Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
I rushed to the door and twisted the brass handle aggressively, but it was completely jammed from the outside.
Gertrude had clearly discovered my midnight excursion and decided to trap us in the room.
Through the thick wood, I could hear her high-pitched, mocking laughter echoing in the dark hallway.
She shouted that Garrett was going to miss his own board meeting, legally forcing Douglas to sign the company away.
Garrett remained eerily calm in the dark, pulling a small tactical flashlight from his bedside drawer.
He told me not to waste my energy on the reinforced door because we were going to take a different route.
He pointed the beam of light toward the massive, antique fireplace that took up the entire west wall of the room.
Garrett explained that this house was built in the early nineteen-twenties and featured a hidden servant's passage behind the chimney.
He had discovered it as a child, but he hadn't used it in nearly forty years.
I rushed to the fireplace, pressing my hands against the soot-covered bricks until I found a loose stone.
I pulled it hard, and a narrow, hidden door creaked open to reveal a cramped, dusty stone staircase leading down.
Garrett grabbed his walking cane, his face pale but set with absolute, unyielding determination.
I wrapped his arm around my shoulder, acting as his human crutch as we slowly entered the dark passage.
Every single step down the narrow stairs was sheer agony for him, his muscles trembling violently with the effort.
I whispered words of encouragement, promising him that we were going to ruin the people who had hurt us.
We reached the bottom of the staircase just as the morning sun began to filter through cracks in the masonry.
The secret door on the ground floor opened directly into the formal dining room, right next to the main boardroom.
Through the thin drywall, we could hear Douglas speaking loudly to the board of directors.
We could also hear Christopher's smooth, manipulative voice promising millions in bonuses to everyone who approved the sale.
Garrett leaned heavily on his cane, catching his breath and adjusting his expensive suit jacket to look presidential.
He looked at me with a fierce smile, thanking me for giving him his life back.
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I placed my hand on the hidden latch, ready to push the door open and crash the meeting.
Suddenly, the unmistakable metallic click of a loaded gun echoed directly behind us in the dark passage.
