Chapter 5 - The Narrow Escape
"You wouldn't shoot me, Julian," Daniel said, his voice deadly calm, taking a slow step forward. "Because if you do, you'll never get the password to decrypt the digital backups of this ledger. You know father—he always kept a dual-key system."
Julian’s hand shook slightly. He knew Daniel was right. Their father was a master of administrative paranoia; a physical ledger was useless if the corresponding digital trusts were locked behind a rolling security key.
"What do you want, Daniel?" Julian hissed.
"A trade," Daniel proposed. "We walk out of here. I’ll meet you at the old docks tomorrow morning. I’ll bring the decryption key, and you bring the documents you threatened to use against Emily. We end this clean."
Julian stared at his younger brother, trying to find a bluff. Finally, he lowered the gun. "Tomorrow morning. 6 AM. If you're a minute late, or if I see a single police car, the package goes to the press and the DA."
Daniel and Emily slowly backed out of the basement, keeping their eyes on Julian until they reached their SUV. As they drove away from the ruins, Emily let out a breath she felt she had been holding for hours.
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"Do you actually have a decryption key, Daniel?" she asked, her hand trembling as she turned up the car’s heater.
"No," Daniel admitted, his eyes fixed on the dark, snowy road. "But I know someone who can help us make one."
