Chapter 4 - What Was in the Backpack
I ripped Marcus’s backpack off his shoulders.
“What’s inside?”
“Crayons.”
“Anything else?”
“My dog.”
His stuffed dog.
The one he slept with every night.
I dumped everything onto the table.
Crackers.
Markers.
Coloring book.
Toy truck.
Stuffed dog.
Leon moved the scanner over each item.
Nothing.
Then the scanner passed over the coloring book.
Beep.
We all froze.
Leon tore the cardboard backing open.
A flat black chip fell onto the table.
Dominic’s face went hard.
“How did that get there?”
“I don’t know.”
I looked at Marcus.
“Baby, did anyone touch your book?”
He thought.
“Mr. Victor.”
My stomach turned.
“When?”
“When he found me.”
Dominic looked toward Leon.
“He planted it.”
Leon nodded.
“So Victor knew the child was here before the conservatory.”
“Why track Marcus?” I asked.
Dominic’s eyes moved to me.
“He wasn’t tracking Marcus.”
Understanding hit me.
“He was tracking me.”
Dominic nodded.
Victor expected me to leave with Marcus.
The chip would lead his men directly to us.
Marcus touched the torn coloring book.
“You broke it.”
I closed my eyes.
“Yeah.”
His lip trembled.
“It had my dinosaur.”
I pulled him close.
“I’ll get you another one.”
“I liked that one.”
“I know.”
A huge explosion shook the walls.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Marcus screamed.
Dominic grabbed us both and pulled us down.
The monitors flickered.
Leon shouted, “They breached the garage!”
Dominic opened the weapons cabinet.
He handed Leon a pistol.
Then another guard.
I stared at him.
“No guns near my kid.”
“They’re already near your kid.”
I hated him for being right.
Dominic looked at me.
“Can you shoot?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“It means you haven’t needed to.”
He handed me a small flashlight instead.
“Stay behind me.”
The steel door suddenly beeped.
Leon stared at the keypad.
“That’s impossible.”
“What?”
“Someone entered the old master code.”
The lock clicked.
Dominic raised his gun.
The door began opening.
Slowly.
Marcus buried his face against me.
A shadow appeared on the other side.
Dominic aimed.
“Don’t move.”
A woman stumbled through the opening.
Blood covered her white blouse.
I recognized her.
Caroline.
One of Dominic’s personal assistants.
She collapsed.
Leon caught her.
“Caroline!”
She gasped for air.
“They’re inside.”
Dominic crouched beside her.
“Where’s Victor?”
Her eyes filled with panic.
“He’s not leaving.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t want to escape.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“Then what does he want?”
Caroline looked toward the ceiling.
“The basement.”
Dominic went pale.
I had never seen fear hit him that fast.
“What’s in the basement?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Dominic.”
He stood.
“A server vault.”
“What’s on it?”
“Everything.”
Leon’s face hardened.
“Accounts. Names. Judges. Officers. politicians. Contracts.”
Dominic stared at the screens.
“If Victor gets those files, he doesn’t just control my organization.”
He looked at me.
“He controls everyone who ever did business with it.”
Another explosion shook the room.
Then the lights went red.
Leon checked the system.
“Sir…”
“What?”
“The basement vault just opened.”
May you like
Dominic’s expression turned deadly.
“Victor has the files.”
