Chapter 10 - Blood and Rain
The dawn rain beat down mercilessly against the gravel outside as Marcus hauled Julian’s lifeless weight through the splintered conservatory door. Eleanor followed two paces behind, keeping the shotgun leveled at his spine while Clara leaned against the kitchen counter, clutching a damp cloth to her trembling mouth.
“Put him in the trunk,” Eleanor commanded, her voice cutting through the drumming downpour.
Marcus complied, slamming the heavy lid shut with a dull thud. Rain soaked through his jacket, mingling with the blood dripping from his temple. He turned back toward Eleanor, shivering from shock and the biting wind. “What now?”
“You take the highway north,” Eleanor said calmly. “You drive to his secondary estate in the mountains. You leave the car in the ravine, exactly where you staged the other girl’s disappearance two years ago. The flash drive Clara has contains the GPS coordinates and your signatures on the off-shore accounts.”
Marcus’s face went completely bloodless. “If I go to the police—”
“You won’t,” Eleanor cut him off. “Because the moment you do, that drive is delivered directly to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not the local sheriff. You vanish, Marcus. Or you hang alongside his ghost.”
May you like
Marcus stared at her for three long seconds, swallowed hard, and climbed into the driver’s seat. The tires spun on the wet gravel before catching traction, speeding away into the gray morning mist.
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