Page 238 of Sweet Dominion

I hesitated for a moment, taking one last breath before following him.

Lei is going to be pissed. He probably thought he had one more chance to stop this, due to us having to leave out of the hallway.

Song shoved the rows of hanging dresses and other clothes aside. Stuff that his sisters, Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi had bought for the girls.

Once he moved all of that away, that was when I saw it.

Oh shit.

At the back of the closet was a small door—one I probably would have never noticed. It was barely visible.

I looked at Song. “Does Lei know about these hidden passages?”

“No one but Leo and I knew.”

“Not even Leo’s wife?”

“Not even her.” Song reached for the handle twisted it open and a draft of cool air rushed out, carrying with it the scent of dampness.

"Why didn’t you all tell anyone?”

“For moments like tonight.”

“But. . .”

Without a word, Song stepped inside disappearing into the darkness beyond.

Damn. . .they’re really crazy.

Trembling, I followed and the small door automatically closed behind me with a quiet thud.

It was only darkness now.

Oh no. I don’t like this.

I stayed right there. “Song?”

His voice sounded up ahead. “Grab the rail on the right before stepping down.”

“We need a flashlight.”

“You only need courage.”

And a fucking flashlight. . .

I reached out and felt the cold metal of the railing.

“Take your time going down, Moni. We don’t need you to break your leg.”

No shit.

I let out a shaky breath, gripping the rail tighter.

Each step creaked under my weight and the farther down we went, the darker it became.

There were no lights, no windows—just an endless descent into what felt like the bowels of the house.

My hand was sweating causing the cold metal to slide against my palm.

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