Chapter 47
A Vault of Secrets
Elena gripped the steering wheel tightly as she sped through the city streets. Naomi sat beside her, eyes scanning the side mirrors for any signs of a tail. Richard was in the back, still visibly shaken.
Jordan’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “The bank flagged the retrieval request. You have a thirty-minute window before they start asking questions.”
Elena nodded. “Understood. We’ll be there in ten.”
Naomi leaned back, arms crossed. “Do you think he knows we’re onto him?”
Elena exhaled slowly. “If he doesn’t, he will soon.”
Richard shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t understand. This man isn’t just powerful. He’s woven into every part of this system. He doesn’t make mistakes. If we expose him, he’ll burn everything to the ground before he lets us win.”
Elena met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Then we make sure he doesn’t get the chance.”
The city lights blurred past as they approached the towering glass structure of the Argent Vault Bank. The high-security facility wasn’t a place you walked into without reason. Everything was monitored, from biometric scans to high-clearance access codes.
Naomi checked her watch. “We’re on schedule.”
Elena pulled into the underground parking garage, killing the engine. “Jordan, any security alerts?”
Jordan responded instantly. “None so far. But you won’t have long once you’re inside.”
Richard adjusted his jacket, his hands still unsteady. “The vault is on the sublevel. They’ll ask for a retrieval code. I memorized it.”
Elena and Naomi exchanged glances before stepping out of the car.
Inside, the lobby was all polished marble and quiet efficiency. The receptionist barely looked up as Richard approached.
“I need to access my vault,” he said, voice steady now.
The woman nodded, pulling up his credentials. “Authorization code, please.”
Richard recited the sequence flawlessly. The woman typed it in, and after a moment, she gave a polite smile. “Thank you, Mr. Carter. Please follow me.”
Elena and Naomi walked in step with him as they moved past layers of security checkpoints. Retinal scans. Coded entryways. Each layer designed to keep out exactly the kind of people they were about to take down.
Finally, they reached the vault. A thick, reinforced steel door loomed in front of them.
The bank official gestured toward the scanner. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Richard stepped forward, pressing his palm to the biometric reader. A green light flashed, followed by a deep metallic click.
The door slid open.
Inside, rows of private security boxes lined the walls. Richard moved quickly to one near the back, entering another code. A second click.
He pulled open the box—and there it was.
A small, unmarked hard drive.
Richard exhaled. “We have it.”
Naomi reached for it, but before her fingers could close around the drive—
The overhead lights flickered.
Elena’s instincts screamed at her.
Jordan’s voice exploded in her earpiece. “You need to move—NOW!”
The sound of gunfire erupted in the hallway outside.
Naomi grabbed the drive as Elena spun toward the vault entrance.
The trap had been sprung.
And now, they had to get out—or die trying.
