The Escape
708 Words
The mansion was asleep.
Or at least...
It wanted her to believe it was.
Amelia eased her bedroom door open just enough to peek into the hallway.
Silence.
The soft glow of the wall lamps stretched across the polished marble floor.
She stepped out barefoot, her shoes tied together and hanging over one shoulder to keep them from making a sound.
Victor Marino's file was tucked securely inside her backpack.
She wasn't leaving without it.
Every answer she needed was hidden somewhere inside those pages.
She just had to stay alive long enough to find them.
Earlier that evening, she'd counted the guards, watched the cameras, and memorized the pattern of their patrols.
There were blind spots.
Very small ones.
But enough.
She moved quickly.
The first camera rotated away.
She crossed the corridor.
The second guard stopped to answer a call on his radio.
She slipped behind a marble pillar before disappearing into the servants' hallway.
Her heartbeat pounded so loudly she was certain someone would hear it.
A door.
One more door.
She slowly pushed it open.
Cool night air rushed against her face.
She was outside.
For the first time since arriving at the Romano Estate...
She smiled.
"I did it."
Keeping low, Amelia crossed the gardens, staying close to the hedges until she reached the outer wall.
She spotted a maintenance gate that hadn't fully latched.
Luck.
Or so she thought.
She squeezed through the narrow opening and stepped onto the deserted road beyond the estate.
Freedom.
She looked back only once.
The mansion stood in the distance like a silent fortress, its lights glowing against the darkness.
"I'm sorry, Dante," she whispered.
"But I can't trust you... not yet."
She turned and began walking toward the city.
She never noticed the black SUV rolling slowly behind her with its headlights off.
It stopped without a sound.
A window lowered.
"Miss Hayes?"
Amelia turned instinctively.
The driver smiled politely.
"Mr. Romano sent us. He discovered you'd left and asked us to bring you back safely."
Her stomach tightened.
Dante wouldn't have sent strangers.
He would've come himself.
She took a slow step backward.
"I'll manage."
The smile vanished.
The rear doors flew open.
Four masked men rushed out.
Amelia ran.
Her heels pounded against the empty road.
She didn't look back.
A hand grabbed her backpack.
She twisted free, spinning on instinct.
Her elbow slammed into one attacker's jaw.
Another lunged.
She kicked his knee, sending him crashing onto the pavement.
For one brief moment...
She thought she might actually escape.
Then someone seized her from behind.
A cloth covered her mouth.
The sharp scent of chemicals filled her lungs.
She struggled.
Kicked.
Bit.
Scratched.
Her vision blurred.
The last thing she heard before darkness swallowed her was a calm voice from inside the SUV.
"Tell the White Mask..."
"...the attorney is ours."
Miles away, inside the Romano Estate...
Dante stood in his study, staring at the city through the rain-streaked window.
Something felt wrong.
A sharp knock broke the silence.
"Enter."
One of his captains rushed in, breathing hard.
"Boss..."
Dante turned.
"The east wing cameras lost Miss Hayes fifteen minutes ago."
His expression didn't change.
"Search the estate."
"We already have."
"And?"
The captain hesitated.
"She's gone."
The room fell silent.
Dante slowly closed the file in front of him.
"Show me the security footage."
Within moments, the footage played across the monitor.
Amelia.
Moving through the hallways.
Avoiding the cameras.
Escaping through the maintenance gate.
Then...
Static.
The video cut out.
Someone had hacked the system.
Dante's jaw tightened.
"It wasn't an escape..."
"It was a setup."
He looked at his men.
Every one of them waited for his orders.
His voice was low.
Deadly calm.
"Get the cars."
Weapons clicked into place around the room.
One of the captains asked quietly,
"What if they've already hurt her?"
Dante picked up his pistol.
Checked the magazine.
Then looked each man in the eye.
His answer sent a chill through the room.
"Touch her... and I'll bury your entire bloodline."
No one spoke.
Because every man in that room knew one thing.
Dante Romano never made empty promises.
Outside...
The engines of the black SUVs roared to life.
The hunt had begun.
- Writer
