“Emily, he is right,” Charles said. “We have to get the ledger.”

“It is the only way to save him, and everyone else.”

I looked at my father, his face illuminated by the pulsing red emergency light.

“I love you, Emily,” he said, giving me a brave, fragile smile.

“Go.”

Charles pulled me toward the small metal grate near the floor.

The guard fired two more shots, the deafening cracks echoing in the small room.

I fell to my knees, tears blurring my vision as I reached for the screws on the metal vent.

They were already loose, rusted by years of condensation.

I pulled the grate away, revealing a dark, dusty tunnel that smelled of old lint and cold concrete.

Behind us, the metal cabinet gave way with a screeching crash.

The door burst open, and a flashbang grenade bounced across the linoleum floor.

“Get down!” Charles yelled, throwing his body over mine.

A blinding light and a deafening blast shattered the darkness.

My ears rang violently, and the world seemed to spin in slow motion.