Chapter 8 - THE VAULT
Dawn broke, painting the sky in bruises of purple and gray. Despite the burning in my side, I managed to drive us to Manhattan. We were ghosts now. Marco thought we were dead in the mountains, which gave us the element of surprise.
The Sovereign Bank was a fortress of old money and secrets, catering exclusively to the elite and the corrupt. I bypassed the tellers and walked straight to the vault manager, flashing a ring that demanded unquestioning obedience. Minutes later, Elena and I stood alone in the cavernous, steel-lined bowels of the bank, staring at safety deposit box number 404.
I inserted the bloody silver key. It turned with a heavy click.
Inside was a single leather-bound ledger and a cassette tape. I pulled out the ledger. The handwriting was unmistakable—it belonged to my father’s accountant. The pages detailed massive embezzlements, funds siphoned from our syndicate to rival organizations. But the ultimate betrayal was documented on the final page: a contract.
A contract for my father’s assassination, signed and authorized by Marco, who had sold out his mentor to take control of our vast illicit enterprises, using the Romanos as a convenient scapegoat.
Elena placed a hand on my rigid shoulder. “He manipulated your entire life, Leo. He made you the monster he needed you to be.”
May you like
A terrifying calm settled over me. The fury burned out, leaving only cold, calculated executioner's resolve. I looked at the woman who had seen the worst of me and still stood by my side.
“Marco thinks he took my empire,” I said, closing the ledger. “Tonight, I’m taking his life.”
