Chapter 4 - The Mother's Greed
I remained perfectly still in the dark study, clutching the forged insurance policy against my chest.
Carol’s footsteps moved slowly from the foyer toward the base of the staircase.
She sounded entirely too calm for a woman whose flight had just been ruined.
"Jack told me you blocked his credit cards," Carol called out, her voice echoing up the high ceiling.
"You really think throwing a little temper tantrum is going to stop what is already in motion?" she taunted.
I quickly placed the fake passports and the insurance documents inside my leather jacket.
I carefully closed the floor safe and pushed the heavy Persian rug back into place.
I crept silently out of the study and looked down over the wooden banister.
Carol was standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding a suppressed handgun completely casually by her side.
My sweet, cookie-baking mother-in-law was holding a professional assassin's weapon.
"Do not make this harder than it has to be, dear," Carol sighed dramatically.
"You have always been such a dramatic, stubborn girl."
I slowly stepped out of the shadows and stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at her.
"When did you decide I needed to die, Carol?" I asked her with a perfectly flat voice.
Carol looked up at me, pointing the dark barrel of the gun directly at my chest.
"I decided you had to go the day you refused to give Jack complete control over your personal savings," she answered smoothly.
"A good wife submits to her husband, but you always insisted on being fiercely independent."
I walked slowly down the first three steps, keeping my hands clearly visible.
"So you arranged for him to meet Chloe?" I asked, keeping her talking to buy myself time.
Carol laughed, a dry, evil sound that chilled me to the bone.
"Chloe is not just some random romantic affair," Carol explained proudly.
"She works for the syndicate that Jack owes a massive amount of money to."
"They demanded blood or money, and your life insurance policy generously provides both."
I took another step down, calculating the exact distance between us.
"You are going to shoot your own daughter-in-law inside your son's house?" I challenged her.
"Oh, I am not going to shoot you," Carol smiled wickedly.
"I am just here to keep you contained until the syndicate's clean-up crew arrives."
"They are going to make it look like a tragic home invasion gone terribly wrong."
Carol checked her expensive gold wristwatch with her free hand.
"They should be pulling into the driveway in exactly two minutes," she added.
I stopped moving, staring directly into the eyes of the monster who raised my husband.
"You made one massive mistake tonight, Carol," I whispered softly.
Carol raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"And what exactly is my mistake, Megan?" she mocked me.
"You assumed I was trapped in here with you," I replied.
I reached into my pocket and pressed the remote detonation button for the flashbang grenade I had placed in the hallway chandelier years ago.
A blinding flash of white light exploded violently above her head.
A deafening crack shattered the silence of the quiet house.
Carol screamed in pure agony, dropping the heavy gun to clutch her burning eyes.
I leaped over the remaining stairs, landing gracefully on the hardwood floor.
I kicked the dropped weapon violently across the room, sending it sliding under the sofa.
I grabbed Carol by her expensive pearl necklace and slammed her firmly against the wall.
"The crew you called is not going to find me here," I whispered directly into her ear.
"But they are going to be extremely disappointed to find you empty-handed."
May you like
I let go of her completely and sprinted toward the back door of the kitchen.
I burst out into the backyard just as three black SUVs aggressively swerved into my driveway.
