Chapter 14 - THE LAST LIE
Evelyn opened her eyes.
Pain burned across her shoulder.
Marcus was above her.
“Stay with me.”
She looked down.
Blood.
But not enough to be fatal.
“The bullet grazed you,” he said.
Evelyn tried to sit.
“Victoria?”
Marcus looked toward the van.
Victoria lay on the ground.
Alive.
Detective Hart had shot her in the leg.
Police cuffed her.
Chloe stood several feet away.
Shaking.
Watching her mother scream at officers.
“You idiots!” Victoria yelled. “Do you know who I am?”
Hart looked down.
“Yes.”
She tightened the cuffs.
“That’s why this is satisfying.”
Chloe almost laughed.
Almost.
Evelyn stood with Marcus’s help.
Victoria saw her.
“You.”
Evelyn walked closer.
Victoria’s face twisted.
“You destroyed everything.”
Evelyn looked at the burning house.
“No.”
“You did.”
Victoria spat near her feet.
“Your father built an empire. Your mother nearly destroyed it. Michael nearly destroyed it.”
“And you killed them.”
Victoria smiled.
“You think you’re different?”
“Yes.”
The answer came instantly.
Victoria laughed.
“You’re a Cross.”
“I’m Evelyn.”
“You’ll protect the company.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“No.”
Victoria’s smile faded.
“You have shareholders.”
“I’ll tell them the truth.”
“You’ll lose billions.”
“Then I lose billions.”
“Thousands of employees—”
“Will not be blamed for crimes committed by rich people who thought consequences were for everyone else.”
Victoria stared at her.
For the first time, she looked frightened.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“You spent thirty years protecting a reputation.”
Victoria’s mouth tightened.
Evelyn continued.
“And tonight, you burned it yourself.”
Police pulled Victoria toward a cruiser.
Chloe stepped forward.
Victoria looked at her daughter.
“Chloe.”
Chloe said nothing.
“Sweetheart, listen to me.”
“No.”
“Everything I did—”
“Don’t.”
Victoria’s face cracked.
“I did it for you.”
Chloe looked at her mother with disgust.
“No.”
Tears ran down her cheeks.
“You did it because you wanted to feel important.”
Victoria stared.
“You wanted control.”
“Chloe—”
“You wanted everyone afraid of losing what you could give them.”
Her voice shook.
“That isn’t love.”
Victoria stopped speaking.
Police put her into the cruiser.
The door slammed.
Chloe watched it drive away.
Evelyn stood beside her.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Then Hart’s radio crackled.
She listened.
Her face changed again.
Evelyn noticed.
“What now?”
Hart walked over.
“Daniel escaped transport.”
Evelyn stared.
“What?”
“The police vehicle transporting him was hit at an intersection.”
Marcus swore.
“By who?”
“Unknown vehicle.”
Chloe looked at Evelyn.
“He’s coming here.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
“How do you know?”
Evelyn looked at the ledger box.
“He doesn’t care about Victoria.”
Marcus frowned.
“He cares about the evidence.”
“Yes.”
Hart immediately ordered a perimeter.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Evelyn gripped the box.
Daniel had lost his money.
His reputation.
His future.
His freedom.
There was only one thing left for him to lose.
Control.
And men like Daniel were most dangerous when they finally understood they had none.
A branch snapped in the darkness behind them.
Marcus turned.
Too late.
Daniel stepped from the trees.
Blood covered one side of his face.
He grabbed Chloe.
May you like
And pressed a knife against her throat.
“Everybody back.”
