Chapter 4 - The Truth
I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle a scream of pure horror.
My private investigator, the only person who actually knew why I was here, was dead.
I slowly descended the concrete steps, my legs trembling violently.
As a trauma nurse, I was entirely accustomed to the sight of blood and death.
But this was completely different.
I knelt beside Julian's body, checking his carotid artery out of pure professional habit.
His skin was still warm, but there was absolutely no pulse.
I noticed his suit jacket was torn open, and his concealed weapon was missing.
Whoever killed him had taken his gun.
I stood up and used my phone's flashlight to illuminate the massive, cavernous wine cellar.
Row upon row of expensive vintage wines stretched into the darkness.
At the far end of the room, I spotted a wooden table covered in architectural blueprints.
I walked over to the table and shined my light on the papers.
They were highly detailed schematics of the Dre family estate.
But there were thick red circles drawn around specific structural support pillars.
Next to the blueprints was a heavy digital timer, currently counting down from twenty-two minutes.
The timer was connected to a thick bundle of wires disappearing into the walls.
The phrase from the anonymous letter instantly echoed in my mind.
Collateral losses within acceptable parameters.
This wasn't a hostage situation or a corporate assassination.
They were going to blow up the entire house with sixty innocent people locked inside.
I heard a faint, scraping noise coming from the darkest corner of the cellar.
I instantly turned off my flashlight, plunging myself back into the pitch black.
"I know you are down here, Serena," a voice echoed softly off the stone walls.
It was Arthur Dre, my wealthy and powerful father-in-law.
"Matthias always was a terrible liar, but he is incredibly obedient," Arthur chuckled coldly in the dark.
I backed away silently, keeping my hands protectively over my stomach.
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded into the darkness.
May you like
"Because that baby inside you completely ruins my legacy," Arthur replied, stepping into a sliver of moonlight filtering through an air vent.
He was holding Julian's stolen gun, and he was pointing it directly at me.
