Page 13 of King's Reckoning
"Command center's in the basement," Rowan said, heading for the hidden door under the area rug. "Mom called it her 'panic room', but it's more than that."
King followed her down the narrow stairs, his presence filling the confined space. The basement was larger than the cabin above suggested, carved partly into the hillside. One wall was covered in monitors, another in maps and documents.
"Elena's research center," Rowan explained, powering up the systems. "Everything she learned about The Archive, about what's buried under the club—it's all here."
"She was always thorough," King said, studying a map marked with strange symbols. "Even back then. It's what drew me to her first—that brilliant mind, always working."
Rowan glanced at him. "Is that why you left? Because she knew too much?"
"I left to protect her." His voice was rough. "At least, that's what I told myself. Truth is, I was scared. Scared of what she'd discovered, scared of what it meant for the club." He met Rowan's eyes. "Scared of being a father."
Before Rowan could respond, one of the monitors flickered to life. Elena's face filled the screen, younger than Rowan remembered, but with the same determined expression.
"If you're watching this," the recording said, "then things have gone exactly as I feared. The Archive has been found, and now they're coming for it." She leaned closer to the camera. "Rowan, baby, if you're there, everything I taught you was for this moment. And Marcus..." Her voice softened. "I hope you're there too. Our daughter's going to need you for what comes next."
King's hand gripped the back of Rowan's chair. "When did she make this?"
"Just before she died," Rowan said, throat tight. "She knew something was coming. Knew they'd eventually track down The Archive."
"Who are 'they', Elena?" King asked the screen. "What the hell did you find?"
The recording continued as if answering him. "The Archive isn't just historical records. It's proof—proof of something that would rewrite history, change everything we think we know about this land, about power itself." Elena's eyes wereintense. "That's why they split it up, buried it with trusted members. Each piece by itself means nothing, but together—"
Suddenly, the monitors went dark. Emergency lights kicked on as a proximity alarm blared.
"Someone's here," Rowan said, checking the security feeds. "Multiple vehicles coming up the access road."
"Devils?" King asked, already drawing his weapon.
"Worse." Rowan's blood ran cold as she recognized the tactical gear, the professional formation. "Blackwood's mercenaries. And they're not here to negotiate."
"How many?" King was already moving to defensive positions, years of experience taking over.
"I count twelve on the feeds. Professional kit, military formation." Rowan activated the cabin's defense protocols—another of Elena's carefully planned contingencies. Metal shutters slid over the windows upstairs. "Mom built this place to withstand a siege."
"Smart woman." King checked his ammunition. "But we're still outnumbered."
"Maybe not." Rowan pulled up a hidden panel, revealing an impressive weapons cache. "Mom believed in being prepared."
King's eyebrows rose at the arsenal. "She always did think of everything." Pride tinged his voice. "Guess that's where you get it from."
An explosion rocked the cabin above them. On the monitors, Rowan watched mercenaries breaching the front door.
"They're not even trying to be subtle now," she muttered, grabbing a rifle and extra magazines. "We need to—"
Her phone buzzed. A text from Reed.Cavalry's 5 minutes out. Hold position.
"Backup's coming," she told King. "We just need to survive until then."
"Survive?" He checked the rifle she'd handed him with practiced ease. "Baby girl, we're going to do more than survive. We're going to show these bastards why you don't mess with family."
The words hit Rowan like a physical blow. Family. After twenty-five years of absence, here they were—father and daughter, fighting side by side. Just like Elena had prepared her for.
Heavy boots thundered on the floor above. Rowan could hear them sweeping the cabin, room by room. It wouldn't take them long to find the basement entrance.
"Two ways out," she said, indicating the tunnel that led to a hidden exit in the hillside. "Mom's escape route."
"Elena's backup plan for her backup plan," King said with grim admiration. "But we're not running."
