Chapter 4 - The Secret Passageway
Mr. Duca’s face hardened instantly.
Every muscle in his broad frame tensed as he stepped in front of Mia and the baby, completely shielding them behind his body. He looked down at the solid mahogany paneling of the library wall, his heart hammering against his ribs. The Beacon Hill estate was over a century old, built by his grandfather, but as far as he knew, no secondary blueprints or hidden rooms had ever been recorded in the public registry.
"What did you say?" Mr. Duca asked in a stunned whisper.
Before he could process her words, Mia reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his black suit jacket with her tiny, cloth-stained hand.
"Listen," Mia whispered softly.
The entire study fell into absolute, suffocating stillness. The hum of the vacuum had long died out. The rain outside seemed to quiet down.
From deep behind the supposedly solid wood paneling—far beneath the floorboards—a low, muffled sound echoed through the timber.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
Mr. Duca jerked his dark eyes toward the bookcase, his hand instinctively reaching toward the inner pocket of his suit jacket where his tactical sidearm rested. Beside his hip, baby Lily suddenly stirred against Mia’s back, letting out a small, soft whimpering cry as she woke from her sleep.
Mia reached back to pat her baby sister's back softly. "Shh, Lily, it's okay. Mr. Duca is here."
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Mr. Duca didn't hesitate. He stepped directly up to the dark section of the wooden shelving, his large hands reaching out to press along the hand-carved moldings. He applied pressure to the oak trim, his broad shoulders straining until a faint mechanical click echoed behind the wall.
With a heavy, scraping groan, a six-foot section of the floor-to-ceiling library bookcase swung slowly inward, revealing a pitch-black, hidden stone passageway descending into the foundation of the estate.
