Page 29 of Crimson Reign

His laugh is harsh. "Matteo is a fool who thinks loyalty can't be bought."

He gestures toward a bookcase. "Did you know there's an entire network of tunnels beneath this estate? I've spent months mapping the ones that remain."

My mind races, calculating distances, options. If I could reach the desk, dive under it...

"Don't even think about it," Julian warns. "Two of my men are waiting in the tunnel. We'll use the baby as insurance until we're clear. Then you'll both be delivered to Massimo."

Rage unlike anything I've ever known courses through me.

"Julian," I say, forcing my voice to remain steady, "you know Matteo will hunt you to the ends of the earth for this."

"By the time he realizes you're gone, it'll be too late. Move toward the bookcase. Slowly."

I take a single step, then another, mind whirring.Create a distraction. Use your surroundings. Target vulnerable points.

"How long have you been working for the Caruso?" I ask, taking another measured step.

"Long enough." He adjusts his grip on the gun. "Massimo recognized my potential while Matteo kept me running errands."

Another step. I'm getting closer to the desk. "So it was you who leaked our position at the hospital. And at the docks."

Pride flickers across his face. "Among other things."

Fiona chooses that moment to fuss. The distraction is small, but it's enough. Julian glances down at her for just a fraction of a second.

I lunge for the desk, throwing myself over it. My hand immediately finds the panic button Matteo installed beneath the desktop edge—a silent alarm, connected directly to him and security.

"Get back here now!" Julian roars, but I stay down. I hear Fiona wail, the sound tearing at my heart.

"You can't shoot me," I call out. "Massimo wants me alive."

"I don't need to shoot you. But I can hurt the baby."

"Hurt her, and you're worth nothing to the Caruso."

"How did you find the tunnels?" I ask, buying time.

"I found old blueprints in the estate archives. Been exploring them for months."

Every second he talks is another second closer for help to arrive. I risk peering around the edge of the desk. Julian has moved toward the bookshelf, still holding Fiona and the gun.

"You won't get away with this," I say, slowly rising but keeping the desk between us.

"I already have." He shifts Fiona to his shoulder, using his free hand to pull at something on the bookshelf. A section of it swings outward, revealing a dark opening.

The study door suddenly explodes inward with a thunderous crash.

Matteo stands in the doorway, his face twisted in fury, gun raised. Behind him, I glimpse Nico and several other men, all armed.

Julian backs toward the tunnel entrance. "Stay back or I'll kill her!"

"You're already dead, Julian," Matteo says, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"I have men in the tunnel," Julian warns.

"You mean the men Valentino found ten minutes ago? They will not be joining us."

Confusion flickers across Julian's face. "You're bluffing."

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