"At my father’s graveside, the gravedigger gripped my arm and whispered, “Sir, your father paid me to bury an empty coffin.” Before I could even speak, he pushed a brass key into my hand. “Don’t go home,” he warned. “No matter who calls, no matter what they say. Go to Unit 17 on Route 9. Right now.” Then my phone buzzed. A text from my mother appeared on the screen. Come home alone. My father had been buried less than five minutes earlier. Or so I believed

The infiltration was brutally efficient.

Keller's tactical team moved like ghosts through the abandoned, blood-stained corridors of the meatpacking facility. We encountered three guards armed with automatic weapons. They were neutralized with suppressed fire before they could even sound an alarm.

We descended a rusted industrial staircase into the subterranean levels. The air smelled of decay and ozone.

At the end of a long, concrete tunnel stood a massive, state-of-the-art titanium vault door. It looked completely out of place in the rotting building.

"This is it," Keller whispered, sweeping the perimeter with her rifle. "You're up, Elias."

I stepped forward. Next to the heavy steel wheel of the vault was a sleek biometric scanner. My hands were shaking. I pressed my right thumb against the glass.

A green light swept across my fingerprint.

BEEP.

VANCE BIOMETRIC ACCEPTED.

The heavy internal locking mechanisms began to turn with a loud, metallic grinding sound. The vault door slowly swung open.

Inside, resting on a pedestal bathed in a single spotlight, was a thick, black leather ledger.

"I got it," I said, stepping into the vault and snatching the book.