"Cancel it. Today," my mother demanded, her voice flat, devoid of any room for negotiation.

"I don't know! I swear to God, I don't know!" I sobbed, tears streaming down my face as the cold steel of the pistol pressed harder against my throat.

The intruder stared at me, searching my face for any sign of deception. He could see the genuine terror in my eyes, the absolute shock of realization. Slowly, he lowered the gun an inch, though his grip on my shoulder didn't loosen.

"Your father is a very careful man," the man sneered. "He wouldn't leave four million dollars in offshore accounts without a physical cold-storage wallet. And he keeps his most valuable assets where he can watch them."

"He... he has a safe," I choked out, gasping for air. "In the basement. Behind the old wine rack."

The man grunted, signaling to his injured partner who was just recovering his footing. "Check it. If she's lying, burn the house down with them inside."

As the two men dragged me toward the basement door, I glanced over at Mark. He was beginning to stir, groaning softly as the taser's voltage wore off. I prayed silently that he would stay down, that he wouldn't try to play hero and get himself killed before we could find a way out.

The basement stairs were steep, dark, and smelled of damp earth and old wine. The intruder shoved me down the final three steps, sending me crashing to the concrete floor. I scraped my knees, but adrenaline dulled the pain.

"Show me," he barked, jabbing the gun at my spine.

I stumbled toward the far corner of the basement, where rows of empty wine racks stood against the cold stone foundation. My father hadn't stored wine down here in years; he used it as a makeshift workshop for his electronic hobbies. I pushed aside a shelf laden with old tools and dust-covered boxes. Behind it was a heavy steel keypad embedded directly into the concrete wall.

"The code," the man demanded.

"I don't know it!" I cried. "I've never even seen this before today!"

"Then you've outlived your usefulness," he whispered, raising the butt of his pistol to strike me.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the top of the basement stairs, followed by a frantic shout.