Chapter 4
The rain began to fall in heavy, rhythmic sheets against the penthouse glass as night descended over the coast.
I changed out of my worn canvas clothes into a crisp white linen suit stored in my private wall safe.
The founder badge, made of solid platinum and engraved with my family crest, hung securely around my neck.
I walked down the grand staircase into the lower level of the resort, where fifty high-profile guests were gathered.
They were sitting in the secondary lounge, surrounded by state troopers and my private security detail.
Vanessa sat in the center of a velvet sofa, her royal blue dress wrinkled, her eyes bloodshot from crying.
When she saw me enter the room, she jumped up, her hands trembling violently.
“Amelia! Please! This has all been a terrible misunderstanding!” Vanessa cried out, taking a step toward me.
Marcus stepped in front of her, his broad shoulders blocking her path completely.
“Sit down, Mrs. Vance,” Marcus ordered coldly.
I walked up to the edge of the glass coffee table, looking down at my cousin’s wife with absolute detachment.
“Where is the second hard drive, Vanessa?” I asked, keeping my voice low and conversational.
“I don't know what you’re talking about!” she sobbed, clutching her designer handbag against her chest.
“The hard drive containing the biometric access logs for the vault under Pier 9,” I specified.
Vanessa’s weeping stopped instantly, her eyes locking onto mine with sudden, terrifying clarity.
“You… you weren't supposed to know about the vault,” she breathed, her voice dropping into a hollow whisper.
“I designed this resort, Vanessa,” I reminded her, leaning down until our faces were inches apart.
“I know every brick, every pipe, every secret room built beneath this marble.”
“Your father paid Richard twelve million dollars to store something inside my vault while I was in London.”
Vanessa swallowed hard, her hand instinctively moving toward her handbag’s side pocket.
“If I tell you…” Vanessa whispered, her composure fragmenting completely. “Will you let me leave?”
May you like
“You aren't leaving this property tonight, Vanessa,” I said, reaching down and pulling the handbag from her grip.
“But if you cooperate, I might let the state troopers handle your arrest instead of my private security.”
