Chapter 6 - The Harbor Vault
By 4:00 a.m., the rain had stopped, leaving the city wrapped in a thick, gray fog.
The private medical team at Julian’s harbor estate had stitched his shoulder and bandaged the wound. He sat on the edge of the examination table in his shirt, refusing pain medication while Dr. Lawson wrapped the white gauze around his torso.
The door opened, and Lena stepped into the room. She was wearing a thick black coat, her face pale, her eyes filled with residual shock from the violence on the bridge.
"The doctor said you shouldn't be moving around," Lena said softly, stopping a few feet away.
Julian waved the physician out of the room. Once the door clicked shut, he reached out, taking Lena’s small, cool hand and gently pulling her between his knees.
"I've suffered worse than a scratch, Lena," Julian murmured, looking up at her with soft, dark eyes. "Are you unhurt?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, her fingers tracing the edge of the white bandage peeking through his open collar. "Julian... you almost died tonight."
"I lived," he corrected softly, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, burying his face in the soft crook of her neck. "Because I had something to come back to."
Lena felt a warmth flood her chest, her arms instinctively wrapping around his broad shoulders. For four years, she had watched him carry the weight of an empire alone, surrounded by treacherous snakes like the Ardens who only cared for his wealth and power. In her arms, he was just a man—exhausted, grieving his brother, and seeking refuge.
"We go to the Old Harbor Bank at dawn," Julian said quietly against her skin. "Once I retrieve Owen’s ledgers, the High Council of the Syndicate will convene. Solazzo’s allies will have no defense."
"And then what happens to us?" Lena asked, looking down into his eyes.
Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out the rusted double-headed eagle key Owen had hidden six years ago. He placed it gently into her palm, closing her fingers over it.
"Then I build a life where no one ever makes you feel small again."
At 7:00 a.m., surrounded by an armada of six armored vehicles, Julian and Lena walked into the subterranean vault of the Old Harbor Bank. The master vault keeper, sweating profusely under the gaze of Julian’s armed enforcers, inserted the master key alongside the key Lena held.
The heavy steel box slid open with a metallic click.
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Inside lay three thick, leather-bound accounting books, along with an encrypted flash drive and a smaller, sealed envelope addressed directly to Julian in Owen’s handwriting.
Julian took the envelope, his fingers trembling slightly as he broke the wax seal.
