“Will we be safe there?”

“Only if we get there before Vance’s perimeter team finds it,” I said.

Behind us, a heavy, metallic thud echoed down the tunnel.

It came from the direction of the hatch.

I stopped and turned my head, shining the phone light back toward the ladder.

Another thud echoed, louder this time.

Someone was hitting the steel hatch with something heavy.

“They’re trying to break it open,” Sullivan said, his voice rising in panic.

“They have tools,” I said. “They must have found the entrance in the study.”

A high-pitched, grinding screech filled the tunnel.

It was the sound of a portable metal saw cutting through the steel hinges of the hatch.

Sparks must have been flying in the room above, though we could only hear the terrible noise.

“Run,” I told Sullivan.

We broke into a jog, our footsteps splashing loudly in the shallow water.

Luca let out a weak, raspy cry.

“Shh, baby, shh,” I whispered, pressing my cheek against his hot forehead.

The tunnel began to slope downward.

The water became deeper, rising to our ankles.