He had escaped during a hospital transfer after claiming chest pain. An accomplice had left the weapon and device in a restroom ceiling.
That accomplice, we later learned, was Conrad Pike.
The creditor Julian believed he had bribed.
The same man who had quietly sold the debt to me.
Julian backed us toward the open French doors.
“You ruined everything, Vivian.”
“No,” I whispered. “I revealed it.”
His arm tightened.
“You were supposed to sign the papers.”
“And then drink poisoned tea?”
“You always made everything difficult.”
The absurdity of the sentence nearly made me laugh.
To Julian, my survival was an inconvenience.
My intelligence was betrayal.
My refusal to die quietly was cruelty.
He raised the detonator.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Take me instead.”
Julian’s smile widened.
“You’ve been dead for twenty-three years. You’re worthless.”
