Chapter 2 - The Shadow in the Conduit
A startled yell rang out through the tunnel, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting stone. When Elena rounded the corner, flashlight in hand, she found Matteo backed against the curved wall, his eyes wide with terror. Nero stood inches from his throat, a deep, resonant rumble vibrating through the dog's chest, pinned directly over Matteo's dropped flashlight and a duffel bag containing stolen security hard drives.
Lily was sitting unbothered on an overturned wooden crate three feet away, holding a half-eaten green apple, her small yellow rain boots covered in mud and soapy foam.
"Mommy!" Lily clapped her hands. "Mr. Matt said we were going on a treasure hunt, but he didn't bring Nero's scrub brush!"
Marco arrived seconds later, his weapon raised, followed by three tactical guards. Within moments, Matteo was disarmed and forced to his knees. The groundskeeper looked up, his face slick with sweat, staring in utter disbelief at the fierce hound holding him at bay.
"How?" Matteo rasped, clutching his bruised wrist. "That animal tears men apart on command. He should have ripped the kid to pieces the second she stepped into his pen!"
Marco stepped forward, looking between the terrifying beast and the three-year-old girl sitting calmly beside him. "Nero doesn't take orders from anyone except Luca. How did she get near him?"
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Elena knelt beside her daughter, pulling Lily into a tight hug as her heart finally settled into its normal rhythm. She wiped a smudge of white soap from Lily's forehead. "Tell Marco what you did this morning, sweetie."
Lily grinned, pointing a tiny finger at the terrifying, hundred-pound war dog who was currently resting his heavy chin softly on her knee, thumping his tail against the wet ground. "Nero was muddy from the garden. So I gave him a bath with Mommy's bubble soap and the soft sponge!"
