Chapter 7 - Locker 218

South Station was almost empty.

Federal agents took positions outside the main concourse.

Damian stood near locker 218.

Victor ten feet away.

Bianca beside Theodore.

Charles and Julian had been told to stay behind.

Neither liked it.

Neither mattered.

The passport number opened the digital lock.

A green light appeared.

Damian opened the door.

Inside was a black case.

Victor stared.

“That is it.”

Damian took it out.

The case was heavier than expected.

He opened it.

Files.

A hard drive.

Three ledgers.

One envelope.

ELENA.

Damian stopped.

Victor looked at it.

“I never put that there.”

Damian frowned.

“Who did?”

Victor shook his head.

Damian opened it.

His mother’s handwriting.

DAMIEN—

She had misspelled his name the way she did when she wrote too quickly.

Damian’s eyes filled.

He read.

IF YOU EVER SEE THIS, THEN YOUR FATHER FINALLY DECIDED YOU WERE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

Victor looked away.

Damian continued.

HE LOVES YOU.

THAT DOES NOT MAKE EVERY CHOICE HE MADE RIGHT.

Silence.

Damian looked at Victor.

His father’s face broke.

He kept reading.

JULIAN IS GUILTY.

CHARLES IS GUILTY.

VICTOR IS GUILTY.

SO AM I.

Damian stopped.

Bianca looked at him.

He continued.

I SIGNED ONE OF THE COMPANIES BECAUSE VICTOR TOLD ME IT WOULD PROTECT YOUR FUTURE.

I DID NOT ASK ENOUGH QUESTIONS.

THAT WAS MY FAILURE.

Victor closed his eyes.

Damian read on.

BUT MARCUS HALE IS DIFFERENT.

HE IS NOT PROTECTING FAMILY.

HE IS USING ALL OF THEM.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, FIND THE ACCOUNT MARKED H-19.

Damian immediately searched the ledger.

H-19.

A private account.

Payments to Marcus Hale.

From Julian.

From Charles.

From Victor.

Then later.

Payments going the other direction.

Marcus paying people inside Vale companies.

Security.

Accounting.

Legal.

One name stood out.

Damian stared.

“Chief of security.”

Bianca frowned.

“What?”

“Our chief of security is on his payroll.”

Victor looked around.

“He knows the agents are here.”

Damian’s phone buzzed.

A message.

FROM MARCUS:

WRONG PLATFORM.

Victor looked up.

Then the station lights went out.

Bianca gasped.

Emergency lights came on.

A shot echoed somewhere near the far exit.

Agents shouted.

People dropped behind benches.

Damian closed the black case.

Victor grabbed his arm.

“This way.”

They moved behind the lockers.

Theodore stayed low.

Bianca followed.

A man in a security jacket appeared at the end of the corridor.

Damian recognized him.

Paul Mercer.

Vale security chief.

Eight years.

Trusted.

Paid by Marcus.

Paul raised a gun.

Victor stepped in front of Damian.

Bianca shouted.

Agents fired.

Paul fell.

The station erupted.

Damian looked at Victor.

“You were hit?”

Victor checked himself.

“No.”

Then Theodore pointed.

“The case.”

Gone.

Damian turned.

Someone had taken it during the confusion.

Marcus.

Victor swore.

Damian saw the emergency door swinging shut.

He ran.

Agents followed.

Outside, a black sedan accelerated away.

One agent raised his weapon.

Another stopped him.

Too many civilians.

Damian stared at the disappearing car.

The hard drive.

The ledgers.

His mother’s letter.

Gone.

Bianca touched his arm.

“Damian.”

He looked at her.

She held up one piece of paper.

Elena’s letter.

She had taken it from the case before the lights went out.

Damian breathed.

“Thank you.”

She nodded.

Then Theodore smiled.

Everyone looked at him.

“What?”

The old archivist held up a tiny memory card.

Victor stared.

“What is that?”

“I copied the Zurich file eight years ago.”

Silence.

Damian almost laughed.

“You had a copy?”

Theodore nodded.

“Archivists copy things.”

Victor looked offended.

“You never told me.”

Theodore shrugged.

“You lie too much.”

For the first time that night, Damian actually laughed.

Briefly.

Then his phone rang.

Marcus.

Damian answered.

“You have an impressive archivist.”

Marcus sounded angry now.

Damian smiled.

“He likes copies.”

Silence.

Then Marcus said:

“You still need me.”

“For what?”

“To prove Charles knew your mother was investigating me.”

Bianca went still.

Damian looked at her.

“What?”

Marcus continued.

“Ask him about the Paris memorandum.”

The call ended.

Bianca whispered:

“What memorandum?”

Theodore’s smile disappeared.

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Victor looked toward Charles.

Even from across the city, Charles had managed to become part of another secret.