Chapter 13 — The Betrayal
Chapter 13 — The Betrayal
Tony immediately ordered everyone to surrender their weapons for inspection.
"No one's leaving this room until we know who's been feeding them information."
One by one, the guards complied.
The bank manager nervously emptied his pockets.
Nothing suspicious.
Elena stood beside Sophie, trying to shield her daughter from the growing tension.
Vincent watched silently.
He had learned long ago that betrayal rarely came from strangers.
It came from people who earned your trust.
A vibration interrupted the silence.
Buzz...
Buzz...
One of the bodyguards looked down.
A disposable cell phone had begun ringing inside his jacket.
His face turned pale.
"I've never seen this before."
Tony snatched the phone.
The screen displayed only one word:
ANSWER.
Tony pressed the speaker button.
No one spoke.
Then a distorted voice filled the room.
"Look behind Vincent."
Instinctively, everyone turned.
Nothing.
Just shelves of safety deposit boxes stretching into darkness.
Then—
A soft metallic click echoed from above.
Vincent looked up.
A tiny blinking red light had been attached to the ceiling directly over his position.
Tony's eyes widened.
"Bomb!"
Everyone dove for cover.
A violent explosion ripped through the vault.
Steel shelves collapsed.
Dust and concrete filled the air.
The blast threw Vincent across the floor.
His head struck the corner of a metal cabinet.
For several seconds...
He heard nothing except a high-pitched ringing.
Slowly, he pushed himself upright.
"Tony!"
No answer.
"Elena!"
A faint cough.
"I'm here..."
Through the smoke, Vincent found Elena shielding Sophie beneath a fallen steel shelf.
She was bleeding from her forehead but alive.
Two bodyguards were buried beneath chunks of concrete.
Another struggled to free himself.
Tony finally emerged from the dust, his suit torn and one arm soaked with blood.
"We've got to move!"
"The secondary exit," the bank manager shouted.
"It leads into the old subway tunnels."
Vincent helped Elena to her feet.
As they hurried toward the narrow maintenance corridor, Sophie suddenly stopped.
She stared back toward the ruined vault.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
The little girl's voice trembled.
"Someone's still in there."
Vincent turned.
A tall figure slowly stepped out of the swirling dust.
Dressed in a black overcoat.
Silver hair.
Walking with a cane.
The stranger removed his hat.
Even from across the shattered vault, Vincent recognized the face.
It was Anthony Bellucci.
Alive.
He smiled calmly.
May you like
Then, with chilling confidence, he spoke the words Vincent had feared for thirty years.
"You're finally ready to meet the man who truly destroyed your life."
