“Open the door, Richard,” Nathan said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register.

Richard only laughed, a dry, rasping sound that rattled in his chest.

He lowered the lighter slightly, but his thumb remained rested on the small metal wheel.

“The security system is automated from the main house,” Richard said.

“Only my personal security chief has the override code.”

“Then call him,” I said, my voice shaking as I clutched Nathan’s arm.

Richard looked at me, his eyes cold and empty.

“Why would I do that, Emily?” he asked.

“You chose to break into my private sanctuary.”

“We came for the truth,” Nathan said.

He lunged forward suddenly, his movement too fast for his aging father to react.

Nathan’s hand clamped over Richard’s wrist, twisting it downward with a sharp jerk.

The lighter slipped from Richard’s fingers and clattered onto the stone floor.

It rolled into the shadows, the tiny flame extinguishing instantly as it hit the damp ground.

Richard gasped, stumbling back against a stack of metal lockboxes.

Nathan did not let go of the thick leather-bound ledger.