Page 85 of Dark OZ

“It makes sense that the Gallants would be a legacy family.”

The emerald in the key glittered, seeming to give off its own light. It might be the only thing of theirs that I owned. I had nothing from them but broken, sketchy memories—and this mystery key.

“The information I was given wasn’t complete. I was only given your married name. If I had known that Dorothea Gallant would be joining us today, then we would have prepared one of the larger rooms. This is unacceptable. I will see to it personally that this never happens again.” Melinda’s big brown eyes were fixed on me, waiting expectantly for a response.

“That’s quite alright.” I slipped my arm into Danny’s. “We choose to do most business under my husband’s name. It helps me avoid the attention of the press. You know how it is.” Danny’s hand closed over mine, squeezing in approval.

She handed me back the key. “Well, it’s working. I don’t think I’ve read anything about the Gallants in years.”

“Melinda, we have quite a bit of pressing business for the day. So if you don’t mind…” Danny gestured towards my key.

“Of course. I’m sorry.” Melinda waved a badge over a panel set into the wall, then placed her hand on the surface. Following the scan, large bronze doors slid silently open to reveal an ornate elevator. “This way, please.”

There was only one button on the elevator and a small call box. I hesitated for a second. Danny’s hand on my lower back increased in pressure, urging me forward. We’d already discussed this. The safety deposit boxes and vaults were all on the basement level, which would mean getting in an elevator. This wasn’t a surprise, but that didn’t make the space seem any bigger.

“It’s only for a couple of minutes. You’ve got this, Darling. I’ll be right here in your ear the entire time.”Except we both knew that was a lie.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. Is there a problem?” Melinda looked between me and Danny.

I swallowed my fear, and stepped into the room. Beside me Danny, exhaled a slow breath. Part of me wondered if he had expected me to bolt. Scared Dorothy was not allowed to make an appearance, not today. Not ever again.

“Not at all.”

The doors slid closed. They were silent, but the thumping of my heart in my ears sounded like a roar. I focused my eyes on the moving arrow that indicated the levels as we passed them. Danny’s hand remained on my lower back, his thumb slowly smoothing along my spine. Even Nick pressed closer to me until I could feel his arm brushing mine.

“Breathe, Thea. Another thirty seconds, and you’ll be on the gr—,”Crowe said, his voice crackling before cutting out completely. I swallowed another wave of fear and fingered the necklace hanging from my neck.

The arrow reached the far left side of the dial, and the doors slid open. I quickly stepped from the metal box of choking death and into the granite hallway. It wasn’t until I’d sucked down several large gulps of air that I realized I’d held my breath the entire ride.

Danny wrapped a large arm around me, kissing the side of my neck tenderly. “You okay?”

I blinked up at him in surprise. Crowe was the only one I’d discussed my claustrophobia with, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d prepped the other two for what had turned out to be an inevitable freak-out.

I nodded and pushed away from him, reclaiming my independence. We were about to meet the Wizard, the last thing I needed was to appear weak. We followed Melinda past several rooms, each featuring a complicated-looking vault door. I eyed down the half dozen security guards stationed throughout the hallway. My imagination ran wild, thinking of what was held behind the doors to warrant such security precautions. If what Crowe had told me about this bank was true, then every major player in all of Oz used it to hide their secrets.

Halfway down the corridor, Melinda placed her hand to another door. There was a hydraulic hiss and a cranking sound as the barrels and pins spun. With a loud clunk, the locking mechanism unlatched, allowing Melinda to pull the door open.

“Your security detail will have to remain in the hallway,” she said, not bothering to acknowledge Nick directly and walking into the waiting room.

Nick nodded at Danny and moved into position beside the door. As I walked by him, he snagged my arm, and drew me close. For a flash, his entire tough facade evaporated, and stark concern shook his features. “Thea, before you go in, I—”

“Sweetheart, you coming?” Danny called from in the room. Behind him, Melinda was watching our every interaction with eagle eyes. Nick released his grip on my arm, smoothing out the fabric of my sleeve.

“Sweetheart?” I mouthed with a silent laugh. Nick’s expression morphed back into his usual indifferent self. Whatever it was that had him shook, seemed to have vanished.

“He can wait. What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” Nick looked over my shoulder at the two people waiting on us. “Good luck,fiore mio.” He gave me a small push into the room, leaving me more confused than ever.

The interior was spacious, featuring two black velvet couches surrounding a long table. The granite walls were void of decoration, instead, they shone with streaks of green from the overhead crystal lamp. On the far wall, there was another panel like the one we’d seen in the lobby.

Melinda sat the key on the holder. With a flourish, she gestured to the display. “The key should have come with an access code. You’ll need to enter it on the display.”

Danny handed me the paper with the code. His eyes held mine for a long second, brushing his thumb against the top of my hand in encouragement. Without taking the time to dwell on the what-ifs, I typed the long set of numbers into the display. The screen flashed green.

Melinda smiled pleasantly. “Your box will arrive shortly. There are no cameras in the viewing rooms to protect client privilege. When you are finished, hit the button beside the door, and I will come to retrieve you.” She didn’t wait for an answer and disappeared from the room with tight, clipped steps. The vault door closed behind her with a heavy, metal thud.

“So now we wait,” I said, circling the room.

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