Chapter 8 - What Daniel BuriedDaniel took us to an abandoned church outside the city.
The building had been closed for decades.
Broken stained glass covered the floor.
Candles had burned recently.
Someone still used the place.
Daniel walked to the altar.
He removed a loose stone.
A metal tube was hidden underneath.
Inside was a small drive.
He handed it to me.
“The original ledger.”
I expected pages.
Instead, the drive contained thousands of encrypted files.
Bank transfers.
Property records.
Bribes.
Political donations.
Judicial payments.
Names.
Dates.
Murder reports.
Cover-ups.
Everything.
Rachel stared at the screen.
“This could bring down half the city.”
“Not half.”
Daniel pointed to a folder.
“Almost everyone.”
I opened it.
One name appeared repeatedly.
VALE, MARCUS
I froze.
“What?”
Daniel's face tightened.
“They created a financial identity under your name.”
“What does that mean?”
“They made it look like you were Helix's primary distributor.”
I stared at the files.
Money had moved through my accounts for fifteen years.
Millions.
Maybe billions.
I had never seen most of the transactions.
Rachel whispered.
“If this becomes public, they'll blame everything on you.”
I looked at Daniel.
“You knew.”
“I discovered it too late.”
“Why did you send Elena to me?”
“Because I needed someone Helix couldn't identify as an agent.”
I looked at Elena.
“You knew what you were walking into?”
She shook her head.
“Not at first.”
Daniel touched her shoulder.
“I asked her to protect Caleb.”
She looked at me.
“Then I saw the files.”
“What files?”
“The ones showing your men were watching our house.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
She hesitated.
“Thomas wasn't the only one.”
A noise came from outside.
Footsteps.
I shut the laptop.
Everyone reached for weapons.
The church door opened.
Victor Kane walked inside.
No guards.
No weapon visible.
He looked older than I remembered.
But alive.
Daniel aimed at him.
Victor smiled.
“Still protecting him?”
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Stay away from my family.”
Victor looked at Caleb.
Then at me.
“You want the truth?”
“I want you dead.”
“You already tried.”
“I never had that chance.”
Victor laughed softly.
“Exactly.”
Rachel looked at him.
“You were working for Helix.”
“For years.”
“And now?”
“I betrayed them.”
“Why?”
Victor's eyes moved to Caleb.
“Because they crossed a line.”
“What line?”
“They killed children.”
Silence.
Victor continued.
“Children like Caleb were trained to carry secrets because adults were too obvious.”
Elena pulled Caleb closer.
Victor looked at me.
“The implant isn't a ledger.”
“Daniel said it was.”
“Daniel was trying to simplify it.”
“What is it?”
Victor stepped closer.
“A key.”
“To what?”
Victor smiled.
“The private vault of the president of Helix.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
My father's image flashed in my mind.
Victor continued.
“He needs Caleb because Caleb is the only person who can open it.”
Daniel raised his gun.
“You knew about this.”
Victor nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you take him?”
“Because I was waiting for you.”
“Why?”
Victor looked at me.
“Because the vault requires two people.”
“Who?”
“One person carrying the key.”
He pointed at Caleb.
“And one person whose bloodline created the system.”
He pointed at me.
I stared at Victor.
“You're saying I have to open it.”
“Yes.”
“What happens if I refuse?”
Victor's face went cold.
“They kill Daniel.”
Daniel looked at him.
Victor took out his phone.
A video played.
Daniel's face appeared on the screen.
Different clothes.
Different location.
The footage was recorded only hours earlier.
The real Daniel.
Bound to a chair.
And behind him stood a man I never expected to see again.
Thomas.
My head of security.
But Thomas was smiling.
Not frightened.
Not trapped.
Smiling.
Victor whispered.
“Your friend has been working for Helix from the beginning.”
Then the video changed.
Thomas turned toward the camera.
“I told you the housekeeper wasn't the target.”
He looked directly at me.
May you like
“The boy was.”
The screen went black.
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