Chapter 4 - The Ex-Husband Connection
Norah stared at the glowing phone screen, her entire body going completely numb.
Arthur had vanished eight months ago, leaving her to face the brutal debt collectors alone.
She had assumed he was dead, or hiding in a different country under a fake name.
She slowly walked over to Marcus's body and picked up the vibrating device.
Before she could press the answer button, Declan groaned and grabbed her ankle.
"Do not answer that phone," Declan warned, his voice barely a whisper.
Norah looked down at the bleeding crime boss, her heart hammering furiously against her ribs.
"My husband is calling the man who just tried to murder you," she said, her voice shaking with rage.
Declan let his head fall back against the floor, a grim, defeated expression crossing his pale face.
"Your husband did not just disappear, Norah," Declan confessed.
Norah felt the air leave the room as she demanded to know what he meant.
"Arthur owed Marcus three million dollars in gambling debts," Declan explained through shallow breaths.
"He sold your life to the syndicate to wipe his slate clean."
Norah stumbled backward, feeling a sickening wave of betrayal wash over her.
"He told Marcus about your medical background, knowing we needed a discrete cleaner," Declan continued.
She had not randomly found this job in the classifieds, she had been meticulously hunted.
"Marcus and Arthur planned this coup together," Declan said, coughing up a small speck of blood.
Arthur was supposed to use Norah's access to the estate to map the security routines.
She had unknowingly been the pawn in a massive, violent chess game to assassinate the king.
Norah stared at the phone as it finally stopped ringing, the screen fading to black.
She wanted to scream, but the sudden, piercing wail of the estate's security alarm cut through the silence.
Flashing red lights began to spin in the hallway, bathing the walls in a bloody glow.
"Marcus's men just realized their boss is dead," Declan stated, trying to push himself up.
The sound of heavy boots and shouting erupted from the ground floor.
May you like
"They are locking down the entire mansion," Declan warned.
Heavy steel shutters suddenly slammed down over every window in the hallway, sealing them inside a dark tomb.
