Patricia’s eyes drifted to her grandmother, wanting to say something but holding back. Her
grandmother’s hand tightened around the armrest. “We can’t let her die. That’s the least we can do as human beings.”
Kelly leaned in, her voice dropping. “What if we let her have an affair with someone else? Make it look like it was all her fault. Would that work?”
“That way, Theo gets out clean, and everyone sees him as the victim. The company’s stock will go up, and the board won’t come after him. Patricia is still part of our family, after all. We’re not going to mistreat her. We can keep her safe.”
The room fell silent. Grandma just pressed her lips together, saying nothing. But Kelly knew her well enough–no comment meant agreement. After all these years as her daughter–in–law, she could read her like a book.
The next morning, Patricia headed out for her rehab appointment, with Theo’s guys following close behind. Jackson kept speeding up, trying to lose them, but Patricia stopped him every time. “Don’t bother. It’s not worth it.”
Jackson muttered, “Bunch of damn watchdogs.”
They parked at the hospital. Patricia went straight to physical therapy. Afterward, Marian wheeled her toward the elevator. When the doors opened, two men were already inside, both in tracksuits, faces hidden by masks and baseball caps. Nothing seemed off.
Marian pushed Patricia’s wheelchair into the elevator and turned to face the doors.
Suddenly, the men whipped out cloths and pressed them over Marian and Patricia’s faces.
Down in the parking garage, Jackson waited by the car, glancing at his watch. They should have been back by now. He waited at the elevator for ten minutes, but there was no sign of them.
Something felt wrong. He grabbed his phone and dialed Patricia’s number.
It just rang and rang. No answer.
Somewhere in a dimly lit room, one of the kidnappers stared at Patricia. “Man, she’s really something. Whoever’s coming tonight is a lucky guy.”
His partner snorted. “You want a go or something?”
“Don’t you?”
“We’re just here to do a job, not get ourselves in trouble. Don’t be stupid.”
The first guy muttered, “You act like you’re some kind of genius criminal.”
“Just get her clothes off. When she’s undressed, bring the guy in. Then we’re out of here.”
He reached for Patricia’s collar.
Before he could touch her, a cold, black pistol was suddenly aimed right at his head. Patricia pushed herself up on the bed, steady and unafraid, her eyes cold and full of warning. The gun didn’t waver.
1/2
15:40
Chapter 36
“Step back,” she said, her voice low and sharp.
Both men froze. One slowly raised his hands and backed away.
“Who sent you?” Patricia demanded. “Call whoever told you to bring me here. Right now. Or else-”
She cocked the gun, the sound echoing in the room.
The man’s knees buckled. “Look, we got the job through a private number. We don’t even know if we can reach them.”
Patricia’s voice was icy. “So you’re saying I don’t have any reason to let you live?”
“No, no, please!” The other man, who’d been making jokes earlier, scrambled for his phone. “We’ll try. We’ll call.”
Patricia gave a single command. “Now.”
