Chapter 2 - The Dead Man's Code Flashes Across The Terminal
The security monitor blinked violently, casting an eerie crimson glow across the dark, polished steel walls of the vault.
Bold digital letters scrolled across the backlit interface, spelling out a name that had been buried in a federal cemetery five years ago.
The Boss stared at the glowing screen, his tattooed fingers curling into tight fists as his breath caught in his throat.
“Viktor...” he whispered, the name tasting like ash and poison on his tongue.
The light-grey-suited bodyguard took a sharp step back, his hand instinctively resting on the grip of his concealed firearm.
“That’s impossible, Boss; I personally identified his body after the South Side warehouse explosion,” the bodyguard stammered in disbelief.
Rain hammered relentlessly against the panoramic downtown Chicago windows, drowning out the faint electrical hum of the vault door.
On the leather couch behind them, baby Leo shifted slightly, letting out a soft sigh against the battered woman’s chest.
The woman’s bruised eyelids fluttered for a fraction of a second, her fingers twitching instinctively around the infant’s pale-yellow onesie.
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The dead man's access code pulsed rhythmically on the terminal, unlocking the heavy hydraulic bolts one by one with mechanical precision.
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