Chapter 5 - THE BOMB UNDER THE BALLROOM
The world narrowed to four minutes.
Tessa's mind became numbers.
Distance.
Weight.
Pressure.
Structural integrity.
“Where is it?” she demanded.
Adrian pointed upward.
“South support column.”
Tessa immediately ran.
Damon followed.
Clara shouted behind them.
“Wait!”
They ignored her.
Tessa reached the ballroom.
The evacuated room looked different now.
Every decorative column suddenly appeared suspicious.
She counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
“There.”
Damon looked.
“What?”
“The column.”
“It looks normal.”
“It isn't.”
Tessa ran her hand along the marble.
A faint vibration traveled through it.
“Someone altered the support.”
Adrian appeared behind them.
“Can you disarm it?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I can stabilize the building.”
Damon understood.
“You're going to redistribute the load.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Open the north service supports.”
Adrian stared.
“That could damage the entire east wing.”
“It won't collapse if the pressure transfers evenly.”
“You're guessing.”
Tessa glared at him.
“I designed the renovation.”
Adrian smiled.
“Then prove it.”
She ran.
Damon followed.
They reached the mechanical room.
Tessa shouted instructions.
“Shut down the ballroom ventilation.”
Damon did.
“Open the secondary load channels.”
Adrian hesitated.
“Now!”
He pulled the lever.
The building groaned.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Tessa watched the pressure readings.
“Come on.”
Nothing.
Then—
A deep metallic sound.
The structure shifted.
Tessa held her breath.
The bomb timer continued.
01:12.
01:11.
Damon grabbed her shoulders.
“Tessa.”
“Don't distract me.”
“I'm not.”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“I'm telling you I trust you.”
Something inside her cracked.
Not weakness.
Something warmer.
The timer reached forty seconds.
Tessa suddenly saw it.
The missing load path.
“Damon!”
“What?”
“Get everyone outside.”
“There's nobody left.”
“Security team.”
He ran.
Tessa climbed onto the maintenance platform.
Adrian followed.
“You're going to do something reckless.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She smiled despite herself.
They reached the bomb casing.
Adrian looked at the wires.
“This isn't military.”
“No.”
“It’s industrial.”
“Which means?”
“Whoever built it wanted the building damaged, not everyone killed.”
Tessa froze.
“What?”
Adrian pointed.
“The blast is directional.”
“So?”
“They want the foundation exposed.”
Tessa looked at him.
“Why?”
Adrian's expression darkened.
“The vault.”
A countdown beep sounded.
Twenty seconds.
Adrian cut one wire.
Nothing.
Tessa cut another.
The timer stopped.
Silence.
They both exhaled.
Then the building shook violently.
A wall cracked.
Tessa lost her footing.
Adrian caught her.
Damon appeared.
“Tessa!”
She looked up.
“I’m okay.”
Damon reached them.
His face was furious.
“You could have died.”
“But I didn't.”
“That isn't good enough.”
Adrian stepped back.
Damon stared at him.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew they wanted the vault.”
“Yes.”
“You could have warned me.”
“I did.”
“You threatened me.”
“I needed you to believe me.”
Damon moved toward him.
Adrian didn't retreat.
“You let me believe you were dead.”
Adrian's expression finally broke.
“You let me believe you wanted me dead.”
Silence.
Tessa looked between the brothers.
Something much deeper than business was buried here.
Clara approached.
“There's one more problem.”
Damon turned.
“What?”
She held up the ledger.
“Someone took the final page.”
Tessa frowned.
“Who?”
Clara looked at Damon.
“Your chief executive.”
Damon's face changed.
“Richard?”
“Yes.”
Richard Kane.
Damon's most trusted executive.
The man who had worked beside him for twelve years.
The man who had helped build Vale Holdings.
The man who had given a speech tonight praising Damon as “the most ethical businessman in America.”
Damon pulled out his phone.
Richard answered immediately.
“Damon?”
“Where are you?”
“At the hotel.”
“Which part?”
A pause.
“Main lobby.”
Damon looked at Tessa.
She shook her head.
“No.”
He covered the phone.
“What?”
“The lobby is empty.”
Damon looked through the glass.
She was right.
Nobody stood there.
Then Richard spoke through the phone.
“Damon, you should have stayed away from the vault.”
The call ended.
A second later, every screen in the hotel turned on.
Richard appeared on them.
Behind him was a live feed of the ballroom.
He smiled.
“You've always been predictable.”
Damon stared at the screen.
Richard continued.
“And now you've brought me the one person capable of destroying everything.”
His eyes moved toward Tessa.
“Thank you, Ms. Monroe.”
Tessa's stomach dropped.
May you like
Richard smiled.
“Now let's talk about your father.”
