Chapter 3 The Voice in the Walls

"Elena!"

The scream echoed down the stone walls like a ghost's wail, sharp and chilling.

Elena stood frozen, her pulse roaring in her ears.

"That was her," she whispered again. "I swear to God, that was my mother's voice."

Alessandro's gaze swept the cellar ceiling. The rain hammered harder now. Thunder rolled like cannon fire, shaking the foundation.

"That's impossible," he muttered. "You said she vanished seven years ago."

"She did. She was declared dead." Elena's voice cracked. "But if she's alive-"

Another scream sliced the air.

This time, it was closer.

Alessandro yanked open the cellar hatch and pulled himself up into the courtyard. Rain poured down in icy sheets, soaking his shirt instantly. Elena scrambled after him, her heels slipping in the mud.

The mansion loomed in the darkness - a black silhouette with shattered windows and bullet-scarred walls. His estate had survived wars. But tonight, it looked like a haunted castle.

"Elena, inside," he barked.

She didn't hesitate.

They ran through the main doors, flanked by two armed guards. The De Luca crest - two wolves and a dagger - stared down at them from the grand marble foyer.

Blood trailed along the polished floor.

"Where did it come from?" Alessandro demanded.

"West wing," a guard said. "We've swept it. Nothing but busted doors and old service tunnels."

Elena's face went pale. "The service tunnels lead to the family vault."

Alessandro cursed under his breath. He turned to one of his soldiers. "Lock the estate down. No one gets in or out without my say."

"Yes, boss."

He grabbed Elena's hand - firm but not harsh - and pulled her with him down the western hall. Her heels clicked on the marble as they moved fast through twisting corridors and shadowy portraits of De Luca ancestors.

"You think they have her?" she asked.

"If that was your mother's voice," Alessandro said, "then someone wanted us to hear it."

"That's sick."

"That's strategy."

They reached the old chapel - once used for weddings, now more of a dust-filled relic. Alessandro pushed through the iron gate and moved to the altar. He lifted the crucifix embedded in the stone.

A soft click.

The floor beneath them shifted.

A square section of marble slid open, revealing a stairwell leading down into pitch-black darkness.

Elena hesitated. "This place... it used to terrify me when I was a kid."

"Good," he muttered. "Means no one else dared come down here."

They descended the stairs, weapons drawn. The walls grew narrower the deeper they went. Pipes groaned overhead. Drips echoed like footsteps.

Then, from the shadows - a sob.

"Elena..."

The voice again.

Only this time, it wasn't a scream. It was begging.

"Help me..."

Elena's eyes welled up. "That's her. I know that voice."

They stepped into a chamber filled with relics - gold coins, faded documents, and a massive steel vault at the back. The air reeked of old secrets.

Alessandro moved toward the vault. "The voice is coming from inside."

"But the vault's been sealed for years," Elena whispered.

He keyed in a code on the old panel. It beeped red.

"Wrong combination," he muttered. "Damn it."

Elena stepped forward. "Try my father's birthdate."

Alessandro raised an eyebrow, then entered the date.

Beep. Green light.

The vault door creaked open with a hiss.

They stepped inside.

The space wasn't filled with gold or files. It was small. Cold. Empty - except for a single chair in the center.

And tied to that chair...

"Oh my God," Elena gasped.

A woman.

Her clothes were tattered. Her wrists were bound. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Elena?" the woman croaked.

Tears streamed down Elena's cheeks. "Mama..."

She rushed forward, arms outstretched, collapsing to her knees before her mother. Alessandro scanned the room for traps. There was nothing. No surveillance, no bombs, no snipers. Just years of dust, pain, and confusion.

"Who did this to you?" Elena whispered, frantically untying her mother's wrists. "Who locked you in here?"

Her mother shook her head. "They said... I had to disappear. That was the only way to keep you safe."

"Who, Mama?"

Before she could answer, a gunshot rang out.

The wall beside Alessandro exploded into shards. He dove, dragging Elena and her mother to the ground. More bullets followed - from the hallway outside the vault.

"Stay down!" Alessandro shouted, firing two rounds toward the entrance.

Three masked men in tactical black rushed in. One fell. Two kept coming.

Alessandro tackled the second man with raw fury, slamming him into the wall and snapping his arm backward until it cracked. The man screamed, and Alessandro silenced him with a swift elbow to the temple.

The third man grabbed Elena.

"No!" her mother screamed.

Alessandro spun around just in time to see Elena twist, throw her head back, and break the attacker's nose with a sickening crack.

He released her, and Alessandro's bullet caught him square in the chest.

Silence.

Alessandro helped Elena and her mother up, checking for injuries. "We need to move. Someone knew we'd come down here."

Her mother, still dazed, murmured, "He's still alive..."

"Who?" Elena asked.

Her mother's voice trembled. "The one who took me. He's not working alone. He's been inside the Family all along..."

Alessandro felt his stomach twist. "Who is it?"

Her mother looked up, eyes filled with terror.

And then - before she could speak - her body went limp in Elena's arms.

"Elena!" he shouted, checking her pulse.

"She's breathing," Elena said, her voice shaking. "She passed out."

"We have to get her upstairs."

He scooped her into his arms, and they ran back through the tunnel.

But as they reached the stairs, Alessandro's phone buzzed.

A single message.

From an unknown number.

"Nice try, De Luca. But I've already moved the files."

Below it, an image.

A picture of the encrypted hard drive - the one containing all the De Luca secrets.

Held in a gloved hand.

And behind it... the blurred image of someone Alessandro recognized.

His own consigliere.