Chapter 7 - Ambush in the Vault
"Federal agents! Stay where you are!" a voice echoed down the aisle.
Marcus and I both froze. I let out a breath of relief, stepping out from the narrow alcove of box 412 with the briefcase in hand. "Over here! We have the documents—"
Two men in dark tactical vests and police helmets rounded the corner. But as they stepped under the overhead fluorescent lights, my blood ran cold.
They weren't federal agents.
They were local patrol officers—the exact two officers who had questioned us in my mother’s living room the night before. And behind them stepped Nathan’s high-priced criminal defense attorney, flanked by two private security contractors holding suppressed firearms.
"Well, well, well," a smooth, arrogant voice echoed behind the blockade.
Nathan stepped into the vault aisle. He had already been released on an emergency bond, his suit immaculate, his hair slicked back, a victorious smirk plastered across his face.
"Leaving so soon, Liam?" Nathan mocked, stepping closer with his hands in his pockets. "You really should have stayed at the hospital with your wife. Running around playing detective is a dangerous hobby."
Marcus stepped in front of me, his hand slipping inside his jacket toward a concealed legal holster. "You're violating a federal subpoena, Nathan. These documents are under court seal."
Nathan laughed—a cold, mocking sound that bounced off the steel walls of the vault. "There is no court seal, Uncle Marcus. The judge who signed that emergency order was picked up by our legal team an hour ago on conflict-of-interest charges. As far as the legal system is concerned, you two are trespassing in a private corporate depository."
"You killed our father, and you tried to bury my wife," I snarled, stepping past Marcus. "You think a bought-off judge is going to save you from federal prison once these hard drives hit the DOJ?"
Nathan’s smirk vanished. His eyes darkened into slits of pure malice. He nodded toward the two private security guards.
May you like
"Take the briefcase," Nathan ordered quietly. "And make sure Mr. Vance and his dear uncle have a... permanent accident down here in the vault. The safety deposit boxes are very cramped. People get trapped in them all the time."
The two armed contractors raised their weapons, their suppressors pointing straight at our chests.
