Chapter 14 - The Hidden Door
I hoisted myself up through the floor grate, stepping directly out into the back of Julian’s underground security hub. The room was bathed in the red emergency glow of the lockdown alarms.
My eyes scanned the master control console. There was a secondary manual override switch—the one that controlled the hydraulic access panels leading directly into the basement auxiliary corridors.
Without hesitation, I slammed my hand down on the toggle.
Hiss.
A section of the wood-paneled wall beside the main monitors slid open with a pneumatic groan, revealing a direct, hidden stairwell that emptied out right behind the laundry room where Julian stood cornering Clara.
I grabbed a heavy, brass-handled fire extinguisher from the wall mount, my knuckles white, and crept down the dark stairs.
Just as Julian raised the hunting knife above Clara’s chest, I stepped out from the hidden alcove.
“Julian!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
He whipped around, his dark eyes widening in genuine shock as he spotted me. “You... you were supposed to stay in the nursery!”
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“Let her go, Julian,” I said, stepping between him and Clara, raising the heavy fire extinguisher like a club. “It’s over. The federal servers already have your entire ledger.”
Julian let out a cold, venomous laugh, lowering the knife slightly as a terrible, mocking grin spread across his face. “You naive little fool. Do you really think a few digital files can stop me? I own this county. And by the time the police carve their way through my estate doors, you and this maid will be nothing more than tragic footnotes in a house fire.”
