Chapter One Hundred Eleven

Chapter One Hundred Eleven
Domenico

He was in so much pain. And as much as he wanted to hide it from the two of them, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Especially since he had to have help just simply walking. He hated that he had to rely on them, to rely on anyone. But that beating did more damage than he wanted to admit.

Watching Gabby go crazy made him frown deeper as she pushed past them back into the control room. Gia nearly lost her footing as she was slightly shoved causing him to grab her around the waist and pull her back towards his own body. She gasps with wide eyes as she clings to him. Her molded perfectly right into his and a weird comfortable feeling overcame him that freaked him out so much that he nearly caused himself to shove her away but refrained from doing so.

Instead he just carefully let her go and focused back on what the issue was at hand. Which was Gabby and her weird behavior. Gia cleared her throat and wouldn’t quite look him in the eye and tried to help him back down the stairs. As soon as they hit the ground landing he pushed her away completely.

“I’m good thanks.” He mumbles as he braces the pain while limping back into the room they had just left moments ago.

He barely hears an annoyed grunt causing the corner of his mouth to quirk but as soon as he entered the room he hears Gabby curse.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” He asks immediately seeing her bent over a monitor that was different from where the three men were located.

“Look there.” She points out and he came closer to peer at what she was trying to show him.

At first he couldn’t see what she was so hellbent on. All he saw was the back fence half covered in trees and brush. It was dark and the lighting wasn’t that great in this area. He goes to open his mouth to voice there was nothing there when something catches his eye. Immediately, he grabs the monitor and pulls it closer as if that would help him look better.

Figures slipping through the chain linked fence like smoke. Silent. Coordinated. Lethal. And heavily armed. They had to cut through. It’s probably what triggered the alarm and the three in the front are decoys to distract them. He steps back from the screen, his mind reeling. He couldn’t help looking over at Gia, who was staring at the screen with a deep worried frown. He couldn’t trust her. She says she didn’t betray them but there was no other explanation of how they knew where they were at.

But what if she was telling the truth? He didn’t want to make the same past mistakes, so he squashed that doubt flat and looked to Gabby when she asks, “Is there another way out of here? Like an exit protocol of some sort?”

There was. Of course, there was. His grandfather wasn’t that stupid to get locked up in here trapped in case there was ever a breach. But…he looks back to Gia who then scowls at him.

“Dom, I’m telling you, she isn’t a part of this.” Gabby hisses at him.

Sighing deeply he looks away from them both and back at the screen. He didn’t know what to believe at this point. Everything has gone to shit since day one for him. He should never have allowed himself to be so blinded by what he thought was love only to face complete and utter disaster.

“I didn’t just tell you my life story just for the hell of it you know.” Gia grumbles, crossing her arms.

“No? How am I supposed to just trust that when you could have told your truth just to let my guard down? I was naïve when it came to Ivy, I wont allow myself to be naïve again.” He pushes from the desk and starts for the other side of the room.

“There is an exit, but I won’t say exactly where. You both will just have to follow me as we go.” He states instead, knowing that as long as he doesn’t reveal ahead of time of the exit then it wouldn’t give Gia a chance to warn the men outside in case she really was stabbing them in the back.

“Fine. Have it your way.” Gia shrugs as if none of this bothered her in the slightest but he could see the slight anger simmering beneath.

Ignoring her he begins to proceed, stopping every now and then as sharp pain stabs through him like a knife. He could see out of his bad eye now but there was still some blurred spots, and it stung a little that he wasn’t willing to reveal. It was bad enough they could see him limping, he didn’t need them to see other things as well.

“What about the men at the door?” Gabby asks and not a moment later banging could be heard up above.

Gia looks at the screen and sighs. “They’re pounding on the door. One of them looks like they’re talking.”

“Ignore them. Let’s just focus on getting the hell out of here before they figure out a way to blow the door down.”  

He looks around until he finds what he was looking for. Going to an old desk in the corner he starts looking though and shoving papers. When he couldn’t find what he was looking for he starts pulling out drawers until he finds a manual.

“What’s that?” Gabby asks, hovering over him.

“It’s the emergency evacuation plans.” He flips through it until he comes to a page that shows the building plans and its exits. “I found it.” He slaps it closed and shoves it back into the drawer, standing up as best as he could without showing any pain.

Grabbing Gia’s arm he pushes her in front of him making sure that she doesn’t see nor get a chance to get to the plans behind their backs. She snatches her arm from his grasp and rolls her eyes, shaking her head she heads for the stairs refusing to help him further. As soon as she gets to the first step she looks over to him and snaps,

“I’m assuming it’s up here right?”

“I’ll head up first.” He states trying to get past her not answering her question at all.

“By all means, do. But do us all a favor and try not to slow us down. That banging seems pretty insistent.”

Clenching his teeth and with as much strength he could muster he grabs the railing and forces his body to move at a normal pace than it wouldn’t have been able to do beat up. It was brutal but he managed. As soon as he made the first floor landing his insides and muscles were screaming. But they weren’t out of the woods, and he needed to get them out before they were discovered.

Moving past the room Gabby had been in earlier he goes straight for the bathroom. It was the last place anyone would expect an exit would be. There was a built in cabinet where they kept towels and toiletries. He carefully looked inside where there was a panel and felt against the wall. Then pushing a small button built in the wall a sudden click sounded and something popped.