Chapter 2 - The Ransacked Room
My blood ran completely cold at the mention of the Russian syndicate.
Nora drove me to a rundown motel on the outskirts of the city and paid for a room in cash.
She told me to lock the door, stay away from the windows, and wait for her to return with a new plan.
I sat on the edge of the cheap mattress and stared at the peeling wallpaper.
My entire life had been upended in less than twenty-four hours.
I was no longer a wealthy heiress attending glamorous ballroom parties.
I was a fugitive hiding from violent criminals because of my father's mistakes.
Suddenly, a loud knock echoed through the thin wooden door of my motel room.
I froze in place and held my breath.
The person on the other side knocked again, but this time they called out my name.
It was my older brother, Grant.
I slowly walked to the door and peered through the dirty peephole.
Grant was standing alone in the hallway, looking frantic and disheveled.
I unlocked the deadbolt and cautiously opened the door just a few inches.
Grant pushed his way inside and immediately locked the door behind him.
He begged me to call Nora and dissolve the protective trust before it was too late.
He said our father was going to be killed if I did not hand over the three million dollars.
I crossed my arms and told him that our father’s illegal debts were not my responsibility.
Grant’s face twisted into an ugly mask of pure rage.
He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently.
He screamed that I was a selfish brat who was going to get the entire family murdered.
I kneed him in the stomach and pushed him backward into the wall.
I grabbed my coat and ran out of the motel room before he could catch his breath.
I wandered the cold streets for hours, terrified of what my brother had become.
When the sun finally began to set, I decided it was safe to return to the motel.
I carefully approached my room and noticed that the door was slightly ajar.
I pushed the door open and gasped at the horrific sight in front of me.
My suitcases had been ripped apart, and all of my clothes were shredded into pieces.
The mattress had been slashed open with a large hunting knife.
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And resting perfectly in the center of the ruined bed was a handwritten note.
The note simply said that they knew I had the money, and they were coming to collect it tonight.
