Chapter 7 - THE POCKET WATCH
The flare of the match cast a demonic, dancing shadow across the living room walls.
Vincent sat casually in Nico’s favorite leather armchair, blowing a stream of gray smoke into the darkness. Standing beside him in the shadows was Vivienne, holding a suppressed pistol aimed directly at my chest.
“You changed the alarm codes, Nico,” Vincent tsked, tossing the match onto the expensive rug. “But you forgot that I designed the security system for this house ten years ago. There’s always a master override.”
Nico pushed me and Lily behind his back, raising his own weapon.
“How did you get in?” Nico demanded.
“Through the basement archive,” Vivienne smiled maliciously. “Your loyal guards out front are currently taking a very long nap.”
“Give me the ledger, Nico,” Vincent said, holding out an elegant, gloved hand. “You’ve played the good father long enough. It’s time to give the business back to the men who know how to run it.”
“And if I don’t?”
Vincent pulled an antique brass pocket watch from his vest. He flipped it open. “It is currently 2:15 AM. The ferry to San Marco leaves at six. If I don't call my men at the boathouse by 2:30, they have orders to drown the maid’s sister.”
My heart stopped. Fifteen minutes.
“Hand it over, Nico,” Vivienne sneered. “You lost. Marco flipped, your guards are down, and you’re locked in a steel box.”
Nico slowly reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out the black leather notebook.
Vincent’s eyes lit up with greedy triumph. He stood up, reaching for the book.
“Wait,” Lily’s voice pierced the dark.
Everyone froze.
Lily stepped out from behind Nico. She wasn't holding my hand anymore. She walked right up to her uncle, looking up at him with clear, terrified, but defiant eyes.
She reached into the pocket of her pajama pants and pulled out a small, crumpled piece of paper.
She held it out to Vincent.
“Wh-what is this, little bird?” Vincent mocked, looking down at her.
Lily took a deep breath. Her small chest expanded. She looked right into his eyes.
“It’s the real one,” she said.
She didn't stutter once. The words were clear as a bell.
Vincent frowned. He snatched the paper from her hand and unfolded it.
I recognized the paper immediately. It was the card she had drawn earlier that evening. The one with the hand-drawn heart.
But on the inside, she hadn't just written I hope we will be happy.
Underneath that, in her childish scrawl, was a string of twelve numbers and letters.
A master decryption password.
“Sarah gave it to me,” Lily said, her voice shaking but her words completely fluid. “When I was three. She said to hide it in my toy box. She said the book is useless without the password.”
Vincent stared at the paper, then at the black leather notebook in Nico’s hand.
In that split second of distraction, Nico moved.
May you like
He didn't shoot Vincent. He shot the heavy glass chandelier hanging directly above Vincent and Vivienne’s heads.
The massive crystal fixture crashed down with the force of a bomb, pinning Vincent to the floor and knocking the gun out of Vivienne’s hand.
