Chapter 14 - The Break-In
The air grew colder,
as we descended the stairs,
into the basement vault.
The lights were fluorescent,
humming with a low,
irritating vibration.
I pushed open the heavy security door,
stepping into the viewing room.
There he was.
Ethan.
He was stuffing bricks of cash,
into a large leather duffel bag.
Beside him stood a man in a sharp suit,
tall,
with a scar across his jaw.
Victor.
The dark investor.
"We need to move faster,"
Victor said,
his voice low and menacing.
"The police are looking for her."
"I'm almost done,"
Ethan muttered,
sweat dripping from his chin.
"Emma won't find us here."
"Think again,"
I said,
stepping into the room.
Ethan froze.
He dropped a stack of bills,
which scattered across the floor.
"Emma?"
he gasped,
his eyes darting to Claire,
then to Noah.
"How did you..."
"Your little game is over,"
I said,
holding up my phone.
"The police have the ledger."
"They know about River Stone."
"They know about Titan Investments."
Victor turned his cold gaze on Ethan.
"You said she was handled,"
Victor hissed,
his hand reaching inside his jacket.
"She is!"
Ethan panicked,
raising his hands.
"Emma, please, you don't know what you're doing!"
"You're going to get us killed!"
"You did that yourself,"
I replied,
standing my ground.
Suddenly,
Claire moved.
She grabbed the duffel bag,
and ran toward the exit.
"You b*tch!"
Ethan screamed,
lunging after her.
Victor pulled a gun,
pointing it straight at me.
"Give me the ledger, girl,"
he growled.
Noah screamed,
hiding behind my legs.
In that split second,
the bank alarms began to wail.
The lights flashed red.
The security gates began to drop.
Claire had triggered the alarm.
The steel bars crashed down,
separating Victor and Ethan from the exit.
I grabbed Noah,
pulled him under the closing gate,
and sprinted up the stairs.
Behind us,
I heard Victor cursing,
and gunfire echoing against the stone walls.
They were trapped inside.
May you like
But we had to get out,
before the building became a tomb.
