The pantry's narrow passage spat Celeste and Noah into fresh night air. Dew-coated ivy trailed over a low wall, and moonlight trembled on the surface of a koi pond below. Carmen closed the hatch behind them, locking it with a soft click. She helped Celeste lower Noah to the ground and handed him the stuffed fox.
He clutched it to his chest. "Mama," he whispered. "Are we safe?"
Celeste knelt, brushing two strands of hair from his forehead. "For now, sweetheart. Stay close to Carmen." She rose and faced Carmen, whose flashlight beam cut through the darkness.
"We head to the stables," Carmen said. "There's a cart we can use."
Celeste nodded. She followed Carmen down a hidden path that wound alongside the estate's outer wall. Every rustle of leaves jolted her heart. She glanced back at the manor windows, where faint light glowed—Bianca's lanterns still burned.
Inside, Bianca stood in the prep kitchen, boots planted firmly. Adrian crouched before her, hands bound by cuffs that glinted in the lamplight. His dark eyes met hers with equal measures of defiance and despair.
"Welcome back, Adrian," she said softly, her voice edged in steel. "You and your family elude me like ghosts." She tapped her heel on the linoleum, sending a hollow echo through the room.
He rose to his feet, shoulders squared. "Release them," he demanded.
She spread her arms. "I could. But you took my leverage. So I'll use yours." She stepped closer, stopping inches from him. "You love them. You would kill for them." She tilted her head. "Would you?"
He swallowed. His throat tightened. "I'd die for them."
She smiled. "Good." She leaned in, her voice a harsh whisper. "Because tonight, only one of us will walk away."
Back at the stables, the cart waited beneath gnarled oaks. The driver, a burly man in a faded uniform, sensed danger in Carmen's tense posture. He guided the horses onto the gravel and climbed up, torch in hand. Carmen helped Celeste lift Noah onto the bench beside her.
The cart lurched forward. Celeste gripped her son's small shoulder. Every bump in the dirt road made her pulse spike. She watched the manor fade into the night, its ornate rooflines swallowed by forest.
She wrapped her arms around Noah. "You stay right here," she murmured. "And don't move."
Noah nodded, eyelids heavy. "I love you, Mama."
She pressed a kiss to his temple. "I love you too."
Carmen settled next to the driver, speaking low. Celeste watched the door to the pantry hatch—a small square in the stone foundation. She prayed it would hold.
Inside the manor's dark corridors, Bianca leaned against a marble pillar. She traced the edge with a fingertip, surveying the empty hallway. The lingering echoes of Carmen's flight fueled her satisfaction. But she needed closure.
She tapped her earpiece. "Release the hounds."
In the pantry-turned-hallway, Adrian heard the faint click of boots moving toward him. He braced for the worst. Bianca's voice came again over the earpiece she'd forced him to wear.
"Don't think of running. Don't think of bargaining. Emily's name means everything. If you move, he dies."
Adrian's gaze snapped to the doorway. His pulse thundered. As the guards approached, he squared his shoulders. The pantry hatch slammed, jolting the room, and in the darkness he sensed movement beyond.
His father's wheeze echoed from behind. Victor Castellanos's trembling voice cracked the silence.
"Adrian?"
He edged toward his father. Victor, frail in a threadbare robe, leaned against the pantry wall. Blood knotted a stain at his temple. His breathing was shallow.
"I'm here, Father," Adrian whispered, voice low but steady.
Victor's eyes flickered. "Get them out. All of us. Go now."
Adrian placed a hand on Victor's shoulder. "I will."
The door burst inward. Guards flooded the pantry, rifles raised. Their boots rang on marble. Adrian braced himself, but at that moment, a ragged shout split the air:
"Stop!"
Celeste's voice, raw with fear and fury, echoed through the service corridor. The guards halted, rifles wavering.
The pantry door shuddered as Carmen slammed it shut from outside, her flashlight swinging wildly. Mud and straw rained into the room through the hatch.
Adrian lunged forward and swept the earpiece from his head. He yanked it free of wires and crushed it underfoot. He called out, "Get out!"
Victor slumped against the wall, blood and sweat mingling on his forehead. Adrian supported him. "Stay with me."
The guards regrouped, confusion splitting their ranks. A sudden crash tore through the hallway: the stable cart collided with the outer door. Horses neighed, hooves skidding on stone. Celeste's frantic voice followed.
"Adrian! Where are you?"
He hoisted his father onto his shoulder. Victor's weight was surprising, but Adrian set his jaw and moved.
Swinging the pantry hatch open, Adrian followed fragments of light down the slope to the garden. A lantern beam flickered in the distance.
"Come on!" he called.
Below, Celeste knelt beside Noah on the cart bench, tears streaking her cheeks. Carmen urged the driver to back up. The horses reared.
Adrian slid down the wall and reached for his son, setting Victor on the ground. His knees hit dirt. He took Noah into his arms in a fierce embrace.
Noah's eyes widened. "Daddy!"
Adrian kissed his hair. "I've got you."
Carmen vaulted down next. She grabbed Victor's arm. "We have minutes. Move!"
Adrian hoisted Victor. Celeste scooped up Noah. They climbed onto the cart behind Carmen and the driver. The cart lurched and began to roll backward down the ivy-lined path.
Behind them, the manor's stone façade loomed. Lanterns shattered as flame-throwing guards advanced. Water splashed under hooves chasing the cart.
Adrian whispered fiercely to Celeste, "Keep him safe."
She pressed Noah close, rocking him as the wind ripped through their coats. Victor moaned softly at her feet.
The driver spurred the horses. The cart sped toward a bend in the path that led to a hidden gate. Carmen peered through the dark and shouted, "Almost there!"
Adrian scanned the forest's edge. Branches whipped the cart roof. He saw the open gate flashing under a single lamp.
The horses thundered toward freedom. The manor's screams of rage echoed behind them.
As they neared the gate, the gravel ended. A plummet of darkness yawned beneath a fallen mile marker and a crude bridge over a ravine. The cartwheels spun on splintered wood.
Adrian's breath hitched. He grabbed the post and yanked the cart to one side, snapping the reins from the driver's hands.
The horses bolted into the woods. The cart careened toward the ravine. Carmen leapt from the bench and landed heavily on the ground. Celeste froze, clutching Noah. Victor's weight slid toward the edge.
Adrian dove, catching the cart just before it tipped. He jerked the post, snapping the cart away. The wooden planks groaned beneath them.
Carmen rushed to stabilize the cart. Celeste held Noah tight, rocking as the ravine's roar faded beneath them.
Victor slid to his knees but remained on firm ground. He touched Adrian's arm. "Go."
Adrian nodded, his voice hoarse. "Take him. Hide him."
Celeste scooped Victor's arm over her shoulder. She looked back at Adrian, tears streaming.
He helped her lift Victor. Then he turned to the ravine, where the unstable bridge creaked and swayed.
Behind him, footsteps crashed through underbrush. Armed guards emerged, rifles raised.
Celeste rose and held Victor close. Noah's small hand gripped her sleeve.
Adrian faced the guards alone, fists clenched, heart pounding.
And above the ravine, lightning split the sky.