Page 31 of King's Reckoning
The sound of boots grew louder as moresecurity forces entered the building. Rowan could hear vehicles positioning around all sides.
A complete perimeter lockdown.
"Get everyone into the chapel," King ordered. "Now!"
Brothers moved with practiced efficiency, gathering weapons and essential gear. Barbara carefully packed the artifacts and research materials while Ace coordinated the evacuation. Outside, the sounds of men searching the clubhouse grew closer.
The chapel was eerily calm compared to the chaos outside. Rowan moved straight to the memorial wall where fallen brothers were commemorated. Her fingers found the subtle irregularities worked into the wooden panels—mechanical elements that matched designs in her mother's journal.
"Mom modified this," she said with sudden understanding. "She knew someday we'd need it. Knew I'd be here to find it."
"Hidden in plain sight," King said quietly. "Like she knew exactly what we'd need and when."
Rowan pressed specific points on the wall in sequence, following the pattern from her mother's notes. For a moment nothing happened. Then a soft click echoed in the quiet chapel, and a panel slid silently aside, revealing a narrow passage.
"What the hell?" someone whispered. Rowan turned to find the chapel full of brothers staring at the hidden tunnel. At her. Understanding dawned in their eyes as they looked between her and King, really seeing the resemblance for the first time.
"She's King's daughter," Darkness said into the silence. "Elena's girl. The one we thought left with her mother."
The truth hung in the air as the sounds of searching grew closer. Rowan felt the weight of every gaze. Brothers she'd fought beside, protected, earned the respect of. Now they knew she'd been hiding her identity from the start.
"Later," King said sharply. "We need to move. Now."
But the damage was done. Rowan could see it in their faces—the doubt, the sense of betrayal. Everything she'd worked to build here was at risk.
Reed's hand found hers in the chaos, squeezing gently. When she met his eyes, she saw no accusation there. Only understanding, and something deeper that made her heart skip.
"Together," he said softly.
The sound of approaching teams grew louder. Through the chapel windows, Rowan could see tactical teams methodically searching each room. Devils mixed with Blackwood's security forces, all converging on their position.
"Move!" King ordered again. "Questions later. Survival now."
They filed into the tunnel, Barbara carefully protecting the precious artifacts and documents. Rowan brought up the rear with Reed, watching as the panel slid silently closed behind them. Emergency lights on the wall provided just enough illumination to navigate.
"I can’t believe your mother prepared all this," Reed said quietly as they moved deeperunderground. "These tunnels, these escape routes…"
"No," Rowan said, studying the old brick work and support beams. "She just discovered most of it. The original tunnels, the hidden chambers. She just...mapped what was already here. Added new concealed entrances and exits."
"For you," he said. "Everything she did was to prepare you for this moment."
"Maybe." Rowan thought about what they'd learned of her mother's careful planning. "Or maybe she was just trying to protect these historical discoveries. Make sure the truth wouldn't stay buried forever."
Reed's hand tightened on hers. "You're more than just a means to an end. To the club. To King." His voice softened. "To me."
Before Rowan could respond, King called them forward. The tunnel had opened into a larger chamber, its architecture distinctly different from the passages they'd traversed. Older stonework formed elegant arches overhead, supporting the weight of centuries.
"Look at this," Barbara breathed reverently.
A stone table dominated the space, its surface worn smooth by time. But it was what lay on the table that caught Rowan's attention. A final wooden box, larger than the others, its surface darkened with age.
"The final piece of evidence,” Rowan said softly. “The one she was protecting."
She approached the table slowly, examining the box carefully. It was older than the others they'd found, its craftsmanship even more intricate, with designs that matched the stone chamber around them.
Behind them, voices echoed through the tunnel they'd traversed. Heavy boots approached their position.
"They're tracking us somehow," Ace said, checking his weapon. "Following someone who knows the tunnels?"
