Chapter 107 #25: And Then What?
The fluorescent lights hum above me as I crouch behind the row of parked ambulances, watching the side entrance of the lab like it might blink first.
“Camera feed looped,” Nico murmurs through my earpiece. “You’ve got exactly eleven minutes before the system runs a checksum and realizes something’s off. Twelve if you move fast.”
“Eleven is plenty,” I whisper, adjusting the hood over my hair.
“Still can’t believe you dragged me into this,” he adds. “Again.”
I'd called Nico on my way to the hospital. I'd felt bad about waking him up by this hour, but I needed someone tech savvy to help me break in and Nico is the best hacker I've ever known. And he loves me.
I smirk despite the tightness in my chest. “You love being useful.”
“I love not being in jail.”
“With your pretty face, I'm sure you'd fit right in,” I joke, then add softly, “I owe you.”
“I’ll add it to the tab.” A pause. "Code's 7842. Camera loop starts in thirty seconds. You have four minutes before the system resets. Go."
I punch in the code and the lock clicks instantly. I push the door open and step inside.
The hallway is lit by exit signs, long and empty. I move fast, following Nico's directions to the stairwell, then up one flight to the third floor. The lab door is glass with a magnetic lock. Nico already disabled it.
I slip inside.
The room is cold, sterile, rows of refrigerators humming softly, workstations with monitors asleep. I find the sample intake station easily. Inside are three vials waiting to be processed. One is labelled with David's reference number. The other two are random, no names, just barcodes.
I pull on gloves, my hands steady despite the storm inside me, and take Lucy’s sample, then replace it with one of the randoms. Same barcode format, same size. The switch takes seconds.
I close the drawer, relock it, and back out.
Guilt hits me like a wave as I retrace my steps. Not only did I just tamper with evidence, I basically just lied to the man who might be her father. But I can't let him find out like this. Not when Vincent is already unravelling. Not when Shadow is circling. Not when Lucy needs stability right now.
I make it back to the street without triggering anything. The night air feels colder now. I walk three blocks before I let myself breathe.
My phone buzzes. The caller ID shows Vincent.
《Where are you?》
I don't answer.
I need to see David and tell him what Marco said. His townhouse is closer than home. I take a cab, pay cash again, and walk the last block. The doorman recognizes me, nods a silent greeting, then lets me up.
When I get to David's door, I knock this time instead of using my key. He opens it almost immediately, surprise flashing across his face before he schools it. "Nora? What are you doing here? It’s almost midnight."
"We need to talk."
He steps aside. "Come in."
The foyer is the same. Same rug, same table, same photo of us on the wall. I ignore it and follow him into the study.
He closes the door behind us. "What's wrong?"
I stand in the middle of the room, arms crossed. "I caught the tail that was following me. Some low-level driver named Marco. He said he was hired to watch if I went to banks or storages to see if I picked up documents. And if I did, he was supposed to steal them."
David's expression stays blank. "Who hired him?"
"He doesn't know. Said the boss is someone called Shadow. No one sees him. Jobs come through proxies. Money's anonymous. Sel mentioned the same name earlier too.”
"Shadow," David repeats. He paces once, twice. "I've heard that name before. He was a new player just before I left the mafia. I hear he's quite ruthless now."
"That's what Sel said too. Chicago clubs are talking about his plan to resurrect Malcolm’s old empire.”
David stops pacing, turning slowly to face me. "We can't keep this any longer, Nora. I still have some old connections back in the mob, but the fact that I’m out of the game limits how much I can protect you.”
"So what are you suggesting?”
He looks at me, eyes intense. "We have to hand over that ledger.”
My eyes widen. “David, there’s a reason we hid it in the first place. You know as much as I do what Malcolm’s empire did. If someone resurrects it–“
“You think I don’t know all that?” David snaps. “But what choice do we have? They’re targeting you, your family, our daugh–“
He cuts himself off right there, but we both know what he was about to say. For a moment, no one says a word.
Then David clears his throat. "The bank where I kept the box should be closed by now, but I have after-hours access. We go and hope someone tails us and leave it for them to find.”
I hesitate. "And then what?"
"Then we watch and wait. We see who comes for it."
I look at him. Really look. He's calm, focused, the same man who used to walk into boardrooms and make grown men sweat. But there's something else now. A strange resolve I haven't seen in a long while.
"Alright," I say. "Let's go."
We take his car. The drive is quiet at first, city lights streaking past the windows. I watch him drive with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift, making me remember nights like this years ago, driving home after late meetings with his hand on my thigh.
I push the memory away.
"How are things at home?" he asks suddenly, breaking the tense silence.
I shift my gaze away from him. "Strained."
He nods. "Vincent said something earlier tonight... something about you still thinking of me when he's on top of you. What did that mean?”
The words hang between us. I don't answer right away. I look out the window, watching the buildings slide past.
"I'm leaving him," I say finally.
David's eyes briefly shift from the windscreen to my face. "Why?"
I turn to him. "You mean beyond the fact that he pulled a gun on both of us?"
He chuckles slightly. "Fair. But there's more."
"There is," I say, but I don’t explain further.
He glances at me. "Since we're on the subject, something's been on my mind since I left you on the porch that day."
I wait.
"Where did Vincent get the gun?"
I shrug. "He said he bought it after the break-in a few weeks ago. Thought it would keep us safe in case of another."
His brow furrows. "The way he held it tonight... the stance... the grip. The way he didn't flinch when he raised it. That was someone who knew what he was doing."
I frown. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying someone who was holding a loaded gun for the first time and pointing it would be jittery or at the very least nervous. He looked too comfortable.”
The words settle in my stomach and I think back to the hallway, the way Vincent stood with his feet planted, his arm steady while aiming at David. At first, I thought it was just anger. But thinking back to it now, his grip was too perfect.
I open my mouth to respond, but we pull up to the bank.
"I guess its time to sacrifice the world," David says, parking in the underground garage.
We get out of the car, and he leads me to the private entrance, swipes a card and the door opens. We take the elevator down to the vault level.
The safety deposit room is quiet, lit by low lights. David finds his box, number 478.
He inserts his key, but pauses before he turns it. His eyes meet mine. “If we do this, we’re handing over the key to Malcolm’s empire. Everything we sought to destroy all those tears ago will be resurrected. I don't want to do this until I know you’re a hundred percent on board.”
I look away from him and stare at the ground, guilt clawing through my chest, thinking of all the people this would hurt. Then the memory of Lucy telling me about the big scary man flashes through me, and the guilt evaporates just as fast as it came. My resolve hardens.
“I'd rather watch the world burn than let anything happen to my daughter.” I look up and meet David's eyes. “Open the box.”
He nods once, and turns the lock. I hold my breath as soon as the door is open.
Empty.
Completely empty.
I stare at the bare metal interior. Then I stare at David.
David curses under his breath.
"Looks like someone got here first," he says.
I feel the floor shift under me.
The ledger is gone. And along with it goes our only bargaining chip.