Chapter 9
The heavy steel door of the county holding cell slammed shut with a metallic echo that vibrated straight through Elena’s bones. She sat on the thin, scratchy mattress of the cot, staring at the gray cinderblock wall opposite her. The illusion of glamour she had worn like armor for years had been stripped away, leaving her wearing a standard-issue orange jumpsuit and trembling from exhaustion and fear.
She wasn't just afraid of prison time. She was terrified of the men who had financed her descent into greed.
The small slot in the heavy metal door rattled, and a correctional officer’s voice cut through the silence. “Vance. Visitor in Booth Three. You have ten minutes.”
Elena swallowed hard, her legs feeling like lead as she stood up and walked toward the designated visitation area. She sat down on the bolted metal stool and picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver. On the other side of the thick plexiglass partition sat a man she had never met in person, wearing an expensive gray suit and sunglasses despite being indoors. It was an operative sent by her creditors.
“You made quite a mess of things, Elena,” the man said through the secure intercom. His voice was calm, measured, and entirely devoid of human empathy.
“I was framed,” Elena whispered fiercely, pressing her face close to the glass. “Robert knew what I was planning. He let me push the child so he could lock me out of the trust.”
“We don’t care about Robert Vance’s legal maneuvers,” the man replied coldly. “We care about our capital. You borrowed two million dollars under the explicit guarantee that you would control the estate within six months. That contract is now in default.”
“I can fix it,” Elena pleaded, panic rising in her chest. “Give me time. Once the divorce proceedings—aid me—I can—”
“You are finished, Elena,” the man interrupted, repeating the exact phrase Robert had used on the patio. “And because your failure has drawn unwanted law enforcement attention to our operations, you are now our primary liability. Enjoy your stay in this facility. You’ll find it’s much safer than what awaits you on the outside.”
May you like
The man hung up the receiver, stood up without another glance, and walked out of the visitation room. Elena stared at the dead phone in her hand, the blood draining completely from her face as the horrifying realization set in: she had no allies left, and her enemies were closing in from every direction.
***
