Chapter 17: The Segovia heist.

ISADORA’S POV

I looked down at the silver drive in my hand, then looked back up at Rafael as my mind spinned over everything he had just told me. He did not love Rosaline and obviously he had signed those papers years ago only to keep her safe from my grandfather.

"If you are lying to me, Rafael, I will ruin you myself," I said, with my voice quiet as I put the drive into my coat pocket.

"I am not lying," Rafael said, taking a step back toward the open door. "My mother is going to the Segovia estate right now and if she knows we have her server keys, she would burn the original wills before you can get them."

My heart dropped into my stomach as I saw the server files were good, but we needed the real paper wills my dad had signed before his heart attack. 

Those paper wills were the only proof that the estate belonged to me and not to Everett or Rosalind.

"Marco, get your coat," I said immediately, making up my mind right then that we will be going to the estate.

"We are going to the estate now." I said as we left the apartment and went down the stairs to Rafael's car. 

Rafael drove fast through the dark, rain-soaked streets while Marco sat in the back with his iron bar. 

Nobody spoke a word. 

We all knew what would happen if my grandfather's people got to those papers first.

Then twenty minutes later, Rafael pulled the car into the bushes near the back gate of the Segovia estate. The big house was dark, but I could smell the hot smoke in the air the second I stepped out onto the wet grass.

"They are already inside," Marco whispered, holding his iron bar tight in his hand.

"His study room is on the ground floor," I said, pulling my damp coat close around my chest. "Follow me."

Immediately, we crept through the broken back door into the dark hallway. Smoke was coming from the front room, making my eyes water and my throat dry. 

We realised that Everett's security guards had set fire to the front hall to destroy the house and trap anything inside.

We ran down the hall and reached the heavy wooden door of my father's old study. The handle was locked tight as Marco stepped up, jammed his iron bar into the door frame, and popped the lock open with a loud snap.

Suddenly the door swung back, and we ran inside.

"Where is the safe?" Rafael asked, looking back toward the smoky hallway.

"Under the desk," I said, dropping to my knees on the cold floor.

I remembered the numbers my father had written down for me. Three to the left and two to the right. Also one to the left.

The lock clicked as I pulled the small iron door open, reached deep inside, and pulled out a thick brown envelope.

"I have them!" I said, standing up and holding the envelope tight against my chest.

Then before Marco could answer, heavy footsteps ran down the hall, and Rosalind walked into the room through the thick smoke as two big guards stood right behind her.

"Give me that envelope, Isadora," Rosalind said, stepping into the room with a cold look in her eyes.

"You are too late," I said, stepping back until my legs hit the wooden desk. "The prosecutor already has the digital files, and I have the real wills."

"I do not care about the files," Rosalind said, taking another step toward me. "Without those signed wills in your hands, you cannot prove anything in court."

"You are not taking them," I said, keeping my voice steady even though my knees were shaking.

Then above our heads, a loud crack echoed through the room as the burning roof began to give way and long red sparks dropped from the ceiling, as the two guards ran back toward the door because they were scared of the fire.

"We have to go now!" Marco yelled, pulling my arm as suddenly, a huge wooden beam snapped above my head and fell straight down toward me.

"Watch out!" Rafael shouted as he jumped forward and threw his whole body over mine, knocking me to the floor. The heavy, burning wood crashed right onto his back with a loud thud as Rafael groaned in pain, his eyes squeezing shut as the heat scorched his coat.

"Rafael!" I screamed, pushing against his chest to try and help him.

"Take... the papers," Rafael gasped, holding the heavy beam off my legs with his elbows. "Go with Marco!"

"I am not leaving you!" I said, grabbing his arms as Marco ran over, stuck his iron bar under the burning beam, and lifted it up just enough for me to pull Rafael out. 

Rafael could barely stand, his shoulder raw and bloody, but he put his arm around my neck as we pushed past Rosalind and ran out through the back door into the rain.

We fell onto the wet grass outside, gasping for air as the big house burned bright against the dark sky.

I sat on the lawn, holding the brown envelope safe against my ribs as Rafael lay next to me on his side, breathing slowly, but when he looked at me and saw the papers were safe, a small smile touched his face immediately.

Then, I looked down at the envelope in my hands, knowing we finally had the proof to win.