Page 19 of The Eagle's Vault

His hand skimmed down my side as we stepped into the vault. Scarlett had said no PDAs, but his hand was getting awfully close to creeping outside the boundaries she’d set. A near-imperceptible click sounded behind us. Right. I was holding up the phone to record everything and my body was a cover for Declan’s magnetic case. The one which had tripped my safe’s dye pack.

He was getting handsy with the vault door, not with me.

“We’ve got contact,” said Will.

“Better than the contact you made Thursday,” I whispered.

He squeezed my waist, ramping up the velocity of the energy pinging around inside me. “Behave yourself, Georgia.”

I swallowed hard at the deep rumble in his voice.

Focus on the job, Leigh.

The phone was close to the hinge, invisible to the guard and the camera. The case melded with the door’s color, a chameleon hidden in plain sight. It had been black on Thursday, hadn’t it? Declan must have an assortment of these cases.

In my ear, Will continued. “Getting data from the phone. Perfect placement, Dec. Leigh, can you sweep your phone around the vault?”

Relief surged through me as I slipped out of Declan’s grip to do as asked. “Are the four cameras in here exclusively for the livestreams? Do they sweep back and forth or—”

“Since you purchased that option, one of the cameras will move when you request access.”

“And…” I spun slowly, holding the phone against my chest like I was hiding its screen from the cameras, trying to look inconspicuous. “What about sprinklers? Fire suppression? Do you drop the temperature at night?”

“All the answers are in the papers.” Ignazio gestured to the brochure Declan held, deflecting my curiosity with a well-rehearsed finesse. Was it avoidance, or did he genuinely not know the specifics? His smile remained, painted in place, big enough to make us comfortable, small enough to appear professional.

“Of course,” said Declan, who tucked the brochure under his arm.

“You’re doing great, Leigh,” said Scarlett, her slow words no doubt designed to keep me calm. “Try to capture the warding on Edoardo’s safe deposit box.”

“Here are your keys,” Ignazio said, presenting two of the mysterious chain keys.

With a quick demonstration, Ignazio and Declan inserted their keys into the deposit box’s lock, while I strolled a few feet away to film the details of Edoardo’s box, including the entrance to the keyway. A gentle push and a turn of the keys, and Ignazio withdrew the box, an empty cavern waiting to be filled.

From his jacket, Declan produced an envelope, sliding it inside the box without revealing its contents. He offered a quick smile. “That’s all for now.”

Ignazio pushed the box back into place with a satisfyingthunk, the lock clicking shut with a turn of their dual keys. Under Ignazio’s nose and the invisible eyes of Cassaforte Caetani, we’d planted our first seed. Everything seemed too easy with the Reynolds team.

As we made to leave, a small motion from Declan caught my eye, a subtle signal.Distract him, it said.

“Excuse me, Ignazio.” I let my nerves play into my tone, making the touch of concern I wanted to portray more authentic. “I know you said everything was in the brochure, but I’m worried about those sprinklers up there. Won’t they damage the documents we store here?”

Ignazio’s eyes followed my pointing finger, taking in the sprinkler system. He shook his head. “No, signora, we don’t use water as a first step. We have suppression gases instead. They are highly effective, so the water is a last resort we will never need.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched as Declan retrieved his phone from the vault door. The magnetic case and phone now concealed, I forced a smile, nodding at Ignazio.

“Got it all,” said Will. “Brie, we’ve got lots to analyze.”

“Good job, you two,” said Scarlett. “We’ll see you at the hotel in thirty and discuss next steps.”

Chapter 8

Declan

Thewidesidewalkrunningalong the Tiber River didn’t hold the same character as the tiny street where the team sat. But with Leigh on my arm, the river walk was a fantastic exit plan. “We’re out.”

“We’re packing up,” said Scarlett. “See you soon.”

Each step away from Cassaforte Caetani was one step closer to the prep work. My brain whirred, the weight of the chain key in my pocket calling to me. I needed to dissemble it. Find its weak points. Figure out how to bypass the security.

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