Chapter 5 - The Vault Beneath The River
The vault had never appeared on any architectural plan.
Dominic found the entrance beneath an abandoned shipping terminal.
A steel door.
No handle.
No keypad.
Only a circular lock.
Penelope inserted her father's key.
Nothing happened.
She looked confused.
"Why isn't it opening?"
Dominic studied the mechanism.
There were two keyholes.
One for Thomas Hayes.
One for Dominic's father.
"The vault needs both bloodlines."
He looked at her.
"That's why they brought us together."
Penelope understood.
"Thomas and your father built it together."
"Then they turned on each other."
"And the evidence stayed locked."
Dominic inserted his key.
The door opened.
Inside was a room packed with boxes.
Photographs.
Passports.
Bank ledgers.
Recorded tapes.
Hard drives.
And one enormous steel cabinet.
Penelope walked toward it.
"That's it."
"What?"
"The original ledger."
Dominic opened the cabinet.
The black ledger sat alone.
Older than anything else.
Its cover carried a gold crown.
He opened it.
Names filled the pages.
Governors.
Judges.
Police chiefs.
Businessmen.
Mob leaders.
Some had died.
Some still held office.
Some were sitting across from Dominic at charity events every year.
Penelope reached the final page.
There was no name.
Only a photograph.
Dominic stared.
His own father.
Beside him stood Victor Hale.
And between them stood Mateo.
Young.
Twenty years younger.
Dominic's eyes hardened.
"Mateo."
Penelope shook her head.
"Look closer."
Dominic did.
The photograph had been altered.
Mateo wasn't standing beside them.
He was being held at gunpoint.
On the back was a note.
HE TRIED TO WARN YOU.
Dominic closed the book.
Everything he thought he knew was collapsing.
Then they heard footsteps.
Victor entered.
Alone.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Dominic raised his weapon.
Victor smiled.
"You always did have your father's temper."
"You killed people."
"I protected the organization."
"From what?"
"From itself."
Victor looked at Penelope.
"Your father was going to destroy everything."
"He should have."
"Perhaps."
Victor stepped closer.
"But he forgot one thing."
"What?"
"People will always choose power over truth."
Dominic laughed.
"Not me."
Victor pulled out a remote.
The steel cabinet behind Penelope locked automatically.
Gas began entering through vents.
Dominic grabbed Penelope.
They ran.
The vault door slammed shut.
Victor disappeared.
Dominic wrapped his jacket over Penelope's mouth.
"Hold your breath."
They searched for another exit.
There was none.
Penelope coughed.
"Dominic."
"I'm here."
"The ledger."
"I have it."
"If we die—"
"We're not dying."
She looked at him.
"Promise?"
He stared at her.
"Yes."
They found a maintenance tunnel behind the steel cabinet.
Dominic forced it open.
They crawled through darkness for several minutes.
Then emerged into a storm drain beneath the river.
Penelope collapsed against the wall.
Dominic held her.
"You lied to me," he whispered.
"I know."
"You could have died."
"I know."
"Why didn't you leave?"
"Because I needed to know whether you were worth trusting."
"And?"
She looked into his eyes.
"I trust you."
That answer hit harder than anything else she had said.
Dominic kissed her.
Not planned.
Not controlled.
Just desperate.
When they pulled apart, she whispered:
"This is a bad idea."
"Probably."
"I'm still your employee."
"Not anymore."
"What?"
"You quit."
She stared.
"You're firing me?"
"No."
He touched her cheek.
"I'm changing your position."
"To what?"
He smiled faintly.
"Someone I can't order around."
She laughed.
The sound disappeared into the tunnel.
But above them, Victor was already making his next move.
He had taken the one thing Dominic couldn't replace.
May you like
Mateo.
And he was using him to set a trap.
