Chapter 7 - Smoke and Mirrors at Pinecrest Lake
The storm hit Maplewood Grove at 5:45 PM.
Torrential rain hammered against the grand glass windows of the estate, the wind howling through the ancient oak trees in the front yard like a choir of angry ghosts. Thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the foundations of the house.
Inside the master bedroom, the only light came from the faint glow of the gas fireplace at the foot of the bed.
I lay under the heavy down comforter, my eyes half-closed, my breathing slow, shallow, and rhythmic. Beneath the pillow, my hand was wrapped tightly around the cold handle of a small, high-powered taser that Julian had provided.
At 6:02 PM, the heavy tires of an SUV crunched over the wet gravel in the driveway.
Two car doors slammed shut.
Footsteps echoed across the marble porch outside, followed by the soft, sharp click of the front door key turning in the lock.
"Adrianna?" David’s voice called out from the grand foyer below. It was pitched with a fake, trembling anxiety. "Sweetheart? Are you upstairs?"
No answer.
"Maggie, stay downstairs and check the kitchen," David’s voice instructed softly. "I’m going up to the bedroom."
I closed my eyes almost completely, leaving only a microscopic slit to watch the doorway.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps mounted the grand carpeted staircase. Step... step... step.
The master bedroom door opened with a slow, agonizing creak.
David stood in the doorway. He was wearing his expensive cashmere coat, soaked from the rain, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. In his right hand, he held a small black leather medical kit.
He stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Adrianna?" he whispered, walking slowly toward the bed.
I didn't move. I let out a tiny, weak groan, letting my head roll limply to the side on the white silk pillows.
David stopped at the side of the bed. He stood over me for a long, silent moment, staring down at my pale, makeup-dusted face.
A slow, terrifying transformation occurred on his features. The worried, loving husband vanished entirely. His lips curled into a cold, arrogant, sociopathic smile.
"Look at you," he whispered softly, reaching out with a gloved hand to gently brush a strand of hair away from my forehead. "So fragile. So weak. Just like your old man."
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, but I kept my breathing completely still.
David set his black medical kit on the bedside table. He unzipped it, pulling out a pre-filled syringe containing a clear, viscous liquid.
"The capsules were taking too long, sweetheart," David whispered, leaning down until his warm, foul breath brushed against my ear. "The board meeting tomorrow morning was a problem. I can't have Robert Hayes transferring your voting proxies before you die. So... we’re going to speed up the process."
He reached out, grabbing my left wrist with a firm, icy grip, lifting my arm off the bed to locate a vein.
"It’s funny, Adrianna," he sneered softly, his voice dripping with pure venom. "You thought you were so smart inheriting this company. You thought Arthur left it to you because you were the bright child. But you were just a placeholder. A weak, stupid woman who couldn't even keep her own son from losing his mind."
I opened my eyes wide and looked directly into his face.
"Is that right, David?" I said, my voice clear, loud, and entirely devoid of weakness.
David froze.
The syringe stopped two inches from my skin. His eyes widened in utter, blinding shock as he stared down at my clear, sharp gaze.
"What... what?" he stammered, his grip on my wrist loosening slightly.
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"You always were a terrible businessman, David," I said, my voice echoing loudly in the silent, camera-filled room. "And an even worse murderer."
Before he could react—before his sociopathic brain could process the trap—I pulled my right hand from under the pillow and drove the two metal prongs of the taser directly into his chest.
