Chapter 11 - TWENTY STORIES UP
Wind tore through the unfinished building.
Maya stood inches from the edge.
Robert’s arm locked around her throat.
His gun pressed against her ribs.
Colleen raised both hands.
“Robert.”
“Stay back.”
“You want me?”
“I want all of you gone.”
“You can’t walk out of here.”
Robert laughed.
“You still don’t understand power.”
Sirens screamed below.
Police filled the stairwell.
Ethan’s live stream continued from outside.
Thousands of people were watching.
Jessica pushed past an officer.
“Robert!”
He looked at her.
“You.”
Jessica stepped slowly onto the concrete floor.
“You always said I was weak.”
“Go home.”
“You don’t have a home anymore.”
Robert’s face tightened.
“The board suspended you an hour ago.”
He stared.
“My lawyers froze the company accounts.”
“Shut up.”
“And your charity foundation is under federal investigation.”
“SHUT UP!”
His gun shifted.
Colleen saw it.
So did Maya.
Maya slammed her heel onto Robert’s foot.
He cursed.
Colleen charged.
Robert fired.
The bullet hit concrete.
Colleen crashed into him.
Maya fell sideways.
Jessica grabbed her.
Robert and Colleen hit the floor.
The gun skidded away.
Robert punched Colleen across the mouth.
She drove her knee into his stomach.
He rolled.
Got up.
And ran toward the gun.
Colleen lunged.
Too late.
Robert grabbed it.
Turned.
A gunshot exploded.
Colleen froze.
Robert looked down.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
A police officer stood ten feet away with his weapon raised.
“DROP IT!”
Robert looked at the blood.
Then at everyone around him.
Something inside him broke.
He backed toward the edge.
Jessica whispered, “Robert.”
He laughed.
“You think this ends because you tell a sad story?”
Jessica stared at him.
“No.”
“It ends because I stopped being afraid of you.”
Robert’s smile vanished.
He dropped the gun.
Police rushed forward.
They dragged him away from the edge and handcuffed him.
For the first time, Robert Langford was powerless.
Colleen hugged Maya so tightly her sister complained she couldn’t breathe.
Then Colleen noticed Ethan standing near the stairs.
His expression wasn’t relieved.
“Colleen.”
“What?”
“There’s something you need to see.”
He showed her his phone.
During Robert’s arrest, federal agents had raided Langford corporate headquarters.
They found a hidden accounting system.
A list of payments.
Judges.
Police officials.
Hotel employees.
Politicians.
Then Colleen saw one familiar name.
Walter Pierce.
The Grand Plaza manager.
Beside his name was a payment made the morning before the penthouse attack.
$250,000.
And the memo line read:
HAYES — DELIVERY CONFIRMED.
Colleen stared at it.
“The hotel wasn’t an accident.”
Ethan shook his head.
May you like
“No.”
“Someone made sure you heard that scream.”
