The blinding glare of the headlights cut through the salty Lagos mist like physical blades. I shielded my eyes, my heart hammering against my ribs, but my "voice like iron" didn't waver.
"Alexandra, stay down!" I roared over my shoulder, hoping she could hear me from the SUV.
The mysterious woman with the silver key didn't even flinch. She stood her ground, her shadow stretching long and thin across the cracked concrete of Pier 7. "They're early," she muttered, her raspy voice completely calm. "Greed always makes men impatient."
Three black sedans had boxed us in. The doors stayed open, and a dozen men in tactical gear stepped out. These weren't Okoro's street thugs. These were professionals—private security from a high-level firm I recognized all too well: Vanguard Solutions.
"Xavier Vane," a voice boomed from the lead car. A man stepped into the light. He was tall, dressed in a sharp grey suit that looked out of place in the grimy shipyard. It was Director Miller—the one man who hadn't resigned in the boardroom earlier today. The one man who had stayed silent.
"Director Miller," I spat, stepping in front of the old woman to shield her. "I should have known. You weren't a follower; you were the one holding the leash."
"The Swiss vault was a clever trick, Xavier. Your grandfather was a paranoid old fool," Miller said, lighting a cigarette. The tip glowed like a dying star in the dark. "But we've tracked the real Vane assets to this exact coordinate. Give us the key, and perhaps the 'Ice Queen' makes it home tonight."
I felt a surge of cold fury. My hand went to the small, concealed transmitter in my cuff. One click, and my own security team would be scrambled, but they were ten minutes away. I needed to buy time.
"The key is useless to you, Miller," I said, stepping closer, my eyes locked on his. "The Vane inheritance isn't just a number in a ledger. It's tied to a biometric lock that only recognizes my bloodline. You kill me, and you bury the fortune forever."
Miller laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "Biometrics can be bypassed with a fresh sample, Xavier. I don't need you alive. I just need you... available."
He nodded to his men. They raised their weapons.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine drowned out the sound of the waves. My SUV didn't stay parked. Alexandra wasn't a woman who waited for a rescue. The black vehicle tore through the darkness, tires screaming as she drifted the heavy SUV directly between me and Miller's gunmen, creating a wall of reinforced steel.
The passenger door swung open. "Get in! Now!" Alexandra shouted.
I grabbed the old woman's arm and dove into the backseat just as the first round of bullets pinged off the armored glass. Alexandra floored it, the SUV fishtailing as we smashed through a stack of wooden crates and veered toward the exit of the docks.
"You're insane!" I yelled, reaching over the seat to grab the steering wheel as we narrowly missed a shipping container.
"I'm a majority shareholder protecting my investment," she countered, her knuckles white on the wheel. "Now, who is the woman, and why is she holding a key to my husband's life?"
The old woman looked at Alexandra, then at me. She let out a short, sharp laugh. "Your grandfather was right, Xavier. You found a queen who fights. Now, drive to the old oil refinery in Epe. The real vault is waiting, and it's time you saw what your family actually built."
I looked out the back window. Miller's headlights were already turning to follow us. The chase wasn't just for a fortune anymore—it was a race to the very heart of the Vane secret.