Chapter 5 - THE OMEGA VAULT UNLOCKEDThe red laser dots danced across the chests of Arthur Vane’s men like angry fireflies. For three agonizing seconds, nobody breathed. The wind howled against the cliffside, carrying the smell of ozone and impending carnage.
Arthur’s hands trembled, though he forced his voice to remain level.
— You wouldn't dare, Christa. If you fire those batteries, the shockwave will bring this entire cliffside down. You’ll bury yourself, the girl, and your entire fortune in the harbor.
Alfred took a slow step forward, the titanium key glinting in his palm.
— I was buried once, Arthur. In a shallow grave behind a warehouse when I was nineteen years old, Alfred said, his voice dropping into a register so cold it felt like physical contact. — I crawled out. You think a pile of rocks scares me?
Kravitz instinctively reached for his sidearm, his finger twitching toward the trigger.
Bang.
The shot didn't come from Alfred.
From the upper gallery window fifty feet above, Viktor’s sniper rifle barked once. The high-caliber round caught Kravitz clean in the shoulder, spinning the massive enforcer off his feet and sending him crashing hard onto the helipad grating, howling in agony as his rifle skittered over the edge into the dark ocean below.
The remaining guards dropped their weapons instantly, raising their hands in unison. They weren't paid enough to die for a corporate board meeting.
Arthur Vane stumbled back, his tailored overcoat catching the wind like a broken wing. He stared at Alfred with a mixture of terror and bitter realization.
— You... you can't keep her, Arthur choked out. — The board knows what her father downloaded. They won't stop until she's dead. Every assassin from here to Zurich is going to hunt that little girl down.
— Let them try, Alfred said, stepping closer until he towered over the older man. — I’ve been looking for a reason to clean house anyway.
Alfred gestured with his head. Two of Alfred’s enforcers marched out from the building, grabbing Arthur by the arms and dragging him toward the lower detention cells.
— Put him in the deep vault, Alfred commanded. — And make sure he has a front-row seat when we open the file.
Ten minutes later, Alfred was back inside the Citadel’s secure study.
Mila was sitting on the sofa, eating a bowl of warm oatmeal Viktor had prepared. Bruno sat beside her, happily crunching on a slice of bacon. The little girl looked up as Alfred walked in, her dark eyes searching his face with a maturity no child should possess.
— Are the bad men gone? she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Alfred crouched down beside her, his rough, tattooed hand gently brushing a lock of dark hair from her forehead. For the first time all night, the hard lines around his eyes softened.
— Some of them are taking a very long nap, Alfred said quietly. — And the rest of them are about to learn a lesson.
Mila reached into her pocket, pulled out the titanium-alloy key, and held it out on her small, trembling palm.
— Daddy said... when we got to the safe place, we had to turn it in the big machine. He said it would show the world what the bad men did to mom.
Alfred looked at the key. Then he looked at Mila.
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The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. Julian Vance hadn't just stolen financial data. He had stolen the master ledger of the Vane Syndicate’s global money-laundering ring—a ledger tied directly to corrupt politicians, illegal arms deals, and the very municipal officials who looked the other way while children froze in alleys.
— Finish your breakfast, Mila, Alfred said, standing up and sliding the key into his vest pocket. — We’re going on a field trip.
