary, Elias must have flagged the IP address. Someone at the tower leaked it."
"Elias wouldn't betray me," Damian growled.
"Everyone has a price, Damian. Or a family the Romanos can threaten."
Heavy footsteps approached the cabin porch.
"Damian!" Sal’s voice echoed through the thick wooden door. "Come on out! Bring the girl, and we make it quick! Make us come in, and we make it hurt!"
Damian looked at Norah. He pointed toward the trapdoor hidden beneath the area rug. "The root cellar. It leads to a drainage pipe that empties out near the river. Go."
"I'm not leaving you," Norah whispered fiercely.
"You are the only one who can open the vault," Damian said, grabbing her by the shoulders, his eyes burning into hers. "If they get you, they get the city. Go to the tower. Finish the plan."
"No!"
Before she could argue further, the front door was blown off its hinges by a breaching charge. The shockwave threw them both to the floor.
Smoke poured into the room, followed by the blinding beams of tactical flashlights.
Damian rolled, firing blindly into the smoke. A man screamed and went down. Damian grabbed Norah by the collar, throwing her toward the trapdoor.
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"Go!" he roared, standing up to draw their fire.
Bullets chewed through the wooden walls. Norah threw open the trapdoor and scrambled into the dark earth below, the sounds of a brutal firefight echoing above her.
