The door creaked open with a whisper of rusted hinges, swallowed instantly by the heavy silence inside. The mansion loomed around them like a mausoleum, cold marble floors, velvet-draped windows, and chandeliers that hung like frozen stars in the dark.
Luca led the way, his breath shallow, the pain from his shoulder pulsing in time with each heartbeat. Sarah moved like a shadow behind him, her steps soundless on the polished stone. Enzo brought up the rear, eyes scanning every doorway, every flickering light overhead.
They advanced through the foyer, passing beneath a grand staircase where portraits of Rocco's ancestors stared down with hollow, oil-painted eyes. A grandfather clock ticked somewhere unseen, marking time as if counting down to something inevitable.
Sarah motioned toward a hallway lined with suits of armor and antique weapons mounted on the walls. "Left," she whispered.
They slipped into the corridor, moving low, staying close to the shadows. The air was thick with dust and cigar smoke, the scent of old money and blood.
A murmur of voices ahead.
Luca held up a hand. They froze.
Two guards stood at the far end, smoking near an open door that led into what looked like a study. One leaned against the frame, tapping ash onto the floor. The other paced, muttering about missing men on patrol.
Enzo nodded once. He disappeared into the darkness, barely a ripple in the dim light. Seconds later, a soft thunk echoed, followed by a muffled grunt. Then silence.
They moved forward again, bodies slumped across the rug like discarded coats.
Inside the study, they found a map pinned to the wall, a blueprint of the estate, marked with red pins indicating guard rotations and security blind spots. Luca studied it for a moment, then tore it down, stuffing it into his coat.
"Basement access is through here," he said, nodding toward a narrow stairwell tucked behind a bookcase.
They descended slowly, boots barely brushing the steps. The basement was colder than the rest of the house, damp air curling around them like fog. Pipes groaned overhead, and fluorescent lights buzzed in uneven intervals.
Another set of guards appeared ahead, stationed near a steel door marked Restricted. These weren't just hired muscle, these were veterans, alert, armed with silenced pistols and body armor.
Luca signaled. Sarah broke left, slipping behind a stack of crates while Enzo moved right, vanishing behind a row of storage shelves. Luca stepped into view, drawing their attention.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them barked.
Luca raised his weapon and fired twice, two precise shots to the chest. The first dropped immediately, the second staggered back, reaching for his radio. Enzo was on him before he could make a sound, slicing his throat with a single, brutal motion.
Sarah emerged from the shadows, stepping over the fallen man without a glance.
They kicked open the steel door.
Beyond it lay a long hallway, lined with holding cells and reinforced glass observation rooms. Dusty monitors blinked on and off along the walls, showing grainy footage of the estate grounds. This wasn't just a basement, it was a command center.
Footsteps echoed from deeper within.
More guards.
Luca pressed his back to the wall, signaling with two fingers. Two targets. Then three. Then four.
Sarah took the first, bursting from cover with a silenced pistol, firing two rounds into the lead man's skull before ducking back into the shadows. Enzo flanked the next pair, taking them down with brutal efficiency, knife work, swift and silent.
Luca moved last, gun raised, picking off the stragglers before they could raise the alarm.
When the hallway fell silent again, they pressed on.
A final door at the end opened into a vast ballroom, its ceiling lost in darkness. Crystal chandeliers dangled precariously above, casting fractured light across the marble floor. Long tables were set for a banquet that would never happen.
And then the alarms began to wail.
Red lights strobed across the room.
"They know we're here," Enzo growled.
Gunfire erupted from the upper balconies.
Luca grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her behind an overturned table. Enzo dove behind a grand piano, bullets ricocheting off the lid.
"We need to move!" Sarah shouted over the noise.
Luca scanned the room. There, an arched doorway on the far side, half-hidden behind a curtain of crimson drapes.
"There!"
They made a break for it, weaving between columns and shattered glass. Bullets chewed into the walls around them, but they kept moving, adrenaline pushing past exhaustion.
Just as they reached the door, a grenade clattered onto the floor.
"No cover!" Enzo yelled.
They threw themselves through the opening as the explosion roared behind them, sending a shockwave through the corridor.
Smoke. Debris. Silence.
Then coughing.
Luca pushed himself up, ears ringing. Sarah groaned beside him, clutching her ribs. Enzo sat against the wall, bleeding from a gash on his forehead.
They had minutes, maybe less.
Luca looked around. They were in a private lounge, leather couches, a fireplace still warm, framed photographs of Rocco with politicians and mobsters.
He slammed a fist against the wall.
"We're not stopping now. We have to keep moving."
Sarah met his gaze, eyes burning. "We don't have much left."
Outside, footsteps echoed closer.
Luca pointed to a heavy oak door across the room. "There."
They staggered to their feet, weapons ready, and burst inside.
It was a wine cellar, rows upon rows of bottles stacked to the ceiling. Dust-coated barrels lined the walls. And in the center, a metal hatch, sealed shut.
Luca knelt beside it, inspecting the locking mechanism.
"This leads underground," he muttered. "To the tunnels."
Sarah limped over, pressing a hand to her side. "We'll be trapped if they find us."
Enzo leaned against a barrel, reloading his weapon. "Better trapped than dead."
Luca nodded. "Then we wait."
They barricaded the door with furniture, lit only by the faint glow of a single lantern hanging from the rafters.
Outside, the world screamed with sirens.
Inside, Luca, Enzo, and Sarah caught their breath in the dark.
And waited.