Chapter 12 - THE FOUR MINUTES THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Four minutes was enough time to escape Ferrante Tower.
It was not enough time to save twenty-four years of evidence.
“Everybody out,” Elias ordered.
Adeline looked at the ledger.
“No.”
He grabbed her wrist.
“We have what matters.”
“No, we don’t.”
She pointed toward the archive access panel.
“The stolen files from the ballroom.”
Elias understood.
“They were copied because Vincent wanted the archive destroyed.”
“If we leave, whatever he was hiding disappears.”
The timer reached 3:21.
Marco shouted from the doorway.
“Boss!”
Elias looked at Adeline.
“Where?”
“Basement archive.”
“Forty-four floors.”
“Service elevator.”
“It could be rigged.”
“Everything could be rigged.”
Elias swore.
Then followed her.
Lorenzo carried Eva toward the evacuation stairs.
Claire remained with security.
Elias and Adeline entered the service elevator.
“Three minutes,” he said.
“I can count.”
“You have a very irritating response to danger.”
“You kissed me in front of a federal agent.”
“Fair.”
The elevator dropped.
Adeline looked at him.
“Did you mean it?”
“What?”
“What you said upstairs.”
He stared at her.
“This is when you want to discuss that?”
“We might explode.”
“That is not improving your timing.”
“Elias.”
“Yes.”
Her heart stopped.
“Yes what?”
“I meant it.”
The elevator doors opened.
2:06.
They ran.
The archive contained old paper files and a sealed digital server.
Adeline entered Claire’s account code.
Access denied.
Again.
Denied.
“Think,” Elias said.
“Don’t tell me to think.”
“Would you prefer panic?”
“Yes.”
The timer on Elias’s phone reached 1:34.
Adeline stared at the locket.
The engraved numbers were not one code.
They were two.
She separated them.
First sequence.
Accepted.
Second sequence.
A hidden directory opened.
Thousands of files appeared.
Elias inserted an encrypted drive.
“Copy.”
Progress bar.
17%.
31%.
The building alarm screamed.
49%.
“Adeline.”
“Not yet.”
62%.
“Adeline.”
“Not yet.”
78%.
His hand closed around hers.
“Now.”
91%.
“Five more seconds.”
94%.
96%.
98%.
100%.
She ripped out the drive.
They ran.
The explosion hit as they reached the loading bay.
A wave of pressure threw them forward.
Elias covered Adeline.
Glass shattered across the floor.
Smoke filled the corridor.
They crawled through emergency doors and emerged outside.
Adeline coughed.
“Are you hurt?”
Elias checked her face.
“You?”
“No.”
Then she laughed.
He stared at her.
“What?”
“We survived.”
Something inside Elias broke open.
He kissed her.
This time there was no audience.
No strategy.
No protection ceremony.
Only relief.
Adeline gripped his jacket and kissed him back.
When they separated, Elias rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m not good at this.”
“Bomb disposal?”
“Love.”
Her expression softened.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“I’d hate to think all this emotional dysfunction was practiced.”
He actually laughed.
Then Agent Catherine Doyle approached through the emergency vehicles.
She looked at the smoking tower.
“You two have unusual dates.”
Adeline held up the drive.
“We have Vincent’s files.”
Doyle’s expression changed.
“All of them?”
“Everything he tried to destroy.”
Doyle took the drive carefully.
“This could end dozens of investigations.”
Elias nodded.
“That’s the idea.”
Doyle looked at him.
“You understand some of those investigations concern your family.”
“I do.”
“And possibly you.”
“Yes.”
Adeline looked at Elias.
He seemed completely calm.
Doyle left.
Adeline whispered:
“You’re giving the government everything?”
“Yes.”
“You could lose Ferrante Shipping.”
“Yes.”
“Your money.”
“Some of it.”
“Your reputation.”
Elias looked at her.
“I nearly lost something more important tonight.”
Before she could answer, Claire approached.
Her face was pale.
“Adeline.”
“What?”
“The files you copied…”
“What about them?”
“There was a medical folder.”
Elias frowned.
“Whose?”
Claire looked at Adeline.
“Yours.”
Adeline laughed nervously.
“Why would Vincent have my medical records?”
Claire’s eyes filled with tears.
“He didn’t.”
“Then whose file is it?”
Claire handed her a printed document.
Adeline read the name.
Her hands began shaking.
INFANT FEMALE MARSH.
Date of birth: Adeline’s birthday.
Mother: Claire Marsh.
Father:
ROBERTO FERRANTE.
Adeline slowly looked at Elias.
Neither of them spoke.
May you like
Because if the document was real, Adeline wasn’t simply connected to the Ferrante family.
She was Elias Ferrante’s half sister.
