Chapter 11 - The Black LedgerThe vault lights dimmed.
Kyle's voice continued through the speakers.
“You've been chasing the wrong people.”
I pounded on the door.
“Kyle!”
He laughed.
“Do you know what the Black Ledger is?”
“No.”
“Neither did Dad.”
That surprised me.
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I knew where it was.”
The speakers went silent.
A red light appeared above the vault door.
The countdown began.
05:00
I searched the room.
Nothing.
Four walls.
Metal shelves.
One desk.
One chair.
One dead screen.
Then I remembered the video.
Bloodline.
Inheritance.
My grandfather had built the vault around my identity.
I ran my hand along the wall.
Nothing.
Then I noticed a small carving.
A flower.
An orchid.
I pressed it.
The wall shifted.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a black leather book.
The Black Ledger.
I opened it.
Names filled the pages.
Judges.
Bankers.
Senators.
Police chiefs.
Executives.
People who supposedly had no connection to one another.
Payments.
Bribes.
Blackmail.
Murder.
Everything was documented.
Then I found the final section.
SUBJECT 47.
The pages weren't about money.
They were about me.
School.
Friends.
Relationships.
Jobs.
Medical records.
Every important moment of my life had been monitored.
Then I saw one page that made me drop the ledger.
RELATIONSHIP WITH EMILY PARK.
Emily.
My college girlfriend.
I hadn't spoken to her in five years.
The ledger contained photographs of us.
Dates.
Messages.
Then a final line.
REMOVE IF NECESSARY.
Emily had not simply left me.
She had been threatened.
Because she knew something.
Something about me.
The vault timer reached one minute.
I grabbed the ledger.
The door remained locked.
Then I noticed a small button under the desk.
I pressed it.
The door opened.
I ran.
Kyle was waiting in the corridor.
Gun in hand.
“Give me the ledger.”
I held it tighter.
“No.”
He smiled.
“Then I'll tell you the part Grandpa forgot.”
“What?”
“You were never the heir.”
I frowned.
“You are the key.”
“To what?”
“To the entire Blackstone network.”
He stepped closer.
“Your blood unlocks accounts no one else can access.”
I stared at him.
“And yours?”
“Mine doesn't.”
He laughed.
“That is why they hated you.”
Before I could respond, a loud explosion shook the building.
The corridor filled with smoke.
Kyle vanished.
I stumbled forward.
Someone grabbed my shoulder.
I turned.
Emily.
She looked terrified.
“You have to leave.”
“What are you doing here?”
She stared at the ledger.
“They found it.”
“Who?”
She whispered:
“Everyone.”
May you like
Then her face changed.
“They're coming for you.”
