Chapter 54 - The Swiss Connection
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The cargo plane was freezing, smelling of aviation fuel and wet livestock. We sat in the dark belly of the aircraft for fourteen hours, shivering under heavy wool blankets as we crossed the Atlantic Ocean beneath the radar of standard air traffic control.
When the heavy cargo doors finally opened, the biting, pristine air of the Swiss Alps flooded the hold. We had landed on a private, snow-covered airstrip just outside Zurich.
"Welcome to Switzerland," our smuggler pilot grunted, tossing me a bag containing three forged European passports and a set of keys to a rented SUV parked nearby. "Good luck. You're going to need it."
I handed him a thick stack of banded cash. We climbed into the SUV, turning the heater on full blast.
The drive into the mountains was treacherous, the winding roads slick with black ice. Audrey sat in the passenger seat, continually checking our six, while Nicolás stared out at the towering, snow-capped peaks in silent awe.
"The vault is located twenty miles ahead," Audrey said, consulting a topographic map. "There's no digital mapping of the entrance. It's built into the side of the mountain, hidden behind a false rock facade."
"What’s the plan once we get inside?" Nicolás asked, his voice tighter than usual.
"I go in alone," I stated firmly. "The biometrics are tied strictly to me. If I bring you two inside, the security grid will lock down the entire facility. You wait in the car with the engine running. If I am not back in exactly thirty minutes, you drive away and do not look back."
"Stop saying that," Nicolás snapped, sudden anger flaring in his eyes. "Stop telling us to leave you behind. We are in this together."
I looked at him in the rearview mirror. He wasn't a little boy anymore. He had seen the violence, the blood, and the cost of our survival. He was strong.
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"Thirty minutes, Nico," I said softly, yielding slightly. "That’s all I’m asking for."
The mountain road widened, revealing a massive, sheer cliff face of grey stone. Embedded seamlessly into the rock was a colossal set of steel blast doors. We had arrived at the Alpine Vault.
