Chapter 25 - THE SISTER-IN-LAW'S FINAL BETRAYAL
Rebecca’s silk blouse was smudged with soot, but her lips were painted a flawless, defiant carmine red. The gun in her hand did not waver.
“Rebecca?” Naomi breathed, stepping protectively in front of Elena. “You were the one who leaked Victoria’s financial audits to us last month! You told us you wanted out!”
Rebecca laughed—a hollow, mocking sound that bounced off the granite walls of the subterranean tunnel. “I wanted Victoria out of the way, Naomi. There’s a distinct difference. I didn't spend seven years enduring her humiliation and Daniel’s self-righteous condescension just to hand the family fortune over to a drowned clerk’s daughter.”
“You hired the shooter on the roof,” Elena said, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. The puzzle pieces locked together with sickening clarity. “Victoria didn't order the hit in the courtyard. She was terrified of the cameras! It was you. You knew if Victoria was arrested for Daniel’s murder, both of them would be eliminated in one night.”
“Victoria is an arrogant dinosaur,” Rebecca sneered, thumbing back the hammer of the pistol. “She thought she could rule this city forever with bribes and intimidation. She didn't realize that in the modern world, you don't buy the judges—you buy the panic. Once Daniel was dead and Victoria was locked in a federal pen, the estate would default to the minor trust of my son. Which means it belongs to me.”
The freezing water rose another two inches, sloshing violently against Elena’s chest. The tide was surging; they had less than ten minutes before the tunnel drowned completely.
“Daniel survived, Rebecca,” Elena said, her voice steady, calculating the distance between the catwalk and the water. “He’s alive. He’s protected by federal marshals.”
Rebecca’s eyes flashed with manic fury. “He won't survive the night. And neither will you. Now, take the brass key out of that lock and toss it onto the catwalk. Or I put a bullet through Naomi’s throat right now.”
Elena slowly reached for the lock. Her fingers wrapped around the heavy brass shaft, but instead of pulling it out, her thumb found the release lever of the emergency tidal sluice valve right beside the door frame—a feature Marcus Vance had described in her father’s blueprints.
“You want the Sterling inheritance, Rebecca?” Elena whispered. “Take it from the ocean.”
Elena wrenched the emergency lever down with all her strength.
With a deafening mechanical groan, the rusted iron sluice gate behind Rebecca gave way under the massive pressure of the incoming Atlantic tide. A wall of freezing, foamy seawater burst through the upper intake grates, hitting the catwalk like a freight train.
Rebecca screamed as the torrent tore her balance away. The handgun fired wild, the bullet ricocheting harmlessly off the granite ceiling before the iron catwalk buckled under the weight of the water. Rebecca was swept off the platform, plunging into the churning, black surge below.
“Elena, swim!” Naomi screamed, grabbing Elena’s collar as the tunnel rapidly filled to the ceiling.
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Elena took a deep breath, dived beneath the freezing black surface, and jammed the key into the vault door. Turning it with both hands, the heavy iron hinges groaned open. Inside the watertight alcove was a heavy, waterproof steel briefcase bolted to the stone. With adrenaline surging through her veins, Elena unlatched the safety clamp, grabbed the case, and kicked toward the surface just as the entire tunnel flooded into absolute darkness.
***
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