Page 120 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

“Alexander’s in the house with Luna. She’s not answering her phone. Red’s going in, but can you please—”

“I’m on my way,” Grayson said.

Click.

The engine roared as I pushed it even further, the speedometer creeping past a hundred twenty—the outside becoming a blur.

Every second stretched far too long.Luna, hold on, I silently pleaded.

CHAPTER57

Luna

Panic surged as I scrambled to my feet, every fiber of my being urging me to flee. The dim tunnel loomed ahead, the distance stretching out, seemingly endless. My heavy breathing became erratic as Alexander’s menacing footsteps reverberated off the walls, becoming faster and heavier behind me.

If I could make it to the weapons wall, maybe I could incapacitate him long enough to run for it.

As my heart thundered in my chest and my feet slammed against the unforgiving stone, some part of my brain registered the eerie resemblance my desperate escape held. In the depths of this underground chamber, memories of my frantic escape from Hunter surfaced, a stark contrast to the peril I now faced. The corridors seemed to echo with my past fears, but an unsettling clarity pierced through the chaos of my thoughts: Hunter, despite all appearances, never intended to kill me. Yet with Alexander, every instinct screamed, every heartbeat warned of his lethal intent. The two scenarios, though seemingly similar, were worlds apart in the intentions and dangers behind them.

I pushed aside the thoughts and finally charged into the frosty air of the weapons room, snatching a hammer and spinning around.

Watching as the dangerous presence materialized. The echo of heavy footsteps merged with the drip of condensation while the amber lighting cast an eerie glow that carved out the silhouette of Alexander.

His fists, clenched in white-knuckled fury, hung at his sides, promising pain.

When his eyes met mine, his approach slowed, and the charged air between us grew heavier, thick with anticipation—a predator assessing his prey.

He entered the room and stilled, his eyes widening as he looked around the space. At the stone walls residing beneath the earth, a hundred feet from the main house. At the artificial lights positioned along the outer rim, at the large board behind me, where an array of knives and tools sat organized in neat rows.

“The hell is this place?” he murmured.

He glanced behind him, quickly scanning the tunnel he’d chased me down, then returned his focus back to the weapons room.

The smaller tunnel branched toward my right. Surely, there was an outside door in that direction where I could run, hide, scream for help, and run toward the security guards, who were probably looking for us right now since Alexander had never come back out.

I looked back at Alexander, seeing a malevolent spark flickering in his gaze. Before he lunged with predatory speed.

My legs turned my body and pumped in swift retaliation; the cold handle of the hammer pressed into my palm with a promise of protection. The narrow corridor ahead swallowed me into its shadows. It was a tight squeeze, a claustrophobic stretch with barely enough illumination to make out the path.

Alexander’s frantic shouts echoed from behind, the ominous drum of his pursuing steps amplifying the dread knotted in my gut.

I was only ten feet from a light ahead that opened into a new space, the taste of victory sweet on my lips.

But suddenly, a force, brutal and swift, collided with my back. Careening forward, I slammed into the stone ground on my chest—sharp aches rocketing through my hips and shoulders.

I rolled onto my back and swung the hammer at the dark figure standing over me, but he caught my arm and wrenched it from my grip. Before grabbing a fistful of my hair and slamming my head against the floor.

CHAPTER58

Hunter

“What do you mean, you can’t find them?” I snapped at Red.

Red ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. “We’ve gone through the mansion twice. There’s no trace of them, but we did find this.” He gestured toward a gleaming butcher knife that lay just a few feet away from the security panel.

A dread crept into my bones. The knife was far from its home in the kitchen. A molten anger rose within me, a tightening in my throat. “He attacked her.”

“His car’s still here,” Red said. “They can’t be far.”

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