“What is it?” Richard muttered into the receiver.

A voice on the other end spoke quickly, loud enough for me to hear the urgent tone but not the words.

Richard’s face drained of color.

His eyes darted from Nathan to me, then back to the locked door.

“Who is that?” Nathan demanded.

Richard did not answer.

He slowly lowered the phone, his hand trembling slightly.

The metallic door behind us groaned.

The red light on the panel began to flash yellow.

A heavy, grinding sound echoed through the stone walls as the lock mechanism began to turn.

“I didn’t authorize that,” Richard whispered.

The heavy door slowly began to swing open, revealing the dark corridor beyond.

A figure stood in the shadows, silhouetted by the dim light of the hallway.

It was not the security guard.

The silhouette stepped forward into the red glow of the vault.

It was Mr. Hayes.

His silver hair was uncombed, and his silk tie was pulled loose at his collar.

Behind him, three tall men in black security uniforms stepped into the small chamber.

They carried heavy leather holsters at their hips.