Chapter 4 - THE TRAP REVEALED|
I didn't think. I reacted.
Every violent instinct honed in the alleys of Chicago exploded inside my chest. I took a massive step out from behind the column, my hand reaching for my weapon, ready to tear Camille apart with my bare hands.
Naomi planted both of her hands firmly against my chest, throwing her full body weight into stopping me.
"She wants this, Roman!" Naomi hissed frantically into my ear. "Look at the table! Look at the room!"
I halted, my heart pounding against my ribs like a sledgehammer.
I looked past Camille into the library. On the side table sat a hidden security camera pointing directly at the door. On Camille’s wrist was a sleek digital watch with an active emergency button linked directly to the Chicago Police Department.
"She wants witnesses to see the dangerous widower attack his defenseless fiancée," Naomi whispered, her eyes wide with desperate urgency. "If you hit her, if you threaten her, she presses that button. The police arrive. The Sloane syndicate steps in. They frame you as an unhinged, abusive mobster who beats his family."
"If either of you tells your father," Camille’s venomous voice warned my children inside the room, "I’ll tell the police that Jack hit me and Rosie attacked the nanny. Your schools, your rooms, your entire lives will be gone. You'll end up in state care."
Rosie began to sob quietly, burying her face in her knees.
Beside me, Naomi’s face turned deathly pale under the dim light.
"Roman, listen to me," Naomi whispered, her voice dropping to a chilling level. "This isn't just about marrying you for your money or taking your estate."
I looked at her, my jaw locked so tight my teeth felt ready to shatter. "What do you mean?"
"It’s about what happens to your children after you’re dead," Naomi said.
She tapped her phone one last time, pulling up an audio recording saved from earlier that evening.
May you like
Before she even pressed play, I recognized the distinct, smooth voice speaking with Camille through the speakerphone.
It belonged to Arthur Velez.
