Ariella stood still in the doorway, her mother pressed tightly against her. Armed guards blocked the only way out, their faces showing both amusement and confidence.
They believed they had won.
They thought Ariella, Leo, and Carter had walked into a trap with no way out.
They were mistaken.
Leo shifted, his stance firm and steady. He stepped in front of Ariella and her mother, his gun aimed at the closest guard. Carter stood beside him, weapon drawn as well.
The lead guard sneered. "You should have stayed dead, Isabelle."
Ariella felt rage surge within her.
She held her mother's frail body tighter. Eleanor Devereux had been imprisoned for thirty years, starved, treated like a ghost, forgotten.
Ariella wouldn't let these men take any more from her. She was ready to fight to the last if that was what it will take to get her mother out of there and experience life anew.
Leo's voice was cold as ice. "Step aside, or we'll take you down."
The guard laughed. "You're outnumbered."
Ariella realized their error.
They didn't want to kill her. Not yet.
Surely, these guards have been instructed not to kill her. They aimed to capture her and deliver her alive. The Order probably still viewed her as their pawn.
A smirk formed on her lips. Fools.
Before the guard could react, Ariella pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The bullet hit his knee, and he fell with a cry.
Leo and Carter sprang into action.
Gunfire erupted, chaos filling the room.
Leo took down two guards with deadly precision, his movements quick and lethal. Carter tackled another, snapping his neck with brutal efficiency.
Ariella's heart raced as she held her mother close. "We need to get out of here!"
Leo turned, reloading his weapon. "Stay behind me."
Ariella nodded. She could fight, but her main focus was getting her mother to safety.
Leo and Carter cleared the way, taking down the last two guards with deadly accuracy.
As soon as the hallway was empty, Leo seized Ariella's wrist. "Let's go."
And they took off.
The hallways were a maze of sterile white corridors, lined with reinforced doors and surveillance cameras. The entire underground facility reeked of power and secrecy.
Ariella's thoughts raced. They had made it inside. They had located Eleanor. But what now?
They needed to find a way out alive.
Alarms blared above them, red lights flashing as the security lockdown began.
Leo activated his comms. "Carter, what's the situation?"
Carter's voice came through, crackling. "The security override is blocked. We need another way out."
Leo clenched his jaw. "Find it. Fast!."
Ariella's lungs ached, but she pushed herself to keep going. Eleanor was struggling, her breaths shallow. Anger boiled within Ariella.
Thirty years. They had starved her, weakened her, stolen her life.
Not anymore.
Carter halted at a junction. "Left or right?"
Ariella's instincts screamed at her. She chose left.
Leo followed without hesitation, his gun always ready.
Ariella hoped for an exit when—
More guards appeared.
Leo reacted instantly. He shoved Ariella and Eleanor behind a column, firing before the guards could respond.
Ariella's breath caught. She counted six armed men, all blocking their way out.
Carter growled. "They were expecting us."
Leo's jaw tightened. "We're out of time."
Ariella faced him, her voice calm amid the chaos. "We need to create a way out. Now."
Leo met her gaze, no hesitation in his eyes.
"Protect your mother."
Ariella nodded, shielding Eleanor as Carter and Leo charged forward, guns firing.
The fight was quick and fierce.
Leo moved like a shadow, every shot hitting its mark. Carter took down two before they could react, his presence a wall of strength and skill.
Ariella felt her heart racing, her fingers gripping her weapon tightly. A guard approached Leo's blind side.
She acted without thinking.
She just shot.
Bang.
The man collapsed.
Leo looked back, a small smile forming. "Good shot."
Ariella grinned. "Learned from the best."
Another guard rushed in—Carter took him down with a knife to the throat.
Five down. One to go.
Leo advanced, seizing the last guard by the collar and slamming him against the wall. "Where's the emergency exit?"
The man spat blood, laughing through the pain. "You think you can escape?"
Leo's grip tightened. "Tell me, or I'll make it worse."
The man sneered. "You're already dead. You just don't realize it."
Ariella felt a knot in her stomach.
Something was off.
Before she could think, the guard's eyes darted behind them.
Ariella turned to see and froze.
Reinforcements. At least twenty men, rushing in.
Leo swore. "We're outnumbered."
Carter reloaded. "We hold our ground."
Ariella's grip on her mother tightened. They were so close—but now, it felt like they were trapped. The Order wouldn't let them escape.
Not alive.
And then—
The lights went out.
Ariella gasped. For a moment, there was only darkness and silence.
Then—
A new voice rang out in the corridor.
"Need some help?"
Ariella recognized that voice.
Her heart raced.
Vincent Crowne.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted, but it wasn't from the Order's men. It came from above.
The enemy guards dropped one by one, caught in a surprise attack from above.
Flashlights cut through the darkness, revealing a team of heavily armed mercenaries, each moving with deadly skill.
Ariella turned, shocked as Vincent Crowne stepped forward, his familiar smirk barely visible in the low light.
Leo gritted his teeth. "You picked a hell of a time to show up."
Vincent chuckled. "Wouldn't miss the party."
Ariella looked confused. "What are you doing here?"
Vincent's grin disappeared. "I have some matters to settle with the Order. Helping you? That really annoys them."
Leo tightened his jaw. "Can we rely on you?"
Vincent's expression grew serious. "At this moment? I'm your best chance to get out of here."
Ariella sighed. "Alright. But this isn't finished."
Vincent smiled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
He turned around. "Now, let's get out of here."
Leo took Ariella's hand. "Let's go."
And together—with new allies and unanswered questions—they sprinted toward freedom.