“If it’s that valuable, it gives us a bargaining chip,” she said, lifting her chin. “And I’ll never give up what remaining leverage we have.”
We both jumped as loud knocks sounded on the door. “Ma’am?” John called. “It’s time for the reading of the will.”
“We’ll discuss the flash drive later. John and Simon are crooked. They recorded you on a hidden camera in your father’s study.”
Alexis gasped. “Those fucking creepy bastards!”
“Yes, but we don’t have time to deal with that now. We’ve got to play the grieving widow and daughter.” Pulling her close, I kissed her forehead. “We’ll figure this out. You’ve got your wholelife in front of you, and you’re going to live it so much differently than me. I promise.”
Releasing her, I steeled myself and opened the door.
Several minutes later, as Randy read the will, I kept my face expressionless as Alexis frowned beside me.
Once it was over, I addressed Randy.
“I’ll need a few weeks to get movers here,” I said, my tone firm and business-like. “And to find a new home.”
“Of course,” Randy said, fake sympathy plastered over his clammy face. “How about a month. That should give you both enough time, right?”
“Yes, that will be sufficient.” Rising, I extended my hand to Alexis. “Come, dear. We need to start packing.”
I led her upstairs and lifted my finger to my lips, gaining her acknowledgment that she would remain quiet now that we likely knew most rooms in the house were bugged.
When we entered her room, Alexis gasped. “Those fucking bastards! They trashed my room!”
I glanced around at the carelessness with which her bedroom had been tossed.
“Where is the flash drive?”
Alexis bit her thumbnail as the seriousness of the situation washed over her. “I hid it in a locker in Penn Station.”
Sighing, I lowered to her bed, pressing my fingers into the space underneath my eyebrows to ward of the impending headache.
“Okay, we’ve got to pivot. We’re not safe here, but I don’t want to alarm anyone, and if we leave, it’s going to be suspicious.”
Alexis gnawed her lip before asking, “What do we do?”
“Come on,” I said, rising and beckoning for her to follow me to my room. Once we were inside, I walked to the closet and opened the safe. Feeling around, I found the flap that liftedto reveal a false bottom. Pulling out the revolver, I opened the cylinder to confirm it was fully loaded before popping it back into place.
“You have a gun?” Alexis whispered, her eyes wide.
“Your grandfather gave it to me when I turned sixteen,” I said, placing it in the waist of my pants before taking her hand. “Come on.”
We walked into the hallway to find John approaching. “Ma’am, we need to ask Alexis some questions about some documents on Victor’s office computer—”
“My husband is barely in his grave, and we need to mourn,” I said, my voice firm although my insides were quaking with fear. “We’ll be spending the night in Victor’s room so we can mourn and share memories. Would you deny us this one night to grieve?”
John’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated, seeming torn between duty and not wanting to trample over Victor’s remaining family’s wishes.
“Fine,” he said, his voice emotionless. “Tomorrow, Simon and I need to meet with you both, but I’ll give you tonight to mourn. Please meet us in Victor’s study at ten a.m.”
“We will,” I said, dragging Alexis down the hallway before closing Victor’s bedroom door and locking it behind us. “I’ve bought us one night in the only room that probably isn’t bugged, so I need to think quickly.” Lifting my phone from my pocket, I called the man I knew I couldn’t trust, but who was my only option.
“Bianca,” Leo’s deep voice said on the other side of the line.
Closing my eyes, I held my hand to my throat and sealed my fate. “Alexis and I are in danger. Can you set up a meeting for me with Michael Caruso?”
Silence crackled as my pulse pounded underneath my palm.
