We move the shelves and Jay finds a latch.
The panel swings open and a safe the size of a small fridge stares back.
“Bingo.”Jay cracks his knuckles.“Please tell me Jake gave you the combination.”
“He did.”
I punch in the numbers—their wedding anniversary.Another twisted sentimental touch—and the lock clicks open.
Inside—
Nothing.
My blood goes cold and a slow freeze crawls up my spine.
There’s nothing in the safe.Not one file.Not one envelope.Not one scrap of the truth we came for.It’s empty.Scrubbed clean and almost sterile.
“Fuck!”Jay’s voice trembles with restrained fury.His fists clench so tight the tendons stand out under his skin.“That fucking bastard cleared everything out.Or Jake is seriously fucking with us right now.”
“This wasn’t Jake.”I shut the safe harder than I should.“Scott knew we were looking into him.”
Of course he knew because he’s been playing this game longer than any of us.
Jay goes quiet and the air around him sinks.I recognize the look spreading across his face—the disbelief, the betrayal, the humiliation of realizing you’ve been outmaneuvered.
“Time check,” I say because we need to move or we’re done.
Jay looks at his phone—and the color drains out of his face so fast it’s like watching someone bleed out.
“Three minutes.”
My body surges with adrenaline, my hands now won’t stop fucking shaking and my vision begins narrowing.We shove everything back—panel, shelving, footprints erased as best as we can manage.
Then we bolt.
We’re in the car with the gate moving shut when the timer hits zero.The chime sounds like a funeral bell.
Lights flicker on in the mansion behind us—the system rebooting, coming alive like something pissed off that we touched it.
“Fuck,” Jay groans, slamming back into his seat.“How the fuck did he know?”
“I don’t know.”
But I do.
Because if Scott knew we were coming here—knewthe safe needed clearing out—then he didn’t just catch wind of me snooping.He knows Jake’s flipped.
The realization hits me dead cold.From what I know about Scott Sullivan, it’s that he doesn’t guess, he doesn’t assume.Heknows.And if he knows Jake’s not in his corner anymore, then we’re not the ones in danger—Jake is.Scott doesn’t lose pieces without punishing the board.
He doesn’t tolerate disloyalty, he snuffs it out.
My chest tightens, heartbeat thudding so loud I can hear it in my ears.If Scott’s onto him… fuck.Jake has no idea what kind of storm he’s stepped into.
“I’m sorry,” I say, because the guilt is too much and it feels like my blood, my name, my DNA is the weapon that’s been killing Jay his whole life.
Jay turns on me like I just insulted his mother.
“Why the hell are you sorry?”
