Chapter 33 - The Heist
At exactly 2:00 a.m., the downtown financial district was a ghost town, shrouded in a thick, oppressive coastal fog that rolled off the Savannah River.
The abandoned Vale & Vance headquarters towered ominously into the dark sky. A massive, rusted chain-link fence surrounded the perimeter. Mateo’s elite security operatives disabled the electronic locks on the rear service gate in less than thirty seconds, moving with terrifying, silent precision.
Vanessa, Mateo, and I slipped through the open gate, dressed entirely in dark clothing, carrying heavy-duty flashlights and a specialized masonry chisel. My heart pounded so loudly in my ears I was certain the security patrols could hear it.
We navigated the overgrown, weed-choked courtyard and approached the grand front entrance of the building. To the right of the massive, boarded-up glass doors was a large, polished granite cornerstone. Engraved deeply into the stone were the words: Vale & Vance - Established 1984.
"This is it," Mateo whispered, tracing the edges of the heavy granite block with his gloved fingers. "The mortar around this specific block is a slightly different color than the rest of the wall. It has been removed and resealed recently."
Mateo took the heavy chisel and a rubber mallet. With expert, muffled strikes, he began chipping away the brittle, degraded mortar. Vanessa and I stood guard, nervously scanning the foggy street for any sign of patrol cars.
After ten agonizing minutes of chipping, the granite block shifted. Mateo wedged a small pry bar into the gap, and with a heavy grunt of exertion, he pulled the heavy stone slab forward, resting it gently on the concrete walkway.
Behind the stone was a dark, hollow cavity.
I reached my hand blindly into the dark, dusty hole. My fingers brushed against cold, hard metal. I grabbed the handle and pulled it out. It was a heavy, waterproof, biometric steel lockbox.
"We got it," I breathed, profound relief washing over me.
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"We need to leave, now," Vanessa urged, checking her watch.
But as we turned to walk back toward the rear service gate, the blinding, high-intensity beams of three tactical flashlights suddenly illuminated us, cutting through the dense fog like laser beams.
