Chapter 6 - THE MISTRESS'S BARGAIN
I stared at Celeste, my mind struggling to process what was happening.
The woman who had slept with my husband for seven years was now handing me the weapon to end his life.
"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, clutching the heavy ledger.
Celeste wiped a tear from her cheek, smudging her perfect makeup. "Because I thought I was his partner. I thought he loved me. But tonight, when Claire walked into that ballroom pregnant... I realized I was just a distraction. A placeholder."
She pointed a trembling finger at the ledger.
"That book has every offshore account, every bribed judge, every hit he's ever ordered. It's his entire empire in ink."
"Why give it to me?" I asked, looking at the blinking flashlights of Vincent's men searching the woods nearby. "Why not go to the police yourself?"
"Because he owns the local police," Celeste said bitterly. "But you... you have Anthony. He won't shoot blindly if he knows Anthony is with you. You're the only one who can get this to the FBI field office in the city."
"Mom!" a panicked whisper hissed from the bushes.
Anthony crept out, his face pale and bleeding. He looked at Celeste with absolute hatred. "What is she doing here?"
"She's helping us," I said, putting a protective arm around him.
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the trees.
We all ducked.
"They found the footprints," Celeste panicked. She looked at me, a tragic resolve hardening her features. "Go. Take your son and run to the highway. I parked my car under the overpass."
She tossed me a set of keys.
"What about you?" I asked.
Celeste offered a sad, broken smile. "I've spent seven years being a coward, Evelyn. Let me do one brave thing."
Before I could stop her, Celeste stood up and walked directly out of the shadows, her hands raised.
"Vincent!" she screamed into the darkness. "Vincent, it's me!"
The flashlights immediately swung toward her. I grabbed Anthony's hand and we ran in the opposite direction, toward the distant hum of the highway.
We reached the overpass just as a second gunshot rang out in the distance.
My breath caught. I didn't know if Celeste was alive or dead, but her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.
We found her small blue sedan tucked behind a concrete pillar. We scrambled inside and I locked the doors, my hands shaking so badly I could barely put the key in the ignition.
"We're going to the FBI, Mom?" Anthony asked, clutching the ledger to his chest.
"Yes," I said, putting the car in drive. "We're going to end this."
My phone vibrated in the cup holder.
I glanced at the screen. It was a text message from a blocked number.
Turn the car around, Evelyn.
I stared at it. How did they know?
A second text came through.
Check your son's jacket pocket. The left one.
I slammed on the brakes. "Anthony, check your jacket."
Anthony frowned, reaching into his blazer pocket. He pulled out a small, blinking black disc.
A GPS tracker.
My blood ran cold. Claire had hugged him in the ballroom just before all hell broke loose.
My phone rang. The caller ID flashed Claire's name.
May you like
I answered it, my hands slick with sweat. "Claire."
"You always were too trusting, Evie," my sister's voice purred through the speakers. "Bring me the ledger. If you go to the FBI, I'll release the surrogacy documents to the press. I'll tell the world Anthony is a stolen child. I will ruin his life before it even begins."
