Chapter 2: The Secret Beneath the Cabin
Chapter 2: The Secret Beneath the Cabin
Hannah couldn't sleep.
Every memory of her father suddenly felt false.
The gentle man who taught her to ride a bicycle.
Who read bedtime stories.
Who never raised his voice.
Had once lived inside Matteo's violent world.
The next morning, Matteo handed her a small brass key.
"Your father left something."
"He made me promise I'd only reveal it if his family was ever in danger."
They drove deep into the forest.
Nearly an hour beyond the estate.
An abandoned hunting cabin stood hidden beneath towering pines.
Dust covered everything.
Untouched for years.
The brass key fit perfectly into a trapdoor beneath the fireplace.
Below it...
A hidden bunker.
Boxes lined the concrete walls.
Cash.
Passports.
Documents.
Then Hannah discovered a metal safe.
Inside lay dozens of cassette tapes.
One envelope bore her name.
For Hannah.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
A small recorder rested inside.
She pressed play.
Static filled the room.
Then...
Her father's voice.
"If you're hearing this..."
"I'm already dead."
Hannah collapsed onto a chair.
"I lied to protect you."
"I infiltrated the syndicate as an undercover federal informant."
"I wasn't working for Matteo."
"I was trying to stop the men controlling him."
"They called themselves..."
"The Circle."
Matteo's expression darkened.
He whispered one word.
"They're alive."
Daniel continued.
"The Circle ordered the warehouse bombing."
"They wanted Matteo blamed."
"They murdered Lily's mother."
"They murdered dozens of witnesses."
"And if they ever discover this recording..."
"They'll come for my daughter."
As the tape clicked to an end...
Gunfire erupted outside.
Glass exploded inward.
Guards shouted.
One of Matteo's men crashed through the cabin door.
"They found us!"
Black SUVs surrounded the clearing.
May you like
Masked gunmen poured from the trees.
The Circle had arrived.
