Chapter 11
The cool air of the vault seemed to drop another ten degrees as Sterling leveled the suppressed firearm directly at Arthur’s chest. The two armed guards flanking him fanned out, sealing the narrow stone corridor behind them.
“Drop the ledger, Arthur,” Sterling instructed, his voice as smooth and lethal as polished glass. “And tell the young lady to step away from the shelving unit. We don’t want any accidents before we finish the transfer.”
Arthur did not move an inch. His broad shoulders remained squared, his dark suit coat buttoned tightly, shielding Elena entirely from their line of sight. “You think killing us inside our own estate solves your problem? The off-site backups are already scheduled to release the entire financial ledger to the federal prosecutor’s office at midnight.”
Sterling’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Midnight is forty-five minutes away, Arthur. Plenty of time for a tragic vault accident involving an old electrical fault and two unfortunate victims.” He tilted his head toward Elena. “Such a shame about her eyes. It’s terrible when people can’t see what’s coming.”
Elena, standing slightly behind her father’s left shoulder, did not flinch. Her single uncovered eye remained fixed on the reflection of the overhead lightbulb gleaming off the barrel of Sterling’s weapon. Her right hand slipped silently down the shaft of her folded white cane, her fingers finding the small, concealed release button near the rubber tip.
“You talk too much, Director,” Elena said quietly.
“Respect your elders, child,” Sterling sneer growing sharper. “Your father taught you poorly.”
“My father taught me patience,” Elena replied, her tone dropping into a deadly whisper. “You taught me your exact range.”
Before Sterling could pull the trigger, Elena lunged forward from behind her father, swinging the heavy aluminum shaft of the white cane in a vicious, low horizontal arc. The tip struck Sterling’s right knee with a sickening crunch of cartilage.
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Sterling screamed, his leg buckling instantly as he dropped to the concrete floor, his weapon clattering uselessly against the stone tiles.
The two guards reacted instantly, raising their firearms, but Arthur moved with terrifying speed, sweeping his foot into the lead guard’s knees and sending him crashing backward into the heavy iron vault door.
