Chapter 15 - Beneath the House
The original blueprints showed a wine cellar.
The renovated plans did not.
My father had sealed it before selling me the property.
Claire apparently discovered it.
The entrance was hidden behind shelving in the garage.
Rebecca and I opened it shortly after midnight.
Stone steps descended into darkness.
The smell reached us first.
Antiseptic.
Damp concrete.
Something metallic.
At the bottom was a locked steel door.
Rebecca forced it.
Inside were three small rooms.
One contained medical supplies.
Another contained document printers, passport equipment, and blank birth certificates.
The third contained a mattress.
Chains were bolted to the wall.
Elena was not there.
But her blood was.
Rebecca crouched beside the mattress.
“She was here recently.”
A sound came from the hallway.
We both turned.
Mara stood on the stairs.
“You were supposed to stay with the boys.”
“I heard something.”
“What?”
She pointed toward the far wall.
“Listen.”
We became silent.
A faint knocking came from behind the concrete.
Three taps.
Pause.
Two taps.
Pause.
Three taps.
Mara ran forward.
“Elena!”
The knocking became frantic.
We found a narrow service door concealed behind storage cabinets.
Elena lay inside.
Alive.
Barely.
Mara fell beside her.
Elena began sobbing when she saw her sister.
I stood frozen.
This woman had carried my children.
She had been imprisoned under my home.
And I had slept above her.
“Elena.”
Her eyes moved toward me.
“Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“Your sons.”
“They’re safe.”
She began crying.
“Don’t let her take them.”
“I won’t.”
Elena grabbed my shirt.
“She changed the plan.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“She knows someone is watching the airfield.”
“How?”
“I heard Marcus.”
“What’s the new plan?”
Elena struggled to speak.
“They’re not taking the boys first.”
Rebecca leaned closer.
“Who are they taking?”
May you like
Elena looked directly at me.
“You.”
