Chapter 4 - Whispers in the Vault
The auxiliary vault beneath the hotel had once been used to store gold bullion during the early twentieth century. Today, it housed backup generator switches and secondary fiber-optic nodes. When Evan and Claire slid through the breached doorway, the sight that met them was pure nightmare. Daniel Han was pinned to the floor, his face bruised and swollen, with a heavy combat boot grinding into his collarbone. Standing over him was Marcus Vance, a notorious underworld fixer who had operated in the shadows of the East Coast for two decades.
In the center of the chamber, Grace was held hostage by a hulking enforcer with an automatic weapon pressed against her temple. Her silk bridal blouse was torn at the shoulder, revealing a deep gash, yet her dark eyes burned with unbroken defiance. On the metal table between them rested the biometric server briefcase, its digital screen blinking furiously with a red countdown timer: 04:15... 04:14...
""Grace!"" Evan yelled, stepping out from the corridor shadows into the vault's glare.
Marcus Vance turned slowly, a cruel, mocking smile spreading across his scarred face. ""Well, look who finally arrived to give away the bride! The billionaire prince himself. We were wondering if you were too busy apologizing to your high-society friends upstairs to check on your darling fiancée.""
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""Let her go, Vance,"" Evan growled, his voice vibrating with lethal intensity. ""You want money? You want the offshore ledger codes? Take the briefcase and walk away. Leave Grace and Daniel out of this.""
""Oh, Evan, you always think your money can buy an instant fix for everything,"" Vance sneered, cocking his pistol. ""Grace didn't bring this keycard to help me. She brought it to destroy the hard drive before I could download the assets. She almost succeeded, too. She smashed the auxiliary receiver with an iron pipe the second Daniel unlocked the door. Your little bride is far braver than you gave her credit for. But unfortunately for her, brave people die first.""
