Chapter 12 - GRANT’S LAST DEAL
Peter stared at Grant.
“How did you get out?”
Grant smiled.
“You’re not the only one who knows people.”
William’s face hardened.
“You bribed someone?”
Grant shrugged.
“Temporary mistake.”
Peter aimed his gun.
“You brought police.”
“No.”
Grant looked at me.
“She did.”
My skin crawled.
“How do you know?”
Grant tapped his ear.
“You think I didn’t know the police would wire her?”
Peter cursed.
He grabbed Sophie.
Grant raised his gun.
“Let the kid go.”
I stared at him.
For one insane second, Grant almost looked protective.
Peter laughed.
“Now you care?”
“I care about leverage.”
There it was.
Grant looked at me.
“Emma has the original card.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Peter said.
“She gave it to the police.”
Grant smiled.
“She gave them a copy.”
I froze.
He was guessing.
Or maybe not.
Mom had kept the original card.
I had given police a digital copy.
Peter’s eyes narrowed.
“Where is it?”
Grant looked at me.
“Diane has it.”
Peter smiled.
“Then we go get Diane.”
“No.”
Grant’s voice changed.
Peter noticed.
“So you do care about your wife.”
Grant laughed bitterly.
“Don’t be stupid.”
But I saw it.
Some part of him did.
Not enough.
Never enough.
But something.
Peter moved the gun toward Sophie.
Grant fired.
The shot exploded through the building.
Peter dropped.
Sophie screamed.
The second man grabbed her chair.
I lunged.
We collided.
The chair tipped.
Sophie slid across the concrete toward the unfinished edge.
“Sophie!”
I threw myself down.
My injured ankle twisted.
Pain exploded through my leg.
But I caught the back of her dress.
Half her body hung over six stories of darkness.
“Emma!”
“I’ve got you!”
The second man ran.
Gunshots erupted from the stairwell.
Police flooded the floor.
Grant turned his weapon toward Peter.
Peter was alive.
Bleeding.
Grant walked closer.
“You ruined everything.”
Ramirez shouted.
“Drop the gun!”
Grant didn’t.
Peter laughed weakly.
“You were always weak.”
Grant aimed at his head.
“Grant!”
I screamed.
He looked at me.
For one second, his eyes changed.
Then Sophie’s dress ripped.
She dropped another inch.
Grant threw his gun aside and ran.
He grabbed Sophie’s arm.
Together, we pulled her back onto the floor.
Police tackled Grant immediately.
Sophie clung to me.
Grant lay facedown in handcuffs.
He looked at us.
Then he started laughing.
I stared at him.
“What?”
He turned his head.
“You still don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
Peter groaned on the floor.
Grant smiled at him.
“Peter didn’t order your father killed.”
Peter’s face changed.
Grant continued.
“He was protecting someone.”
William slowly looked toward Peter.
“Who?”
Peter closed his eyes.
May you like
Grant smiled.
“Ask the man who started East Riverton.”
