Page 68 of Forgotten Promise

Kailani paused, looked back at him, then at Selene. “All three of our keys should open this door.”

Selene nodded and took a key from her pocket. “Let’s see if that’s true.” She fitted her key in the lock and, after a little bit of wiggling, the key turned. Sound echoed down the small stairwell, heavy clicks and thumps coming from within the door.

“Whoa,” Selene breathed.

“The interior of the door is a large lock mechanism,” Kailani explained. “Part of my duties is to oil it every few months.”

Selene grabbed the handle and opened the door.

Preston held his breath, the drama of the moment making his heart pound. It was the same way he felt every time he took the elevator down into their headquarters under the Boston Public Library—somber but nervous, aware that he was one of a select few who got to see, to know, an important and valuable secret.

This moment felt even more momentous. Because even among the Trinity Masters, this was a secret. His family had made a promise generations ago, a promise that had almost been forgotten, but now it was his turn, his duty, to see it fulfilled.

Stale air wafted out of the small room, which was made of the same dark wood. A few dim lights mounted along the ceiling had clicked on when the door opened, barely illuminating the space. Directly across from the first door was a second, larger, and far more ornate one. The center of the door was an etched metal panel with three keyholes, spaced in a triangle.

Preston leaned to the side, craning to see the rest of the room around Kailani and Selene’s legs. Gold bars were stacked along the walls. A thrill ran through him when he saw them. Preston’s grandfather had told him stories about the vault—his grandfather either hadn’t known or hadn’t used the term waihona. One element that was in every story was the gold.

Where the vault was, how to get into it, that had varied widely, and had always been based on speculation, but the gold, that was a fact. There were ninety-nine gold bars in the vault. Not a hundred, not ninety-eight, but ninety-nine. Preston’s great-grandfather had been one of the original three keyholders, and according to Preston’s grandfather, their family had been the ones tasked with obtaining the gold bars and placing them in the vault.

Preston’s great-grandfather had kept the location of the waihona a secret, but he’d passed on the knowledge of the gold. Seeing the gold there, seeing the proof of the family legend, made it all—

Preston narrowed his eyes, scanning the room again.

Kailani was halfway through the door, Selene right behind her.

“Stop!” Preston lunged up the steps, grabbing their arms.

Both women turned to him, their expressions unreadable due to the dim lighting.

“Preston?” Kailani’s voice was tight.

“How many gold bars do you see?”

“Why?” Selene demanded.

“How many?” he insisted.

Kailani was already scanning the walls. She sucked in a breath but didn’t say anything.

Selene traced a finger in the air as she counted, then turned back to them. “About thirty, why?”

“There should be ninety-nine gold bars.” Preston’s back and shoulder muscles were tense as the implications continued to fall like dominos. “Kailani, did you or your family remove any of them?”

“No, I—”

“I’m not accusing you of theft,” Preston said quickly. “Maybe at some point in the past, the Trinity Masters needed a cash infusion?”

Kailani shook her head.

“How do you know how many there should be?” Selene demanded.

“When the keyholders were created, that’s what my family was responsible for—getting ninety-nine gold bars. That information was passed down with my key.”

Selene looked from him to the room to Kailani.

Kailani took a deep breath, then her shoulders dropped. “My family didn’t steal the gold.”

“Okay, maybe they borrowed it,” Preston said cautiously.

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