Clay Jenner walked in. "Brynn, is what he said true?"
"Hello, Lewis. All that work you had done couldn't hide your evil eyes." Martin counted on his profile being correct. Lewis James would want to kill him in front of Elizabeth, and then he'd want to kill her. Clay would let him live for the moment.
"Bailey, you’re pretty confident for someone chained to a chair."
"Let them have him, Clay. Let's go. We have enough money. We can just as easily produce movies in Taiwan as here." Brynn tugged on Jenner's arm.
Martin's stomach dropped. Money did not drive Clay. "Brynn..." Martin warned her.
“No!” she screamed as Jenner grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet before slamming her head into the concrete wall. Air left her lungs in a sickening sound. A slick of blood and brain matter followed her body to the floor.
Martin turned his head. "Damn it, she didn't have to die."
"Hhmph," Jenner said. "I give you credit, Bailey. You called it. She wanted to throw the bankroll in her daddy's face. Dumb bitch, she thought she was playing me. A good woman is one who stays on her knees or bent over the bed. Brynn was neither. Do you still call Elizabeth ‘Sunshine’? Now, Sunshine, she was a damn good woman."
Martin forced himself to stay quiet.
"Face it, Marty, I'm in a good place. Dead men tell no tales. Knox is dead. Locke is dead—he lost his guts after shooting your brother. Reed, Dufour, and Brynn are dead at your hands. Your pal Royce, or whatever his real name is, will be dealt with soon enough. Now that was a real shame. I was planning on keeping him around for my personal use."
Martin couldn't hold back. He pulled at his bonds in a flare of temper. “You son of a bitch!”
"Before I leave town, you will star in my most profitable film. The money from your agonizing death as Sunshine offers herself up to save your life will ensure a lot of silence."
"You can't be counting on my cooperation?" Martin raised his chin in defiance.
"You'll cooperate. Sunshine will ensure that," Jenner chillingly chuckled.
"You won't make it within a mile of her!" Martin’s eyes blazed.
"She'll come if I ask." Jenner ran his finger down the length of Martin's swollen cheek.
Martin spat in Clay's face, and Clay kicked him in the ribs, throwing the chair back. Martin bit back the yelp. "You kill me, you'll never get her. She's too smart; she'll want proof I'm alive."
"I guess she's not that gullible teenager anymore."
Martin needed to confirm the connections. "Speaking of gullible, how did Reed hook you?"
"You think you're so smart. My father and Brynn's daddy hooked Reed. Good old Talbot liked money and ladies in charge, and my father had money, and Brynn's daddy had photos. Elizabeth was part of the package. Talbot and I tried, but she wouldn't give up on you. There she was, on her knees digging out a floorboard for your gift. I ripped that doll out of her hands and lit it on fire. She fought like a banshee, and I tossed her over the rail after it. The damn maid came in before I could stomp the life out of her. Talbot had me. His fucking nanny cameras. Your love child died, and Elizabeth survived.
"Alma pleaded with Talbot to let her go to school. Off she went, leaving Iowa in the dust. Talbot was Governor. My father and Talbot found a doctor to do my face. Talbot and Brynn's daddy got Brynn into Homeland. After Talbot left office, with the strike of some keys, I became the head of Silverton Corrections."
"That wasn't enough for you. Your sickness needed an outlet,” he snarked.
"Now, now, Marty. You have not lived until you hold that kind of power and control over another person, feel their struggle, their fight against domination. Most cave. But sometimes, everything aligns for the ultimate high. Such a rarity when it happens. Your friend Royce gave me that present. I controlled every inch of his body, and he never showed an ounce of fear. He would've fought until his last breath. Fucking lockdown alarm." Clay's eyes turned red with flames.
Clay's level of depravity was more significant than Martin thought. "And the films?" Martin asked, his tone cutting, "For you to relive your conquests?"
Clay yanked the chair up. Pain bolted through Martin’s jaw from Clay's uppercut. "You have a real smart mouth. The films were a way to capitalize on what was being done already. You think sex with inmates was my idea? It's been happening for years. And the drugs, same thing. Simple economics—go where the market is."
"How come Homeland got called in to investigate?"
"Carelessness! My father gave us start-up money. Poor guy died before we were doing well. After Brynn's dad died, Talbot became top dog. It was easy on the jail side. Everyone has a price. The warden—she has sick parents. She's a no show, except for required meetings. She thinks I'm a great boss, letting her take care of her family. Tibby likes money. He has three girls to support. All was running fine until some fucking hacker got into the damn data processing center for the hell of it. He found our trail and sent it to Homeland. Brynn managed to become assigned to the case, but Duran had the lead on the investigation. She sabotaged and misdirected him where she could, and we took care of the threats. That is until Duran went to Chase Security. You guys never let go."
The cell door opened, and Tim Lampton walked in, looking frazzled. "Jenner, we gotta move." His eyes froze on Brynn's lifeless body. "The DA's office and the public defender filed paperwork to release Mills from custody. His accusers recanted. He's still in a coma, but if he wakes up and talks, we'll have issues. Even worse, Bailey's attorney got ahold of a tape of the murders. Cecile Dufour shot her husband and Reed. There was a hidden camera in Reed's den. Everything is on film, including the plan to frame Bailey. His lawyer is on her way." Lampton’s chest rose and fell rapidly.
Martin’s heart rate ticked up. Clay might want to cut his losses—kill him. He wondered who gave them the proof.
Clay roared, "Call Etta and tell her Mills needs to die. Bring Bailey to the van. We meet at the warehouse."
