Inside, walls of safety deposit boxes stretch into the gloom. "Box 774," Vogel says, leading us to a large, stainless steel drawer at eye level. He inserts his key. "Your key, Doctor?"
Alaric reaches into his pocket. He pulls out the key he has carried on his keyring since the beginning—the one I thought was for his house. He inserts it. He turns it.Click.
"And now, the bio-verification," Vogel says. He pulls a retinal scanner from the wall on an articulating arm. He positions it in front of Alaric’s face. "Right eye, please."
My heart stops. Alaric steps forward. He grips the edge of the shelf to steady himself, though he makes it look casual. He leans into the cup. A red laser beam shoots out, scanning his eye.Hummmmmm.
It takes too long. Usually, it’s instant.Hummmmmm.
Vogel frowns. "The reading is... fuzzy. Perhaps the lighting?"
"I have a sensitivity," Alaric says, not moving. "Try again."
Vogel resets the machine. "Please, try to keep the eye wide open. Don't blink."
Alaric forces his eye open. I can see the strain in his neck muscles. The fever is making him shake. If he shakes, the laser misses. I step closer. I place my hand on his back, ostensibly an affectionate gesture. I dig my nails into his spine.Ground him.
The laser scans.Hummmmm.Beep.VERIFICATION COMPLETE.
Vogel smiles. "Excellent." He pulls the long metal drawer out. "I will leave you to your privacy." He bows and retreats to the vault entrance, turning his back.
We are alone. Alaric sags against the wall, exhaling a breath that sounds like a death rattle. "Close," he whispers.
"Open it," I say.
He lifts the lid of the box. Inside, there are stacks of paper. Bearer bonds. US Treasury bonds. Gold certificates. "Fifty million in liquid assets," Alaric says, thumbing through them. "Untraceable."
There is also a pouch of diamonds. Uncut. And cash. Swiss Francs. Euros. Dollars. We stuff it all into the backpack I brought—now emptied of the dirty clothes.
"Is that it?" I ask.
"No," Alaric says. He reaches into the back of the drawer. He pulls out a small, black velvet box. And a thick envelope.
He hands me the envelope. "For you," he says.
"What is it?"
"Open it later. When we are safe."
He opens the velvet box. Inside is a ring. Not a diamond engagement ring. It is a ring of black iron, set with a piece of meteorite. Rough. jagged. "My mother’s," he says softly. "Shewas... not a kind woman. But she taught me that iron is stronger than gold."
He slips it onto his pinky finger. It fits. "Let's go."
We pack everything. We walk out. Vogel locks the box. "Everything in order?"
"Perfect," Alaric says.
We take the elevator up. We walk through the lobby. I check the time. We have been inside for twenty minutes. We reach the glass doors. I look outside.
A police car is parked across the street. Not a patrol car. An unmarked sedan with a blue light on the dash. Two men in suits are standing by it, talking to their earpieces. They are looking at the bank entrance.
I stop. "Alaric," I whisper. "Three o'clock."
He looks. "Interpol," he says. "The Red Notice. The facial recognition in the lobby must have flagged us."
"They're waiting for us to come out."
"If we go out that door, we are arrested. Extradition to the US. Life in prison. Or a Syndicate hit in the holding cell."
