The door swung open.
Victoria's hand tightened around the pepper spray. Nathaniel positioned himself between her and the doorway, his body a shield.
The figure that stepped into the basement was not Diana.
He was tall, thin, wearing a dark jacket and jeans. His face was ordinary—the kind of face you'd pass on the street and forget immediately. But his eyes were not ordinary. They were cold, flat, assessing.
Cole Vinson.
Nathaniel recognized him first. "You were at Richard's funeral."
"I was at a lot of places." Vinson closed the door behind him. He didn't lock it. He didn't need to. "You're hard to find, Mr. Cross."
"I wasn't hiding."
"Yes, you were. And you're not very good at it." Vinson looked at Victoria. "Ms. Hart. I've heard a lot about you."
"All bad, I hope."
"All interesting." He took a step forward. Nathaniel moved to block him.
"Stop right there."
Vinson stopped. He held up his hands, palms out. "I'm not here to hurt you. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already."
"Then why are you here?"
"To talk."
Victoria stepped out from behind Nathaniel. She kept the pepper spray in her hand, hidden in the folds of her jacket. "Talk about what?"
Vinson looked at the laptop on the table. The external drive in Victoria's pocket. The files scattered across the screen.
"About what you think you know," he said. "And about what you're going to do with it."
---
Nathaniel didn't move. His eyes stayed locked on Vinson.
"You work for Marcus Webb," Nathaniel said.
"I work for myself."
"You're his fixer."
"I'm a consultant." Vinson pulled out a chair and sat down, uninvited. He crossed his legs, relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world. "Webb pays me to solve problems. You're a problem. Ms. Hart is a problem. The files on that laptop are a problem."
"So Webb sent you to kill us."
"I told you. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Vinson gestured to the basement. "Instead, I'm sitting in a basement in Alexandria, having a conversation I'd rather not be having."
"Then leave," Victoria said.
"I can't. Because if I leave, someone else will come. And that someone won't want to talk."
Nathaniel's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"
"I want you to listen." Vinson leaned forward. His cold eyes moved between them. "Webb knows about the files. He's known for weeks. The only reason you're still breathing is that he doesn't know what's on them."
"How is that possible?"
"Because Richard was careful. He didn't tell anyone what he had. Not even Webb. Not even me." Vinson's lip curled. "The old bastard took his secrets to the grave."
"Then how do you know about the files?"
"Because I found the key to the storage unit. The one you two found first." He looked at Nathaniel. "You're faster than I expected. That's annoying."
Victoria felt a chill run down her spine. "You've been following us."
"Not following. Anticipating. There's a difference." Vinson stood up. He walked to the table and looked at the laptop screen. "You have something I want. The list. The transactions. The video."
"Why would we give it to you?"
"Because I'm the only one who can keep you alive."
Nathaniel stepped between Vinson and the table. "You work for Webb. You just said you solve his problems."
"I said Webb pays me. I didn't say I was loyal to him." Vinson's eyes flickered. Something shifted in his expression—a crack in the mask. "I've been looking for a way out for three years. Webb doesn't let people leave. Not alive. But if I bring him the files, if I convince him they're destroyed... he might let me go."
"And us?"
Vinson shrugged. "You're not his target. Webb doesn't care about you. He cares about the list. The names. If those names stay hidden, he wins. If they come out, he loses everything."
"So you want us to destroy the evidence," Victoria said.
"I want you to give it to me. What I do with it after that is my problem."
"No."
Vinson turned to her. "No?"
"No. We're not giving you anything. Not until we know who killed Richard Chan."
Vinson's eyes narrowed. "Richard died of a heart attack."
"Richard was murdered. And so was Nora Vance."
For a split second, something crossed Vinson's face. Surprise? Respect? Victoria couldn't tell.
"You've done your homework," he said.
"We've done more than that."
Vinson was quiet for a long moment. Then he sat down again.
"Nora Vance was Webb's niece," he said.
Victoria stared at him. "What?"
"Nora was Webb's sister's daughter. She was planted at Meridian to keep an eye on Richard. The affair wasn't an accident. It was an assignment."
"Webb ordered his niece to seduce Richard?"
"Webb ordered his niece to get close to him. What happened after that..." Vinson shrugged. "She made choices. Bad ones."
"She fell in love with him."
"Maybe. Or maybe she saw a way out. Richard was wealthy. He could have protected her. But Webb found out. And Webb doesn't tolerate betrayal."
"From his own niece?"
"Especially from his own niece." Vinson's voice was flat. "She was a liability. So he eliminated her. Made it look like an accident. Richard knew what happened. That's why he started keeping secrets. That's why he hid the files."
"And Richard?"
"Richard was a loose end. Webb had him killed. The heart attack wasn't natural. It was a drug—one that doesn't show up in standard tox screens. I helped arrange it."
Nathaniel lunged.
Vinson was faster. He sidestepped, caught Nathaniel's arm, and twisted. Nathaniel hit the floor hard.
"Don't," Vinson said calmly. "I'm being honest with you. That's more than anyone else has done."
Victoria knelt beside Nathaniel. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, but his face was white with rage.
Vinson stepped back. "I didn't have to tell you any of this. I could have taken the files and left. But I'm trying to earn your trust."
"You're not going to get it."
"I don't need your trust. I need your cooperation." Vinson looked at Victoria. "Webb is going to destroy Meridian Group. He's already started. By the time this is over, Nathaniel Cross will have nothing. No company. No money. No reputation. The only question is whether he'll be alive to see it."
"Then help us stop him."
"I can't. But I can help you run."
Victoria stood up. She faced Vinson, her chin raised.
"We're not running."
"Then you're going to die."
"Maybe. But we're taking Webb down with us."
Vinson studied her for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly.
"Fine," he said. "I'll tell Webb the files are destroyed. That gives you seventy-two hours. After that, he'll send someone else. Someone who won't talk."
He walked to the door.
"Wait," Victoria said.
Vinson turned.
"Why are you really helping us?"
He looked at her. For a moment, his cold mask slipped.
"Because Nora was my niece too," he said. "And Webb killed her."
He walked out. The door closed behind him.