Chapter 4 - The Grandson
First Continental wasn't a normal bank. It was a private, highly secure vault system for the ultra-wealthy. When I arrived, I presented the fake ID and the heavy iron key.
The clerk didn't bat an eye. She escorted me down two flights of marble stairs into a reinforced steel vault.
"Box 814," she said, unlocking her side of the mechanism. I inserted Eleanor's key, and the heavy metal drawer slid open.
Inside were neat, stacked bundles of bearer bonds. Twelve million dollars, untraceable and liquid. But resting on top of the bonds was a loaded 9mm Glock and a second note.
“If you made it this far, Julian, you’re smarter than you look. Use the gun. Richard is going to try to kill you.”
I shoved the gun into my waistband and stuffed the bonds into a canvas duffel bag provided in the box.
Just as I stepped out of the vault, the heavy steel doors of the lobby hissed open.
Standing there was Richard, Eleanor’s grandson. He was wearing a tailored suit, but the frantic, bloodshot look in his eyes ruined the aesthetic. He had two armed guards with him.
"Well, well," Richard sneered, pulling a pistol from his coat. "The gold digger actually cracked the puzzle. Hand over the bag, Julian. The Volkovs are waiting."
May you like
"She left you the house, Richard," I said, my hand gripping the Glock hidden under my jacket. "Wasn't that enough?"
"The house is heavily mortgaged, you idiot!" Richard barked. "She hated me! She gave the real money to the street rat. Give me the bag, or you die in this vault."
