Chapter 2 - Darkness Falls Across The Lake Forest Mansion
The heavy mahogany wine cellar door muffled the sudden drop in ambient noise as the mansion's main electrical grid died.
Every automated security light, smart appliance, and recessed ceiling fixture blinked out simultaneously, leaving absolute blackness behind.
Dominic’s thumb instinctively flicked off the safety of his concealed Sig Sauer pistol beneath his black wool coat.
His hand was steady, conditioned by decades of violence in the brutal underworld of Chicago’s organized crime families.
Across the dark cellar, Evelyn Shaw did not panic, her breathing remaining slow and measured in the chilled air.
“They cut the main line from the exterior transformer box,” Evelyn whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum.
Grace stood motionless beside the wooden wine racks, her sightless eyes fixed forward while her ears strained for sound.
“Dad?” Grace called out softly, her fingers tightening around the wooden training baton she refused to drop.
“I’m right here, Grace,” Dominic murmured, stepping backward until his broad shoulders brushed against the reinforced stone wall.
“Stay behind me,” he added, his voice carrying the iron authority that had made grown men beg for mercy.
Evelyn moved silently through the dark, her boots making zero sound against the damp brick flooring of the cellar.
“The exterior transformers are heavily protected,” Evelyn noted quietly. “Whoever cut them knew the mansion’s exact electrical schematics.”
Dominic’s mind raced through the roster of capos, lieutenants, and rival syndicate bosses who possessed those specific architectural blueprints.
Only three people outside of Dominic himself had ever memorized the complete engineering layout of the Lake Forest estate.
One of them was dead. The second was his brother-in-law, Vincent. The third was someone still hiding in plain sight.
“Evelyn, take Grace to the emergency panic shelter behind the third wine rack,” Dominic ordered without hesitation.
“I’m not hiding,” Grace snapped instantly, her chin lifting with a stubborn defiance that reminded Dominic entirely of Sofia.
“This isn't a training exercise anymore, Grace; men with guns are inside our home,” Dominic said sharply.
“Which is precisely why I am staying right here,” Grace answered, raising her baton into a defensive guard position.
Evelyn stepped up beside the young girl, her hand resting reassuringly on Grace’s uninjured shoulder in the darkness.
“She’s ready, Dominic,” Evelyn said calmly. “More ready than you think.”
A sudden crash echoed from the main hallway directly above the wine cellar ceiling, followed by heavy military boots.
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The battle for the mansion had officially begun, and there was no way out except through the violence waiting above.
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