THE OXYGEN OF TRUTH

Chapter 4: The Oxygen of Truth

The silence after the vault door closed was total. It was a silence that pressed on your ears making it hard to breathe. Above them the red emergency lights flashed like a slow dying heartbeat casting jagged shadows on the rows of gold safety boxes.

"Twenty minutes, " Silas said, his voice calm. With a hint of panic as he checked his watch. He didn't look at Avery; he was already at the terminal typing fast on the keypad. "The air cleaners have been shut off remotely. Julian isn't just locking us in. He's getting rid of everything."

Avery felt a sweat on her back. She leaned on the steel of the Sterling box, her mind racing. "Your own uncle is trying to kill you? You're a Thorne. You're his favorite."

"I was his tool " Silas corrected, his jaw tight. "The moment you walked into my office with those changes to the Sterling value you made me a problem. If I don't buy the company at his price his secret accounts will collapse. He can't let me know the truth. He can't let a Sterling heiress be free."

He slammed his fist on the terminal. "Locked. He's blocked the override."

Avery stepped forward her fear turning into a focused desperation. "Move. Let me try."

Silas turned, a look starting to form but he stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. It wasn't the look of a worker; it was the look of a girl who had survived for fifteen years on her wits. He stepped aside.

Avery didn't use the keypad. She took out the private access pass from her bag. "The Friend who sent me this note said the Thorne family can't steal the blood. This vault has a biometric layer that hasn't been used in twenty years. It's not looking for Thorne."

She found the hidden panel at the base of the terminal. A legacy port. She swiped the card. Pressed her thumb on the glass.

Identity Pending... Biometric Match: Sterling, A.

A sound echoed in the vault. A hidden compartment opened, showing a manual override crank.

"It's a two-person system, " Avery whispered, looking at Silas. "You have to hold the pressure seal open while I turn the gear. If you let go, the vacuum will crush my arm."

Silas didn't hesitate. He positioned himself at the wheel of the inner gate, his muscles straining against his charcoal suit as he braced his weight. "Do it. Now."

Avery grabbed the iron crank. It was rusty and hard to turn. She used all her strength, her breath coming in gasps as the air in the room grew thinner. With a screech of metal on metal the gears started to move.

"Avery " Silas groaned, his face red with effort. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you just come to me with the truth?"

"Because your family destroyed mine!" she cried out one turn of the crank causing a loud clack to echo through the floor. "I didn't know who to trust. I still don't."

The emergency lights changed to green. The sound of the oxygen vents coming back to life was the most beautiful sound Avery had ever heard. The heavy outer gate began to open, light from the hallway spilling in.

Silas let go of the wheel slumped against the wall catching his breath. He looked at Avery really looking at her, seeing past the Heiress in Overall's persona.

"You saved my life, " he said quietly.

"I saved my inheritance, " Avery countered, though her voice was softer. "There's a difference."

As they stepped out of the vault the bank manager was nowhere to be found. Silas's security team was already swarming the sub-level weapons drawn. Silas ignored them heading straight for the elevator with Avery.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the one place Julian won't think to look for us " Silas said, his eyes dark with a vengeful purpose. ". The one place you can officially claim your seat at the table."

He grabbed his phone. Made a single call. "Cancel the Sterling merger.. Call a press conference at Thorne Plaza for 8:00 AM. I have a business partner to introduce."

Avery felt a surge of triumph. It was short-lived. As the elevator rose her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a number.

She swiped the screen.

Check the news, Heiress. The vault was a distraction. Look at what happened to the nursing facility.

Avery's heart sank. Leo.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby, where a TV mounted on the wall was broadcasting a breaking news report. A fire had broken out at the Brooklyn Medical Center. The wing where her brother was being treated.

The Friend was no longer a messenger. The war had just claimed its victim.