“Congratulations on your win, Mr. Pearce,” the man says. He’s sitting in a chair in the shadows, so I can’t see his face.
But I can finally hear his voice unmodified, and I recognize it.
“Show your face, you coward.”
“Why? I’m sure by now you’ve figured out who I am.”
“I have. I want to look you in the eyes when I kill you.”
He laughs.
I scan the room. It seems like it’s just the two of us, but this man must have set the trap ages ago. He will have everything planned. I have to be careful and find the perfect timing.
“What do you want with me? Why set up this elaborate game?”
“You claim Liesel belongs to you, but she’s always belonged to me. Always.”
“And how did this game prove that?”
“We’ve been playing these games for years. She’s always required to win, always required to do as I say. This is the first time I told her to lose.”
“Why?” This isn’t just about Liesel. This is about so much more. It’s about that damn letter Liesel and I accidentally split in half when we were eighteen. This man seeks the treasure—he might have known about it from the moment he met Liesel. He might have been playing her all along.
But does he control her?
Or is she playing him like she so often plays me?
That’s a question for Liesel. This bastard needs to die.
“I guess I’ll just have to kill you without seeing the whites of your eyes. It makes no difference to me.” I goad him, giving him one last chance to step forward.
He doesn’t take the bait.
“I won’t be the one dying tonight,” he says.
I make my move.
I dart forward into the shadows, not sure what I’m going to find. He could be holding a gun aimed at my head for all I know, but I’ve faced worse. Liesel lost on purpose, so I would end up here. I’ve failed Liesel too many times; I won’t disappoint her again.
I go for his head, grabbing him by the neck. I squeeze and hold on with everything I have, tackling him to the ground and out of the shadows.
Waylon Brown.
The fucking bastard.
There is so much I don’t understand, but what I do know is that he’s a sick fucker who hurt Liesel and is using her to get the treasure.
I punch him in the eye before I feel a bullet hit my back.
A second bullet.
A third.
It doesn’t stop me from trying to strangle Waylon.
Now, it’s just a matter of time.
Will I lose consciousness and bleed to death, or will Waylon stop breathing first?
His face is red.
My body is strong.
I can kill him before I’m taken down.
I can.
I must…
25
Liesel
“Stop the car!” I yell.
The limo continues moving forward. I don’t think Maxwell can hear me, and I’m not going to wait to figure out how to find the button that connects me to the front of the limo.
I open my door and roll out, hitting the pavement hard in my dress and heels. I scramble to my feet quickly and start to run in Phoenix’s direction. I need to get to her before she realizes who’s coming for her. If she recognizes me, she’ll run away before I get a chance to talk to her.
Luckily, she’s facing the kids playing in the park. I can’t see the kids easily, but it’s not them I need to convince. Although, I’d love to get a closer look at the two young kids—bask in the traits that are Langston.
I don’t have time for that.
When I’m almost to Phoenix, I speak.
“It was a trap,” I say, not sure how many words I’ll be able to get out and choosing the most important ones first.
She turns and looks at me with wide eyes and a puzzled expression.
I huff and grab her arms, hoping I’m stronger than her or the skills Langston taught me as a kid will be good enough to force her to listen to me. The only problem is Langston has probably taught her the same tricks.
“Get off of me,” she tries to shake me off her arm, but I don’t let go.
“Listen to me. I’m trying to help you.”
“Help? You don’t know the meaning of the word. Langston will be here soon, and he’ll kidnap you and drag you back to the island. Or better yet, kill you.”
“No, he won’t. I set him up. It was a trap. He might escape, but it won’t be anytime soon, and while he’s gone…” I nod in the direction of the kids.
“The kids are in danger,” Phoenix finishes my sentence with a gasp.
“Go, get them out of here. Somewhere safe,” I say.
She turns, and I think she’s heard me and is going to go protect her kids when she suddenly turns back. Her hand flies up, slapping me hard across the cheek.
I feel the sting all the way through my body. I deserve it. I deserve so much more. I didn’t believe the kids were real. I thought it was all a lie. But now I know, and I would never put children in danger for my own benefit.
I don’t know if it would have changed what I did. I had to do it, but I would have ensured the kids were safe, that Phoenix was safe.
Phoenix gives me a smug smirk, and then she runs toward her kids, yelling at them to get in their car.
Satisfied that Phoenix will keep the kids safe, I run back to the limo. Maxwell is now out of the limo and walking toward me.
“What the hell? You could have been seriously hurt,” he says.
“Drive me to Teterboro airport,” I say, marching to the car.
“What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter. Just drive me to the airport.”
He shakes his head. “Not until you tell me what’s going on. My job is to protect you; I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s happening.”
I don’t trust him. There is no way I’m telling him
