The Last Inheritance

Chapter Four

The van pulled up in front of a run-down warehouse with a faded sign: “47th Street Storage.”

Lena walked in first, her two guys checking the dark corners. Inside, the place smelled like oil and rust. Metal crates were piled everywhere. A man stood waiting—gray-haired and scarred face. Elias recognized the voice from the call.

“You’re late, Kane,” the man said, tossing him a cheap phone. “Name’s Silas. The job’s simple. Tonight, you steal a data drive from Victor Dray’s tech company.”

Elias frowned and held the phone tighter. “Why me? What does this have to do with my past?”

Silas gave a crooked smile and leaned against a crate. “Your mom wasn’t just some regular woman. She worked with the Syndicate—cleaned up their dirty work. That scar on your arm? It’s not just a scar. It’s a tattoo, and it holds her secrets.”

Elias’s chest tightened. His mom, involved in crime? He touched the scar, suddenly seeing it in a new light.

Lena stepped closer, her leather jacket rustling. “Your mom hid memories in that tattoo. Only you can bring them out.”

She threw a knife, fast. Elias caught it without thinking, his reflex surprising even her crew. A sudden image flashed in his mind. He heard his mom’s voice, whispering a string of numbers. His heartbeat quickened.

Silas pointed to an old, rusty safe in the corner. “Go ahead, try it,” he said.

Elias knelt down, still holding the knife. In his mind, he heard his mom’s voice: three, eight, twelve. He turned the dial carefully. The lock clicked. He opened the safe. Inside were Syndicate files—papers filled with deals, names, and even links to Dray’s company.

Lena gave a low whistle. “You’ve got the touch, Kane.”

Just then, Elias’s phone buzzed. Mara’s name flashed on the screen. He picked up, his jaw tight. “What?”

Her voice was cold. “Say sorry to Trent, or I’ll ruin you in court.”

Elias’s hand clenched around the phone. “He broke my mom’s ring. Your family lies.”

“You’re bitter,” Mara shot back. “Apologize or this ends badly for you.”

Elias shook his head. “You can’t see the truth, Mara.”

He ended the call.

Lena handed him a hacking device, small and black. “Dray’s office is downtown. Steal the drive, and you’ll find out more about your mom.”

Elias nodded. His scar tingled again. Maybe he wasn’t just a janitor after all—maybe he had some of her skills too. But Dray’s building would be a challenge—there were cameras, guards, and plenty of ways to get caught. He stuffed the device into his pocket. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Mara sat in a fancy office with Carla. Trent and Vivian were still at the hospital, complaining about Elias.

“He’s vioent,” Carla said, eyes on her phone.

Mara stayed quiet, replaying Elias’s words: “Your family lies.”

She shook it off and turned her attention back to the tech summit.

Victor Dray’s deal meant everything to her.

Elias snuck into Dray’s tall glass building, packed with guards and cameras. Lena’s voice came through his earpiece, “Third floor, east office, be quick.” Her device blocked the cameras. He slipped past a guard with his heart racing.

In his mind, his mom’s voice whispered, walk soft my son, stay low. He moved quietly, like he’d done it before.

At the office door, a keypad glowed. His scar burned, and a memory flashed—six, two, nine. He typed it in. The door clicked open. Inside, he spotted the silver drive in a drawer and grabbed it. Suddenly, boots echoed nearby. Elias dove under the desk, holding still. The guard walked past.

Back at the safehouse, Elias handed Silas the drive. Lena plugged it in, files flashed on a laptop, in it was Syndicate plans, Dray’s deals, a note about a “marked heir.” Elias’s scar tingled.

“That’s you,” Lena said. “Your mom marked you to carry on.” Elias’s chest tightened. He wasn’t nobody.

Mara’s office phone rang. Carla picked up, then turned to her, looking shaken. “Elias broke into Dray’s company,” she said quietly. Mara’s eyes widened. Elias? Stealing? 

Back at the warehouse, Silas clapped Elias on the back. “You did good. Your mom would be proud.” Elias stared at the screen, quietly observing the names and deals all blurring together. His mom had been deep in the Syndicate—and now, he was part of it too. The lies, the threats, the deals and power. He was finally starting to understand who he really was.