Chapter 8 - THE CONFRONTATION
"Step away from the box, Adrian," Vanessa said. Her voice was trembling, but the gun remained steady.
I slowly stood up, keeping the box behind me.
"You won't shoot me," I said.
"Try me," she replied. "Marcus is upstairs. If I give him what he wants… he’ll let me live. He’ll give me money. A new life. That’s more than you ever gave me."
"You married me to betray me," I said. "You hurt my son. You destroyed everything because you were jealous of a dead woman."
Vanessa’s eyes flashed. "Emily had everything. She had you. She had a husband who loved her. A son who adored her. Money. Beauty. Respect. And what did I have? Nothing! She left me scraps! And then she had the audacity to leave everything to you and that boy!"
"She knew what you were," I said. "She knew you were dangerous."
Vanessa took a step forward, the gun rising.
"Give me the box, Adrian. Or I swear I’ll shoot."
I looked at the box in my hands. Then at Vanessa.
"Do you even know what’s inside?" I asked.
"Proof," she said. "Proof that sends Marcus to prison. Proof that destroys me. I have to burn it."
"And then what?" I asked. "He’ll take Caleb. He’ll disappear. And you’ll be left with nothing. He’ll destroy you, Vanessa. Just like he destroyed Emily. You know he will."
Vanessa hesitated. Her finger hovered over the trigger.
"He promised me," she whispered.
"He lies," I said. "He used you. From the very beginning. He made you think you were special. That you were his partner. But the moment he gets what he wants… you become a liability. Just like Emily did."
Vanessa wavered. I could see the doubt creeping into her eyes. The fear. The realization that she had made a terrible mistake.
But then Marcus’s voice came from the stairs.
"Vanessa? Is he here?"
Vanessa’s face hardened. She raised the gun.
"Last chance, Adrian."
"VANESSA!" Marcus shouted.
She turned her head toward the doorway.
In that split second, I lunged.
The gun went off.
The bullet slammed into the wall beside my head. Dust and plaster exploded into the air. I tackled her hard. We crashed to the floor. The gun skidded across the wooden floorboards.
Vanessa screamed, scrambling toward it. I grabbed her arm, holding her back. She fought like a wild thing, scratching, biting, screaming my name.
Marcus appeared in the doorway. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cold eyes. He looked at us, then at the box in my hands.
"Finally," he said. "Hand it over, Adrian. And perhaps I’ll let you live."
I stood up slowly, stepping back, keeping the box behind me.
"Emily was right about you," I said. "You are a monster."
"And you are a fool," Marcus replied, stepping into the room. "Give me the box. Or I take Caleb myself. I know where he is."
My blood ran cold. He knew.
"How?" I demanded.
May you like
Marcus smiled.
"Because Arthur called me."
