Chapter 3 - The Cold Iron Safe
The mention of the lockbox sent a visible tremor through Cole's frame. Elena caught it instantly. Her father’s estate had been tangled in bitter litigation for over a year, a delicate web of assets that Elena was set to inherit on her twenty-sixth birthday—exactly two weeks away.
""What flash drive?"" Elena demanded, stepping directly into Cole's space, defying the panic clawing at her ribs. ""What does she mean about my father’s attorneys? Cole, what did you steal from me?""
Cole backed up until his shoulder blades hit the refrigerator door. The tough, defensive facade he had carried into the kitchen was completely stripped away, leaving behind a desperate, cornered man. ""It’s not what I stole, Elena. It’s what your father hid.""
Elena shook her head, refusal written in every tight muscle of her jaw. ""My father died of cardiac arrest. He was an honorable man.""
""Your father ran an offshore ledger for the entire shoreline syndicate,"" Cole said, words tumbling out in a frantic whisper. ""Vanessa’s family was one of the investors he ruined before he went under. She didn't target me by accident, Elena. She found me because I had access to your family's storage unit.""
May you like
A cold weight dropped into Elena's stomach. The world she thought she knew was dissolving into a nightmare of calculated deception. ""You never loved me. It was all a job.""
""No! That was the plan at first, yes, but everything changed—"" Cole stopped abruptly. A heavy thud sounded from the front door of the apartment, followed by the slow, deliberate turning of the brass doorknob.
