Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN IN CHAINS
Bella showed William the message. He wanted to go in her place. Bella pointed out that the collector had asked for her because the cabinet had opened at her touch.
“Then we go together,” William said.
They went with a plan. William carried the key. Bella carried a copy made by the estate locksmith. Neither knew whether the collector could tell the difference.
The old courthouse had been empty for forty years. They found Lilith in the basement, chained inside the white stone circle from the photo. The collector stood beside her.
“You brought him,” he said to Bella.
“You brought her.”
“She was meant to guard the Norman binding. Instead, she helped William steal from the vault.” He held out his hand. “The key.”
William tossed him the copy. The collector caught it and smiled.
“It’s a good copy,” he said. “Put the real one on the floor.”
Bella’s fingers closed around William’s arm. He laid the key down.
Lilith stared at Bella. “Why would you come for me?”
“Because you came back for us at the diner.”
“That was my choice.”
“So is this.”
The collector picked up the key and unlocked a small iron box at his feet. Bella felt a pull in her chest, as though the box had taken a breath meant for her.
Lilith shouted, “Close it!”
William slammed the lid. The courthouse shook. Chains dropped from Lilith’s wrists, and the collector stumbled backward, his hand burned.
Lilith stepped out of the circle and grabbed Bella.
“He wasn’t waiting for the key,” she said. “He was waiting for you to stand near that box.”
“What’s inside?” Bella asked.
May you like
“The rest of the contract.”
The collector rose, cradling his injured hand. “Ask her whose name is written on it.”
