Chapter 13 - The Lion's Den.Silence descended upon the luxurious study, heavy and thick as a suffocating blanket.
Emily held her breath, her heart pounding against her ribs with the force of a battering ram.
She could see Daniel staring directly at the vent grate, the silver revolver gripped tightly in his right hand.
He did not shout or call for his heavily armed security detail to storm the room.
Instead, he slowly climbed onto his massive mahogany desk, closing the vertical distance between them.
He raised the barrel of the gun, aiming it squarely at the thin aluminum slats holding Emily's weight.
He whispered softly, telling the little mouse in the walls that it was time to come out and play.
Emily scrambled backward, desperately trying to retreat into the dark safety of the labyrinth.
Before she could move a single inch, Daniel pulled the trigger.
A deafening gunshot ripped through the quiet room, blowing a massive hole through the metal grate.
Shrapnel sliced across Emily’s cheek, matching the exact location where Vanessa had slapped her earlier that night.
The structural integrity of the vent completely failed, giving way beneath her sudden, frantic movements.
Emily plunged downward in a shower of plaster, dust, and twisted aluminum.
She crashed hard onto the polished wooden floor of the study, the wind violently knocked out of her lungs.
She groaned, her vision blurring as she tried to push herself up on weak, trembling arms.
A pair of expensive, custom-made leather shoes stepped into her line of sight.
Daniel grabbed her by the collar of her ruined housekeeping uniform, hauling her forcefully to her feet.
He pressed the hot, smoking barrel of the revolver directly against her temple.
He smiled, a chilling expression that did not reach his cold, sociopathic eyes.
He mockingly commended her for putting up a much better fight than the late, great investigative journalist.
Emily glared back at him, defiance suddenly burning through the overwhelming veil of her terror.
She told him that the FBI already had his cartel ledgers, and his massive criminal empire was effectively over.
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Daniel’s arrogant smile faltered for a fraction of a second, revealing the panicked monster hiding beneath the billionaire facade.
He cocked the hammer of the revolver, promising her that she would never live to see his downfall.
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