Chapter 4 - Into the UnderbellyThey burst through the kitchen doors, leaving the chaos of the ballroom behind. The industrial kitchen was abandoned, save for a terrified prep chef cowering under a stainless-steel prep table.
"The service lift, now!" Damian commanded.
Emma sprinted across the tiled floor, her heels clicking frantically until she kicked them off, running in her bare feet. She slammed her palm against the call button for the freight elevator. The heavy steel doors groaned and slid open, revealing a grimy, dimly lit metal cage.
Mateo piled in first, sweeping the corners with his weapon. Damian pulled Emma inside just as the heavy kitchen doors behind them blew open with a deafening crash.
"They're in the kitchen!" a harsh voice shouted through a radio. "Sweep the perimeter!"
Emma slammed the basement button with a trembling finger. The doors ground shut, sealing them inside the descending metal box just as bullets began pinging against the exterior steel walls.
As the elevator dropped into the subterranean depths of the hotel, the silence inside the cabin grew heavy. Emma slid down the metal wall, catching her breath, her chest burning.
Damian holstered his weapon and stepped closer, looking down at her bare, bruised feet. "You okay?"
"I was having a quiet evening reviewing tax exemptions twelve minutes ago," Emma panted, looking up at him with a mix of fury and disbelief. "What do you think?"
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A faint, dry chuckle escaped Damian’s lips. "Most people run away when they find out my name. You walked right into a crossfire and kept your ledger."
"It's audit protocol," she retorted dryly, though her heart was hammering a million miles an hour against her ribs.
