Chapter 14 - The House Turns Against Them

The lights went out.

Greystone fell into darkness.

Emergency lamps blinked red along the basement walls.

"Nolan cut the power," Ethan said.

Bianca shook her head. "Not just the power. The security system has a lockdown mode. Doors seal. Gates close."

"Why does a house have a lockdown mode?" Mara demanded.

"Because my husband is a paranoid criminal."

"Finally, something we agree on."

A voice came through the intercom.

Nolan.

"Ethan, you always did love dramatic entrances. Let's see how you handle an exit."

Metal bolts slammed inside the doors. Nolan continued, "Officers outside are being told there is an armed intruder. If you step into view holding a weapon, they will respond accordingly."

Ethan looked at the unloaded gun in his hand and dropped it immediately.

"Smart," Nolan said through the speaker. "Now put the ledger down."

Bianca whispered, "He can see us."

Mara scanned the ceiling and found the camera.

She picked up a mop bucket and hurled it upward.

The camera shattered.

"That felt good," she said.

Bianca stared at her. "You were always terrifyingly efficient."

"You should have paid me more."

Ethan almost smiled, then pointed toward the old service tunnel.

"The coal passage leads outside."

Bianca shook her head. "Nolan sealed it after the renovation."

"He sealed the visible entrance."

Behind the old boilers, Ethan found a rusted hatch into a narrow tunnel. Mara crawled first, protecting her stomach.

Halfway through, smoke drifted toward them.

"Do you smell that?" she asked.

Ethan did.

Fire.

Nolan's voice echoed faintly through the intercom behind them.

"You should have stayed dead, Ethan."

Heat built in the tunnel.

Bianca began coughing.

"He set the house on fire," she said.

Mara looked back. "With police outside?"

"He'll blame Ethan."

They crawled faster.

At the far end, Ethan shoved against the hatch.

It did not move.

"Locked," he grunted.

Smoke thickened.

Mara's lungs burned.

Then she heard something on the other side.

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