“Judging by the art he had hanging on his walls, it could also be full of stolen artifacts,” Kai says dryly.
“Yeah, and we need to decide what direction to go if it is. Do we leave it there, or do we call the police in. If there’s anything of real value in there, I’m sure they’ll seize it. It could end up being a media debacle, and I’m not really sure we need more attention from the media at the moment.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it if it is. We’ll make a decision as a group and go from there. Let’s wait and see what happens.” Holden’s the voice of calm reason that we need, bringing down the tension that was filling the small space.
The doors open quietly, and the musty smell of damp and mold hits my nose, causing it to wrinkle. “Well, that’s not pleasant. I guess the count didn't think he needed any kind of ventilation down here.”
My brothers and I get off, and it returns for the last trip and the rest of my family.
Looking around the room, I see only Jacinta and Emma. “Where are Harlow and Jaxon?” Jacinta rolls her eyes hard and points to the wall opposite the vault. It’s a bit far away, and there doesn't seem to be as much light over there as there is on this side, but I can just make out an open door.
“That’s one of the secret tunnels. They’ve gone to see where it leads to.”
Shit, that’s not good. I exchange a look with my brothers. The four of us hurry over, but when we get there, Jaxon and Harlow are just exiting.
Harlow is brushing off cobwebs, totally unperturbed by the whole thing. “We didn’t get far. We didn't want to keep you waiting, and it looks like it goes quite a distance. If the cobwebs are any indication, it doesn't seem like anyone’s been down there for a while.”
There’s a dusty smudge on her arm where it looks like she might have brushed against the wall. And hey, perfect opportunity to get a little bit closer to her. I move over and brush it off before plucking a stray cobweb from her head. Her smile is bright as she leans forward and gives me a kiss.
“Thanks, pumpkin,” she teases. Before she can move away, I grab her and press forward until her back is to the wall, caging her between my arms.
“No problem, teddy bear. When we’re done here, want to make out under the porn frescoes?”
“I can do you one better,” she says, with a cheeky grin that pricks my curiosity.
“Oh?” She mimes zipping her lips.
“I’ll show you when we’re done here. Be patient.” With that, she slides under my arm and hurries over to where everyone else is now waiting. Grumbling, I join the group just as Emma shows Jaxon and Jacinta how to activate the biometric scanner.
“If you prick your finger on the spike and allow the blood to drip onto the panel, it will take a moment to read it. Once it lights up green, you put the code into the keypad.”
Jaxon and Jacinta give each other a look, holding the other’s hand as Jaxon reaches out his other. The suspense is killing me, but I keep my mouth shut. I know when my commentary isn’t needed, and Jacinta has a wicked tongue and a pretty strong punch if you piss her off enough.
Jaxon rests the fleshy bit of his thumb on the scanner, flinching when we hear a click a second later. He holds his thumb in place as the scanner reads the sample. It feels like it takes minutes, and all I can hear is the breathing of the rest of my family; the tension in the room is beyond prickly. Finally, the scanner flicks to green, and Emma lets out the breath she was holding.
“Okay, the code is 5318008.” She types it in, and I stare at it, finding the number somewhat familiar. What the fuck is it? I’ve never been one for math, so there’s no reason it should mean anything to me. It’s not anyone’s birthday, or a holiday, or… Oh shit.
“No fucking way!” I blurt the words before I can stop them. Everyone turns to look at me just as the screen lights up.
Emma quickly turns the handle of the huge metal door, and there’s a click as it pops open just enough to tease us.
“What, Oli?” Jacinta asks, slightly annoyed. We’re not in punching territory yet, but the last time she sounded like that, she “accidentally” bumped into my newest, still sore tattoo.
“The count really was a strange one,” I tell them, and Jacinta rolls her eyes while everyone else frowns at me, waiting for an explanation. “The code. Remember when you were a kid at school and you had to start using calculators?” Everyone nods, not knowing where I’m going. “Well, those numbers spell something out on the calculator if you turn it upside down.”
“Boobies!” Kai shouts, a crazy grin on his face. Of course he would recognize it. He and I were always trying to come up with new and interesting ones once we figured out we could. Unfortunately, there are only so many words you can make out of numbers, so we didn't get very far.
“Exactly.” I reach over and put my fist out for my brother to pound it, which of course he does. The rest of the group shake their heads and turn back to the vault. I mean, Harlow’s smiling, so at least there’s that. I’ll gladly take a punch from Jacinta if it gets me a smile from my girl.
“Go on.” Emma points to the heavy door. “It has to be the two of you first. Apparently, the lights are motion activated, so they should turn on when you step in. We’ll wait out here and give you a moment.”
As much as I want to push past them and yank open the door myself, I allow my brother and sister to do it. It’s only right that they get the first glance at their inheritance, even if it turns out to be nothing but air. For better or worse, I’ll be here to commiserate with them.
The door is huge, so we all shuffle backward, giving the twins room to move. Together, they pull on the big wheel until the door starts to swing. It’s on a roller that allows it to move a little smoother, but it’s been twenty-something years, so the hinge is stiff. They give up after they get it wide enough to slip past, which prevents the rest of us from having a full view.
My hand comes up to my mouth, and I start to chew on my fingernail. It’s a dirty habit, one I’ve mostly broken, but the suspense is killing me.
“Stop that.” Holden smacks my hand.
