The hatch handle rattled violently above our heads.
Dust drifted down from the ceiling, covering the old desk and the stacks of journals
my father had spent years protecting. The hidden room that had felt like a sanctuary
only moments ago suddenly felt like a trap.
I couldn't breathe.
I still had Gabriel's letter clutched against my chest. My fingers had crushed the
paper, but I couldn't bring myself to let go.
They had found us.
They knew about the room.
A flashlight beam swept across the cracks around the hatch, thin lines of pale light
cutting through the darkness.
Someone was right above us.
"Boss," a voice called from the garage floor. "It's locked."
The same calm voice from outside Iron Crown answered.
"Then open it."
A loud metallic clang echoed through the undergroun
