Part 2: The Dark Vault
The silence in the pitch-black foyer was heavy, broken only by Emily’s shallow, rapid breathing and Sophie’s faint whimpers.
"Richard, what did you do?" my mother's voice echoed in the dark, suddenly losing its arrogant edge.
"I didn't do anything," my father muttered, the ice clinking loudly against his whiskey glass. "The backup generator should have kicked in. The main breaker must have blown from the storm."
I didn't rely on their excuses. I pulled my tactical flashlight from my chest rig, a sharp beam of white light cutting through the elegant darkness of the marble hallway.
"Emily, upstairs, now," I ordered, guiding her toward the grand staircase.
I checked Sophie’s pulse in the flashlight's glow. Her tiny hands were freezing cold, but her heartbeat was steady.
While I wrapped them both in dry, warm blankets from the linen closet, I tried to call emergency services, but my phone screen displayed a flashing gray message: NO NETWORK ACCESS. SIGNAL JAMMED.
I walked out to the grand landing, looking down at my father who was trying to relight a decorative candle in the foyer.
"The storm didn't take the power out, Dad," I called down, my voice deadly calm. "And it didn't block my cellular signal. You turned on the estate's security isolation grid."
My father didn't look up. "The system is automated for severe weather, Jacob. Don't be paranoid."
"The isolation grid is manually operated from the study vault," I said, walking down the stairs one slow step at a time. "The vault where you keep the physical ledger for Hayes Logistics. The ledger containing the overseas routing codes I spent the last six months tracking from my base in Germany."
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My mother stepped back into the shadows of the dining room. "Jacob, your father has had a stressful quarter. The company is undergoing a routine federal restructuring."
"It's not a restructuring, Mom," I said, shining the tactical light directly into my father's pale face. "It's an asset-stripping scheme. You used my military power of attorney to clear out my personal savings, but you didn't do it to buy wine. You did it because the federal grand jury in Charlotte just subpoenaed your corporate tax returns."
