Glass exploded beside us.
Adrian struck Julian’s wrist. Celeste pulled me away. The pistol skidded across the terrace.
Julian scrambled for it.
Before he reached it, another figure stepped from the dark kitchen.
Elena.
She wore police-issued clothing beneath a borrowed coat. A tracking band circled her ankle. She had been released temporarily to help investigators locate documents hidden in the house.
She picked up the gun.
Julian froze.
“Elena,” he said softly. “Give it to me.”
Her hands shook.
“You were going to kill me.”
“I loved you.”
“You changed the insurance policy.”
His eyes flicked toward the detonator.
“Press the button,” he urged. “If I can’t have the company, none of them should.”
Elena looked at me.
For a terrible second, I could not tell what she would do.
