Chapter 34 Chapter 34
Isla
“We’re here," he said, taking my hand and helping me up. Martian and Marcel were already waiting. I stood up and grabbed my bag. When we stepped out, I paused for a second. There were almost one hundred men standing in a row, their backs to each other, forming a walkway straight to the cars that were waiting.
I looked at him. “Why so much security detail?”
“Because it’s needed," he replied, taking my hand and leading me down the steps straight to the waiting car. We walked to the car, Martian and Marcel behind us. There were fourteen black, tinted SUVs in a line. He led me over to the passenger side, then walked around and got in the driver's seat. Marcel and Martian got in, and I looked at him.
“Security reasons," he said. Within minutes the other car doors were closing, and we left. “Von Weber is already at the bank waiting. We don’t stay longer than needed; it's dangerous for you in Zurich, for all of you, as long as I'm with you," he said, and I nodded.
The drive was silent; the streets were quiet; Nikolai was silent on the drive; there were cars in front and behind. Twenty minutes in the car, I drove up to the building. I was about to open the door when Nikolai stopped me. I looked at him.
"Wait," he said, and I nodded. One of the cars from the back drove past us and went into the underground garage. Nikolai started the car and drove off; there were six cars with us; the rest were left there. After another ten more minutes, Nikolai drove through a tunnel and then into an underground parking lot. He stooped, and we got out; a man was standing there. He was tall; he had salt and pepper hair with black eyes. He had a smile on his face.
When his eyes landed on Nikolai, his smile faltered a bit. “Mr. Ferro, welcome back to Zurich. "Ahh, Ms. Valerius, welcome. You are the spitting image of Madam Von Stuben," he said with a smile.
“We have thirty minutes," Nikolai said, and he nodded.
“This way, please. I already have it prepared.” Von Weber said, leading us through the automatic sliding doors into the bank.
The air in the bank was freezing, smelling like old money and stale air. My heels were doing this annoying click-clack thing on the black tiles that felt way too loud for two in the morning. Beside me, Nikolai was silent and steady. He hadn't said a word since we walked in, but the way he carried himself, like he owned the city and everyone in it, was enough.
Von Weber led us past the empty teller desks toward a private elevator hidden behind a wall of frosted glass. He swiped a gold card, and the doors hummed open.
"The Deep Vaults stay at a set temperature," Von Weber said, his voice all shaky and weirdly respectful. He kept peeking at me like I was a ghost he’d been waiting for.
"Your mother, Madam Elena... she was a legend here. We’ve been holding this line for twenty-one years, young miss. I never stopped looking at the door," he said, and I nodded.
We dropped deep into the mountain. When the doors opened, it wasn't a bank anymore; it was a bunker. All reinforced steel and creepy, low-blue lights. Nikolai stepped out first, his eyes scanning the corners, always the predator. He didn't know what was in here; he just knew it was mine.
In the middle of the room was a white marble pedestal. No buttons, no screens. Just a flat plate with a tiny divot in the center.
“Seems like Valerius was a genius," Nikolai muttered, leaning against the cold wall with his arms crossed. He looked bored, but I could see the way his eyes tracked every move Von Weber made.
“Your father was a tech genius, Ms. Isla. A simple key wasn't enough for the Valerius'," Von Webber said.
I walked up to the thing. My heart was thumping so hard I thought it might pop my stitches. I looked at Von Weber, who gave me a quick nod, and I laid my hand flat on the cold stone.
Snap.
A tiny needle poked my finger. I didn't even flinch; I’d felt way worse. I watched a single drop of my blood hit the plate and disappear. For a second, it was dead quiet. Then, the floor started to vibrate with a heavy, bass-boosted hum that I felt right in my teeth. Then, a voice filled the room. It was digital, but I’d know that voice anywhere. It was my father. Warm, smart, and solid.
"Identity Confirmed. Welcome home, Isla Valerius."
Behind the pedestal, the three-ton steel door groaned open. It sounded like a giant waking up. It pulled back into the wall with a series of heavy thuds that echoed through the bunker.
I expected stacks of gold or piles of cash and paper, but the vault was almost empty. Sitting right in the middle was a massive, matte-black metal box on industrial wheels. It looked like a military flight case, with titanium edges, heavy-duty locks, and a digital seal that was already glowing a bright, beautiful green.
Nikolai straightened up, his brow furrowing as he looked at the case. "That's it? All this security for one box?" he asked.
"It probably is," I said, my voice sounding steadier than I felt.
Jules and Wesley, who were with us, walked into the vault and grabbed the heavy handles of the black box and began rolling it out.
“Thirty minutes starts now,” Nikolai said, checking his watch and signaling his men to move faster. He didn't even look at the box as it rattled past him.
“You aren't going to look inside?” Von Weber asked, sounding genuinely shocked.
“I don't need to look,” I said, my voice sharp and casual. “I already know exactly what Alistair owes me. And I’m going to enjoy watching him figure out how to pay it.”
Nikolai caught my eye, and for the first time, he gave me that lethal, dark smirk. We walked out of there, the metal box rattling behind the security guards on the marble. It sounded like a ticking clock.
"Ms. Valerius, one more issue." "Von Webber," he said, handing me a gold bank card.
“What is this?”
“This is your share. Lombard & Stuben. Madam Elena has fifty percent shares in this establishment; all her profits have been deposited into the account," he said.
I took it from him along with the envelope. “Thank you, Mr. Weber. We will see each other again.”
After we left, it was a flurry of activity. Within minutes we were back in the car and on the way back to the airport.
On the flight back to Riverside City, Nikolai was busy; he was focused on the tablet in his hand. I stood up and walked to the back where Martian and Marcel were. I sat down and looked at them.