The road was silent.
Too silent.
Elena's heartbeat echoed in her ears as the two men walked slowly toward their car.
Behind them, the second car's engine idled like a warning.
Daniel didn't move.
Didn't unlock the doors.
"Listen carefully," he said under his breath.
"If something happens—run toward the fields. Don't stay on the road."
Elena's fingers tightened around Lucia's notebook.
"I'm not leaving you."
"You might have to."
Before she could respond—
One of the men knocked on Daniel's window.
Calm.
Controlled.
"Step out of the car."
Daniel didn't.
The man's expression didn't change.
But his tone dropped.
"Now."
Isabella leaned forward slightly from the back seat.
"Don't open it," she whispered.
The second man moved toward Elena's side.
Blocking any chance of escape.
Daniel's mind raced.
Then—
He made a decision.
Suddenly, he turned the wheel sharply and slammed the accelerator.
The car jerked violently.
Gravel sprayed as they swerved off the narrow road—
Straight into the vineyard.
"Hold on!" he shouted.
The car bounced over uneven ground, vines whipping against the sides.
Behind them—
Shouting.
Engines roaring.
They were being chased.
Elena gripped the dashboard as the car sped through the rows of grapevines.
"This is insane!" she gasped.
"It's working," Daniel said through clenched teeth.
The car behind them struggled to follow off-road, but it didn't stop.
It kept coming.
Fast.
Too fast.
Ahead—
The land dropped slightly toward a slope.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"Not good."
The ground turned muddy from the storm.
The tires lost grip.
The car skidded sideways.
"Daniel—!"
He fought the wheel.
But the car slid—
Then slammed to a stop against a low stone wall.
Silence.
For one second.
Then—
The sound of another engine approaching fast.
"They're still coming," Isabella said.
Daniel looked around quickly.
"The tunnel system," he said. "This area connects to it."
Elena's eyes widened.
"You want to go back underground?!"
"It's the only way they won't expect."
The car behind them was almost there.
Doors opening.
Voices shouting.
No time left.
Daniel grabbed Elena's hand.
"Trust me."
And together—
They ran.
Not toward the road.
Not toward safety.
But back toward the vineyards—
And the hidden entrance beneath them.