Chapter 4 - The Vault Behind the NurseryMy head spun as I crouched in the dark outside the warehouse. My mind raced back to six months ago, when Sara and I bought the old Victoria-era estate at a bank auction for an impossibly low price. The previous owner had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving the property to the state.
We thought we had gotten the deal of a lifetime. But we were just pawns.
Inside the shed, Marcus picked up an iron pipe, walking slowly toward Rex’s cage. Rex growled, a low, rumbling sound despite his broken ribs, standing up weakly on all fours to shield whatever was behind him.
I couldn't stay quiet any longer. Rage took over.
I kicked the rusted side door open with a deafening crash. "Get away from my dog!" I screamed, swinging the heavy metal flashlight with all my strength.
The blow caught Marcus square across the shoulder, sending him staggering backward into a workbench loaded with tools. The man in the suit reached into his coat, pulling a gleaming silver revolver from his holster.
"Leo, you shouldn't have come here," the suited man said smoothly, leveling the barrel at my chest. "You were supposed to be a simple, clueless suburban husband."
"Who are you?!" I demanded, stepping between him and Rex's cage.
"I am the rightful owner of what lies beneath your baby's crib," the man replied with a cruel smile. "Your house was built over a prohibition-era smuggling tunnel network. Fifty million dollars in untraceable bearer bonds are hidden right beneath that nursery closet. Marcus was supposed to retrieve them quietly during the remodel, but your damn dog wouldn't let him near the wall."
My stomach dropped. The snakes... they weren't an accident.
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"You put the nest there," I whispered in horror.
"A biological deterrent," Marcus wheezed, rising from the floor with the iron pipe. "To keep anyone from poking around that closet once we finished the job. But the dog smelled them before we could complete the recovery."
