Page 37 of The Eagle's Vault

I heard Leigh’s sharp intake of breath at the news, her breathing shaky behind me as she worked faster on the key. She’d get it done before we lost the heat. It was far colder than I’d expected, but we’d have at least fifteen minutes before her fingers became too numb to complete the job. She didn’t need nearly that much time.

“So what will happen, Edoardo,” I asked, my tone dripping with a smug challenge, “if we trigger the alarm and bring the police in right now?”

“Leigh…” Scarlett was a soothing contrast to the spiraling tension. “Stay calm, sweetheart. It’ll conserve your suit’s power.”

“Please, Declan.” Edoardo coughed, hopefully choking on his guilt. “For Martina’s sake.”

A sound from Scarlett’s end caught my attention. Isaac. He sounded worried, near panic. “I should’ve been the one in there. Not Leigh.”

Before I could respond, Leigh came closer, cutting through the commotion. “Key’s ready. What now?”

I turned to her, to her grim smile and quivering jaw. Thank god she was the one in here with me.

“Fine, we’ll help, Edoardo. But on our terms.” I took a deep breath, grounding myself before I continued. “We’re going to get the notebook. Not because you tricked us, but because of what we once had. But after this, we’re done. I don’t want to ever see your number on my phone again. Understand?”

Silence hummed through the line as I waited for a response that didn’t come.

“We’ll arrange a hand-off in the morning, but Evelyn will hear about this. If there’s a single whisper about us being blackmailed into thieving,” I continued, channeling my best impression of Rav and his threatening growl, “nothing you own will be safe from us. We will blow every vault to pieces, crack every safe, and rip every damn painting off your walls. You hear me?”

I jabbed the End Call button and moved back to Leigh, taking the freshly filed key from her trembling hand. “You did a great job. Now stand in front of this camera for a minute.”

She did as I asked, and I brushed her cheek with my thumb. Leigh was putting so much faith in me. And what was I doing? Toying with her freedom to save my friend.

I turned my attention to box 5639. The fresh client key slid into its slot. The keys twisted without effort, like they’d been milled by expert hands, rather than filed under stress. The lock released, and I pulled out the box, allowing Leigh to withdraw a small, worn notebook from the top of a pile of papers. Once the safe deposit box was back in its slot, I took the notebook and tucked it into my thigh pocket.

“Pack up, Leigh,” I said. “We need to get out.”

Chapter 14

Leigh

Lightsflashedinfrontof my eyes.Calm down, Leigh. Breathe through it. Unclench your jaw.

I was a criminal.

I’d snuck into a safe deposit box company, filed a key, and broke in. And stole something. What did it matter if it was just a small leather-bound notebook?

I was now a thief. Not in the I-stole-a-candy-bar way and my mom would be pissed, but in the on-foreign-soil-and-broke-a-ton-of-laws way. How many years would I rot in an Italian prison if Edoardo handed the video of us breaking into the second box to the police?

The video wouldn’t show Declan opening the box, but it would show me filing the key.

What kind of lawyer could I afford here? The Reynolds crew seemed to have enough money they’d be out within seconds, but me?

What photos had I just risked my freedom for?

Rav steered the van through tiny streets and pulled onto faster ones, weaving a path away from Cassaforte Caetani and my horrible truth.

Isaac sat quietly beside him, fuming. When we’d made it back to the van without detection, he’d threatened Declan. Scarlett jumped to his defense and, when Isaac turned his threats on her, Rav suggested Isaac might be more comfortable at the bottom of the Tiber. They strapped him into the passenger seat next to Rav and we’d driven away.

I stared at my hands, still wearing the gloves which had helped me jump over the line from law-abiding locksmith to safe cracker.

What would my father say when he heard?

The van rumbled through Rome’s sleepy streets, a deceptive calm after the storm. But inside my chest, my heart kept pounding, my stomach kept twisting. I’d walked willingly into the lion’s den, and now the lions were baring their teeth. And the one lion I’d trusted—Declan—was sitting right beside me, as unreadable as ever.

Scarlett sat in the middle row ahead of Declan and me, having traded seats with Isaac. She was fury and finesse wrapped into a disturbingly calm package. She spoke in rapid-fire exchanges with Will and Brie, attempting to unravel Edoardo’s double-cross.

“Find out who owns that box.” Scarlett managed two laptops, a harsh authority underscoring her words. “And go through the videos from the house to find out who took the photos.”

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