Chapter 14 - Selene's Choice

Julian looked almost pleased.

"See?" he said. "Told you."

Selene's gun shook in both hands.

"Put yours down, Julian."

His smile faded.

"Don't be stupid."

"I said put it down."

I stared at her. "Did you hire the shooter?"

"No," she said. Julian scoffed.

"Then who?"

Selene pointed the gun at Richard.

"Him."

Richard went pale. "She's insane."

"You paid a private security contractor through Saint James Consulting," Selene said. "Same company Julian used for the brake job. You wanted Elena dead because if she cooperated, Arden Capital would discover the fake vendor network."

Richard shouted, "This is absurd!"

I kept my voice steady. "How do you know?"

Selene looked at me.

"Because I handled the invoices."

There it was: not innocence, but fear. She had helped build Julian's world.

"You counted the lashes," I said.

Her face folded.

"I know."

"You don't get to cry now."

"I know."

Julian raised his gun toward Selene.

Everything happened at once.

Selene fired.

Julian fired.

I dropped.

Richard screamed.

A bullet killed the work light, darkening half the warehouse.

Agents poured through the side doors.

"FEDERAL AGENTS! DROP THE WEAPON!"

Another shot cracked.

Then silence.

I stayed flat on the concrete, ears ringing.

"Elena!" Daniel shouted.

"I'm here!"

Julian was down, clutching his shoulder. His gun lay six feet away.

Selene sat against a metal pillar, staring at blood spreading across her sleeve.

Richard was still tied to the chair, sobbing.

Daniel reached me.

"Hit?"

"No."

He exhaled.

Agents cuffed Julian.

He looked at me from the floor, hatred burning through the pain.

"This isn't over."

I stood slowly.

"For you? It is."

Then an agent approached Richard with handcuffs.

Richard jerked back. "What are you doing? I'm a victim!"

The agent held up a phone.

"We recovered the contractor's payment authorization. It came from your personal office."

Richard stared at me.

And I finally understood why Julian had kept him alive.

He had brought me here to trade Richard for himself.

But there was one more surprise waiting.

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The agent turned to me.

"Mrs. Vale, we also recovered a transfer signed by your father."