Chapter 78 WHAT HE CHOSE
Lea did not remember sinking to her knees, but suddenly the floor was there beneath her palms, cold and unforgiving. Her chest burned as she struggled to draw air into her lungs. The sound that tore out of her throat barely sounded human.
George.
The name echoed uselessly inside her head, crashing against the sealed walls that now stood between them.
Billy crouched beside her immediately, one hand gripping her shoulder, the other bracing against the floor. “Lea. Breathe. Stay with me.”
She shook her head violently. “He went with him. He let him take him.”
Billy’s jaw tightened. “He made a calculated move.”
“No,” she snapped, pushing at his arm. “He sacrificed himself.”
Billy did not argue. “Yes.”
The word landed heavy.
Lea forced herself upright, her legs trembling. “We are not leaving him.”
“We are not,” Billy agreed. “But we cannot rush blindly.”
She stared at the sealed door, rage burning through the panic. “Daniel thinks this is control. He thinks isolating us breaks us.”
Billy followed her gaze. “Daniel always mistakes separation for power.”
Lea wiped at her eyes, anger hardening her voice. “Then we break his illusion.”
Billy straightened, scanning the room again. “The locks are electronic. If I can reroute power, I might be able to force one open.”
“And if you cannot?”
“Then we make enough noise that Daniel comes back himself.”
Lea nodded once. “Do it.”
Billy moved quickly, pulling open a panel near the wall, exposing wires and a blinking interface. His fingers worked with practiced speed. Lea stood guard, her heart pounding, listening for any sound beyond the walls.
Her thoughts refused to stay still. George walking away replayed in her mind again and again. The way his voice had softened when he said he loved her. The certainty in his eyes when he stepped forward.
He had chosen her. Even when it tore him apart.
Her jaw clenched. “I will not let that choice be for nothing.”
Billy glanced back at her. “He knew you would fight.”
A sharp beep cut through the room. One of the side doors slid open halfway before stopping with a grinding noise.
Billy cursed quietly. “Partial override. It will have to do.”
Lea moved instantly. “That way.”
They slipped through the opening and into a narrow corridor lit by emergency lights. The air felt colder here, cleaner. Somewhere ahead, voices echoed faintly.
Billy slowed. “This wing connects to the surveillance hub. If we reach it, we can see where Daniel took George.”
Lea’s pulse spiked. “Then that is where we go.”
They moved carefully, keeping close to the walls. Lea’s senses felt sharpened, every sound amplified. Her fear had settled into something else now. Focus.
At the end of the corridor, a door stood ajar. Light spilled through the crack.
Billy signaled for silence and pushed it open slowly.
Inside was a control room. Screens lined the walls, each showing different sections of the estate. Cameras. Movement trackers. Security feeds.
Lea scanned the screens desperately. “Find him.”
Billy moved to the main console. “I am trying.”
She spotted it first. A feed labeled LOWER EAST HALL.
There was George.
He stood alone in a wide corridor, his hands relaxed at his sides, his posture calm but alert. Daniel stood a few feet away from him, speaking animatedly.
Lea’s breath caught. “Zoom in.”
Billy did.
Daniel’s voice came through the speakers, clear and sharp. “You see, George, this is what makes us different. You still believe sacrifice makes you noble.”
George’s reply was steady. “It makes me responsible.”
Daniel smiled. “No. It makes you weak.”
Lea felt her nails dig into her palms. “He is baiting him.”
Billy nodded. “Daniel wants a confession. Or a breakdown.”
George did neither.
“You wanted me here,” George said. “Now speak.”
Daniel’s smile faltered slightly. “Always so controlled. Even now.”
Lea leaned closer to the screen. “He is buying time.”
Billy tapped the console. “I can unlock the hall doors remotely, but it will alert Daniel.”
“Do it,” Lea said without hesitation.
Billy hesitated. “If he hears them unlock, he may hurt George.”
Lea turned to him sharply. “He will hurt him anyway. At least this gives us a chance.”
Billy studied her for a brief moment, then nodded. “All right.”
He entered the command.
The system hummed.
Down the hall, a door behind George slid open.
Daniel’s head snapped toward the sound. “What did you do?”
George did not answer.
Lea’s voice broke as she whispered, “Move.”
George took one step back.
Daniel laughed, sharp and furious. “You think this saves you?”
Armed men appeared from both sides of the hall.
Billy swore under his breath. “We are out of time.”
Lea turned toward the exit. “Then we stop watching.”
They ran.
The estate seemed to close in around them as alarms began to sound. Red lights flashed along the corridors. Footsteps thundered from multiple directions.
Billy led them through a service stairwell, two steps at a time. Lea kept up, adrenaline driving her forward.
“This way,” Billy said, shoving open a metal door.
They emerged into a large, open hall. The sound of voices echoed behind them.
Lea spotted George immediately. He was being restrained by two men while Daniel stood in front of him, fury clear on his face.
“George,” she shouted.
His head snapped up.
For one heartbeat, everything stopped.
Then chaos erupted.
Billy fired first, taking down one of the guards. Lea moved without thinking, grabbing a metal rod from the floor and swinging it at the second man holding George.
The man went down hard.
George broke free instantly. “Lea, get back.”
She did not.
Daniel backed away slowly, his eyes wild. “You should have stayed out of this.”
Lea stood her ground. “You underestimated me.”
George moved to her side, protective and furious. “This ends now.”
Daniel laughed breathlessly. “You think you have won?”
He pressed a button on the device in his hand.
The floor beneath them shifted violently.
Lea screamed as the ground tilted, throwing her into George. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her as they slid toward the edge of a sudden opening.
Billy lunged, grabbing Lea’s arm.
The floor gave way completely.
They fell.
The world spun, air ripping from Lea’s lungs. She hit something hard, pain exploding through her side.
Then darkness.