Page 24 of The Eagle's Vault

He paused, looking up at us, his eyes holding an assured spark. “Our ace in the hole is our inside man—Edoardo’s security guard. He’ll give Brie the clearance she needs to neutralize the cameras from the outside. She’ll blind them remotely.”

I nodded along, processing the plan I wouldn’t be part of.

Declan traced a line on the blueprint toward a busy road and a nearby park. “Main door’s a no-go. Too exposed. And thanks to the street and building lights, it’s lit up like a Christmas tree.”

His fingers danced across the paper, stopping at a side door that was subtly marked. “Jayce, Isaac, and I are going in through here.” His tone carried an air of finality, as though he could simply manifest success. “It’s on a less busy street and leads to a courtyard, then straight to the rear door.”

His gaze flicked up to meet ours, determination set in his eyes. “Our inside guy will get us in there. After that, he’s out of the picture. He doesn’t have access to the vault, so he won’t be any help there.”

“I’m still searching for vault specs,” said Brie from one of the tablets.

“We’ll put that aside for a sec.” Declan pulled his chain key from a pocket and placed it on the table.

Will, also on the call, said, “I could manufacture some steel blanks, but I don’t think I can have them to you in time.”

“What about 3D printing with filament?” asked Scarlett.

Declan nodded slowly. “That might work, and we could practice filing them, but without a lock to test them in, I’m not sure how helpful that would be.”

“Filament would be too weak and could break off inside if you use them in the vault.” I pulled the key closer and pushed the bow all the way through. “If you try that, you’ll need several blanks, plus some way to fish the pieces out if they snap off.”

“What about your contacts?” asked Declan.

“Isaac’s contacts.”

From Scarlett’s raised eyebrow, I was pretty sure no one believed me when I’d said Isaac would be in touch with some people who could help.

The sudden clatter of tools hitting the floor jarred us from our discussion. I spun to see Isaac’s frustration boil over.

He tore the sensors off his skin, his face gleaming red. “We’re not even going to need lock picking for this stupid penetration test!”

Rav watched from a distance, his brooding presence no doubt adding fuel to Isaac’s agitation. The tension was palpable, a dark cloud hanging over the room.

“I’ve got a meeting,” Isaac snapped, his annoyance still vibrating in the air. He shot me a quick, almost pleading look, but I couldn’t find the right words to offer. Before I could speak, he brushed past me, leaving the room on his way out of the office. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

We were left standing, staring at the empty doorway, the silence hanging heavy around us.

Could Rav, or someone else, have tampered with the lock somehow, making it impossible for Isaac to pick? Was it a way out of the training contract Isaac had negotiated? His tools lay scattered across the floor, and I went to clean up his mess.

I picked up a tension wrench and a simple rake, their familiar weight a comforting presence in my hands. The vice sat suctioned to the table, and I inserted the tools, feeling for the tumblers inside.

Everything else fell into the background.

Missing Rome.

My angry brother.

Memories of Finn.

Dreams of Declan.

It was more muscle memory than conscious thought, putting just the right twist on the lock, rocking pins up one at a time, the faint clicks a symphony of my own creation. With little effort, the lock clicked open. Not tampered with. I quickly locked it again, hiding my success.

No need to point it out to anyone or celebrate such a minor victory.

“Why is it,” Rav’s deep voice startled me, “your brother is the one joining us and not you?”

A flush crawled up my neck, discomfort knotting in my stomach. I rushed to Isaac’s defense. “He was probably just too stressed to focus. You’re a little intimidating.”

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