Chapter 5 - The Weapon Within Reach
Time was running out. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since I sent Ethan away, and if he had reached safety, the police would already be on their way. But if Grant decided to speed up his timeline, we wouldn't survive the next five minutes.
I needed to stall him.
"You really think you'll get away with this?" I asked, keeping my voice steady while my eyes scanned the room for an improvised weapon. The heavy glass water pitcher on the table? A metal candlestick? "Do you really think a digital video file disappears just because you cornered me in a hallway?"
Grant paused, his glass halfway to his mouth. For the first time, a flicker of genuine uncertainty crossed his handsome features. "What video?"
"The one Ethan took from the closet," I bluffed, stepping closer to Melissa and gently knocking the prescription bottle off the vanity so it clattered out of her reach. "The one showing you and Dana discussing the sedative doses. It's already streaming live to my lawyer's secure portal."
Colin, who had slipped into the room behind us through a private balcony door, cursed loudly. "I told you we should have checked the kid's phone!"
"Shut up, Colin!" Grant snapped, setting his glass down with a sharp clink. He advanced toward me, his charming facade completely stripped away, revealing the cold, calculating monster underneath. "Hand over the phone. Now. Or your sister watches you take your last breath before she joins you."
May you like
Melissa let out a weak, strangled cry, finally comprehending the nightmare unfolding around her. "Grant... please..."
As Grant lunged forward to grab my arms, Melissa—fueled by a sudden, desperate surge of adrenaline and maternal survival instinct—grabbed the heavy, wrought-iron vanity stool and swung it with all her remaining strength directly into Grant's knees.
