Chapter 8

I looked him straight in the eye, my face completely calm, hiding the dark memory of my blood freezing into dark red ice while Ethan and Anna laughed on the porch. 

“When a disaster hits, Mr. Marcus,” I said quietly, “the cold isn’t the only thing that tries to kill you. Desperate people do desperate things when they are starving. I am simply making sure that our supplies remain safe swe can distribute them properly.” 

Marcus let out a deep breath, nodding solemnly. “Fair enough. If you’re paying cash, Apex Solutions will start clearing the site by six o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll have the structural engineers submit the blueprints to your email by midnight.” 

“Good,” I said, pulling a sleek leather checkbook from my bag. I signed my name across the bottom of a cashier’s draft and handed it to him. “Here is five million dollars as an advance for the equipment orders and labor crews. The remaining balance will be wired upon completion of each phase.” 

Marcus took the check, his fingers trembling slightly as he looked at the six zeroes printed on the paper. “We’ll get to work immediately, Miss Aria. You’ll have your fortress ready soon.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Marcus.” 

He tipped his hard hat to me, turned around, and walked back up the long concrete ramp, his heavy boots echoing into the distance until the heavy steel outer door slammed shut above.