Chapter 8 - Breaking the Seal
The pickup truck surged forward, its tires spinning wildly on the wet gravel before catching traction and rocketing down the winding mountain road. Thomas kept his eyes glued to the rearview mirror, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Are you okay, kid?" Thomas asked, his voice tense as he glanced sideways at Leo, who was picking bits of shattered safety glass out of his lap.
"I'm okay," Leo whispered, holding up the small brass key and the torn document fragment. "Clara gave me these. She said Vault B isn't at the house."
Thomas took one quick look at the brass key, and the color instantly drained from his face. He slammed his foot down harder on the gas pedal. "Vault B... Good lord. That’s the old corporate depository beneath the abandoned downtown rail station. Your grandfather built it as a dead-man's switch in case Richard ever went rogue."
"Can we go there?" Leo asked, his small voice carrying a weight no five-year-old should ever have to bear.
"We don't have a choice," Thomas growled, shifting gears as they hit the highway. "Your father’s security team already has our license plate flagged. We have twenty minutes before every cop on the payroll is looking for us."
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As the truck sped toward the city skyline, the radio suddenly crackle-activated, broadcasting a local police bulletin reporting a missing child from the Vance estate—and naming Thomas as the prime suspect in an abduction.
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