Chapter 7 - The Secret in the Basement Vault
At three o'clock in the morning,
the lower levels of the Moretti estate were bathed in absolute darkness.
While the rest of the mansion slept,
Gabriel and I descended into the sub-basement using a heavy freight elevator.
The floor beneath us vibrated with the heavy hum of industrial generators,
and the air smelled of concrete,
rust,
and old paper.
Gabriel navigated his wheelchair through a narrow corridor lined with reinforced steel doors.
"My father built this section during the war with the Chicago families,"
Gabriel explained,
his voice echoing in the tight space.
"It’s not connected to the estate’s primary security network."
"Not even Carmine knew about this vault."
He pulled a heavy iron key from inside his inner jacket pocket and unlocked a thick vault door.
The door swung open with a deep,
metallic groan,
revealing a room filled with tall steel filing cabinets,
wall-mounted weapons,
and a central table holding old leather-bound ledgers.
"Why are we down here?"
I asked,
stepping into the chilly room and shivering slightly in my scrub jacket.
"Because Carmine had a second ledger,"
Gabriel said,
wheeling up to the heavy central table.
"He kept a physical record of his off-the-books transactions."
"If we find it,"
"we find the names of the Romanov lieutenants who funded his hitmen."
I walked around the table,
opening the drawers of the steel cabinets,
scanning labels covered in thick layers of dust.
"You know,"
I said,
pulling out a stack of yellowed folders,
"you really need to fire your filing clerk."
"This organization system is a nightmare."
"My filing clerk was shot two years ago,"
Gabriel replied dryly,
placing a heavy ledger onto the desk.
"I haven't had time to hire a replacement."
"I'll add it to my invoice,"
I smirked,
setting a stack of documents next to him.
Suddenly,
a sharp click echoed through the basement corridor outside.
Gabriel froze instantly.
His hand immediately moved to the concealed holster beneath his arm,
his dark eyes cutting toward the heavy vault door.
"Did you lock the elevator?"
he whispered,
his voice dropping into a deadly calm tone.
"Vincent took the master key up to the security room,"
I answered,
my heart hammering against my ribs.
Footsteps echoed down the concrete hallway—heavy,
deliberate,
and muffled by tactical boots.
"It's not my guards,"
Gabriel said grimly,
pulling his sleek black hand-cannon from his holster.
"My men wear smooth leather soles."
"Get behind the table,
Maya."
"Now."
Before I could move,
a tall figure stepped into the doorway of the vault,
a submachine gun raised and pointed directly at Gabriel’s chest.
The man wore a dark tactical vest with no family insignia,
his face covered by a black balaclava.
"Don Moretti,"
the gunman said with a heavy Eastern European accent.
"Nikolai sends his regards."
Before the man could pull the trigger,
I didn't think,
I didn't pause.
I grabbed a heavy,
iron-bound leather ledger from the table and hurled it with all my strength.
The heavy book struck the gunman straight in the side of his mask,
knocking his aim off by three inches.
A spray of bullets chewed into the concrete wall behind Gabriel,
sparks flying into the dark room.
Gabriel didn't hesitate.
He fired twice.
The loud cracks of his weapon shattered the silence of the basement,
and the intruder collapsed onto the floor,
his weapon clattering against the concrete.
Silence fell over the room once more,
heavy and thick with gunsmoke.
I slumped against the side of the wooden desk,
gasping for air,
my hands shaking so hard I couldn't hold them still.
Gabriel quickly wheeled over to me,
his eyes scanning my body frantically.
"Are you hit?"
he demanded,
his hands gripping my shoulders with fierce intensity.
"Maya!"
"Look at me!"
"Are you hit?"
"No,"
I gasped,
looking down at the blood spreading across the floor from the gunman.
"I... I threw a book at a guy with a machine gun."
"What is wrong with me?"
Gabriel stared at me for two long seconds,
and then,
without warning,
he pulled me into his chest,
wrapping his powerful arms around me,
holding me so tightly I could feel the thudding of his heart against my cheek.
"You are the most absurdly brave,
foolish woman I have ever met,"
he whispered into my hair,
May you like
his breath warm against my neck.
"And I am never letting you leave my side."
