Chapter 3 - The Vault
Stella applied deep, steady pressure to Jonah's spasming legs until the violent shaking finally subsided.
Jonah slumped back in his chair, completely exhausted and drenched in a cold sweat.
"What is inside the downtown vault?" Stella asked, helping him adjust his dark shirt.
Jonah refused to look at her, staring blankly at the dead bodies ruining his expensive marble floor.
"It contains the physical evidence of every dirty politician and corrupt judge on my payroll," Jonah explained grimly.
"If Victor's syndicate gets those files, my entire empire completely collapses by sunrise."
Stella stood up and wiped the blood from her bruised chin.
"Then we need to call your backup security teams and secure the vault right now," she stated firmly.
Jonah shook his head, a bitter, cynical smile crossing his tired face.
"Frankie was the head of my security," Jonah said quietly.
"I have absolutely no idea who is loyal and who is waiting to put a bullet in my back."
The massive house suddenly felt incredibly empty and highly dangerous.
Jonah picked up a secure mobile phone from his pocket and dialed a highly encrypted number.
He ordered an untraceable, armored van to be brought to the hidden rear exit of the estate immediately.
"I have to go to the vault myself and manually initiate the thermal destruction protocol," Jonah declared.
"You are going home, Stella. Your contract is officially terminated as of this exact minute."
Stella crossed her arms and completely blocked his path to the hallway.
"I just threw a pot of boiling soup on two armed hitmen," Stella argued.
"If I walk out that front door, Victor's men will eventually find me and kill me."
Jonah glared at her, his jaw clenching tightly with deep frustration.
"This is not a game, Stella. I am going into a heavily active warzone."
"And you literally cannot pour your own coffee without shaking," Stella shot back without hesitation.
"You need someone to push the chair and load the weapons, boss."
Jonah stared at her fierce, uncompromising expression for a long, heavy moment.
He finally relented with a sharp, angry nod of his head.
They navigated the dark corridors of the estate and loaded into the heavy armored van waiting out back.
Stella drove recklessly through the stormy city streets, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
They arrived at the towering, glass-fronted bank building that secretly housed the syndicate vault.
The front doors were already shattered, and the alarm system had been completely disabled.
Stella pushed Jonah’s heavy wheelchair through the broken glass and into the dark, silent lobby.
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They reached the massive steel doors of the underground vault, expecting a brutal firefight with Victor's men.
Instead, the enormous vault door was wide open, and the room was completely empty.
