Chapter 28 - The Midnight Gala
"Explain," Luca demanded, his voice dangerously low.
"The vault was designed with a fail-safe," Arthur whispered. "It requires two physical keys turned simultaneously within thirty seconds, followed by the manual override from the Architect's original blueprint. If Victor went into Vault 777 alone, the airlock would seal permanently from the outside. I thought I was locking him in his own tomb."
"And instead?" I asked, dread creeping into every pore of my skin.
"Instead, Victor never went alone," Arthur said, looking at me with profound sorrow. "He fled to Europe with his son, Julian. And for thirty years, they gathered an army. Julian didn't come to St. Jude’s just to kill Luca. He was sent as a distraction."
Luca froze. "A distraction for what?"
"Tonight is the annual Mayor's Charity Gala at the Grand Horizon Hotel," Arthur said, his voice trembling. "The hotel was built directly over the primary access conduit to Vault 777. The entire elite of this city—the district attorney, the police commissioner, the heads of the Five Families—are in that ballroom tonight. If Victor Vance is alive, he isn't hiding in the shadows anymore. He's going to activate the black-box grid and bury the city alive with everyone inside it."
Luca checked his watch.
*11:15 PM.*
"Dominic!" Luca roared, turning toward the door.
The heavy steel door swung open instantly. "Boss?"
"Get the tuxedos. Call the inner assault unit. We have forty-five minutes to reach the Grand Horizon."
"Luca, you can't just storm the Mayor's Gala with an assault rifle," I said, catching his arm. "There are hundreds of civilian security, Secret Service, press cameras everywhere. You'll spark an open war in the streets!"
Luca looked down at the brass key *777* sitting in his palm, then at me. A dangerous, predatory smile crept across his lips—the smile of a man who had been pushed into a corner and decided to burn down the entire room.
"We aren't storming it as an assault squad, Clara," Luca said smoothly. "We received an invitation two weeks ago. The Moretti family holds two premier tables in the center of the ballroom. You and I are going to make our grand entrance as the newly announced rulers of the Gold Coast."
May you like
"And if Victor Vance is there?" I asked.
"Then I’m going to introduce him to my father’s son," Luca said, racking the slide of his pistol.
