Chapter 16
I stared at Vance, my mind rejecting the words as soon as they were spoken.
"My uncle Charles is dead," I said, my voice rising in anger.
"My grandfather's letter said he stole the business forty-three years ago and died in exile in Europe ten years later."
Vance shook his head slowly.
"Charles Brooks didn't die, Daniel."
"He did exactly what I did."
"He used his stolen wealth to buy a new identity, a new life, and a new seat at the table."
"He is the founder of Apex Global Securities—the largest private military intelligence contractor in the world."
"He’s been hunting for your grandfather's trust assets for forty years."
"Not for the money, but for the location of the Black Slate mainframe."
"Your grandfather didn't just build a financial trust, Daniel."
"He built the physical bunker that houses the primary servers for Black Slate."
"He built it right under your feet."
I froze.
Right under my feet.
I looked down at the hardwood floor of the lakeside cabin.
"This house," I whispered.
"Your grandfather purchased this land in 1978 under a dead man’s name," Vance explained, tapping his cane against the floor.
"He built this cabin as a shell."
"Deep beneath this foundation is a tactical bunker reinforced with three feet of ballistic concrete."
"Inside that bunker is the physical core of Black Slate."
"Your father brought the encryption keys here before he died."
"He locked the system down, ensuring that nobody—not me, not Charles, not the United States government—could access the network without the physical key."
"Charles found out about this property through your mother."
"She didn't know what was underneath it, she just knew it was a valuable asset hidden from her name."
"That's why Kevin Lawson was sent here."
"They weren't trying to rob your bank accounts, Daniel."
"They were trying to get inside this house."
"And now, Charles knows you're here."
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"His clean-up crew is already on their way."
"And unlike me, they don't care about keeping your family alive."
