“My men are engaging them at the perimeter.”

“But I have to lead Vance away from this room.”

He pulled away and looked down at Luca.

He gently touched our son’s cheek with his thumb.

“Keep him safe, Lauren,” Giovanni said.

“I will,” I said.

Giovanni turned toward a small wooden cabinet in the corner of the room.

He pushed it aside to reveal a small, hidden steel hatch in the concrete floor.

“This lead to the old utility tunnels,” Giovanni said.

“It exits in the woods near the southern boundary.”

“If they get through the inner door, you take Luca and you run.”

He handed me a small silver key.

“This opens the hatch lock.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“I will meet you at the clearing by the old mill,” Giovanni said.

“If I am not there by dawn, you take the truck parked under the brush.”

“The keys are under the seat.”

He did not wait for my reply.

Giovanni checked the chamber of his gun.

The drilling on the steel door stopped suddenly.

A heavy silence settled over the bunker.