The express elevator didn’t return to the upper world. It descended further, dropping deep into the forgotten subterranean veins of the city until it settled into its final, deepest hydraulic cradle with a heavy, pneumatic sigh.
When the reinforced steel doors finally slid open, the blinding white glare of the secondary emergency lights flooded a vast, cavernous underground transit bay. It was a stark, brutalist space constructed of ribbed concrete and reinforced iron pillars, smelling heavily of damp earth, motor oil, and stagnant air. Parked directly under a flickering halogen light was a heavily armored, matte-black SUV.
Standing by the driver’s side door, an automatic rifle strapped across his chest, was Lorenzo.
The Underboss looked up as the elevator doors chimed, his quiet, hyper
