Chapter 14: Fire in the Estate
Chapter 14: Fire in the Estate
"It's taped to the underside of the iron frame," Rosa lied smoothly, catching Ethan's eye in the gloom. A silent, desperate communication passed between them in a fraction of a second. The echoes of their time in Queens. A shared, telepathic understanding of physics and timing.
As the guard leaned deeper into the belly of the piano, Ethan lunged. He didn't go for Vanessa; he went for the guard. He grabbed the man's heavy tactical vest and shoved him violently forward, driving him face-first into the piano strings. A discordant, horrific crash of untuned notes shrieked through the room as Ethan slammed the heavy, solid wood lid down viciously on the man's arm, pinning him.
Distracted by the horrific noise and her guard's scream for just a fraction of a second, Vanessa flinched.
That was all Rosa needed. She tackled Vanessa to the floor with explosive force. As they fell, the silver pistol discharged wildly. The bullet bypassed Rosa and struck the heavy, antique velvet drapes lining the walls, instantly igniting the flammable, aged fabric. Flames began to race up the walls with terrifying speed, feeding on the dry oxygen.
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Ethan snatched Lily from the chaos, holding her tightly against his chest, burying her face in his neck. "Rosa! Come on! We have to go!"
Rosa delivered a brutal, desperate strike to Vanessa's jaw, knocking the woman out cold on the marble floor. She didn't look back. She rushed to the piano bench, flipped it over, ripped open a false panel she had installed months ago, grabbed the real encrypted drive, and sprinted toward Ethan.
