Chapter 4 - Unholy Alliances
Marcus Vance arrived at our back door forty-five minutes later, wearing a rumpled suit and carrying a battered leather briefcase. He was a stark contrast to his sleek, politician brother. Marcus had sharp blue eyes that gleamed with a cynical intelligence.
"Ellen," Marcus said, stepping into the kitchen. "Your text said it was an emergency involving Richard’s boy. What did the little sociopath do?"
I didn't speak. I simply pointed to the kitchen table where Reese was waiting. For the next twenty minutes, we laid out everything. Reese played the recording. I showed him the photos of Kayla’s bruises on my phone. Then, with a heavy heart, I confessed what Steven had used as blackmail—Arthur’s financial manipulation of the city contracts.
Marcus listened in absolute silence. His face grew darker with every second of the audio tape. When the tape finished, with Steven’s voice talking about getting Kayla pregnant to keep her from college, Marcus slammed his fist onto the table.
"Disgusting," Marcus spat. "Richard has raised a monster. He covers up everything that boy does. Last year, a girl at the country club accused Steven of assault, and Richard paid the family off and threatened the police chief. It’s a pattern."
"Can you help us, Marcus?" I pleaded. "If we go to the police, Richard will destroy Arthur. I know Arthur did wrong, but he doesn't deserve to be a shield for a predator."
Marcus leaned back, tapping his chin. "Arthur’s situation is messy, but here’s the thing about the city contracts: Richard signed off on those audits. If Arthur goes down for fraud, I can prove that Richard knew about it and took a bribe to look the other way. Richard’s political career would be dead. He knows this. That's why he hasn't actually reported Arthur yet—it's a bluff. He’s using Arthur’s fear to let his son play king of the castle."
A spark of hope ignited in my chest. "So Richard is vulnerable?"
"Incredibly," Marcus smiled, a dangerous, sharp grin. "But we need to catch them in a way they can't cover up. If we go to the local police, the chief will call Richard before the paperwork is even filled out. We need a public stage. We need maximum exposure so the state police have to step in."
"The prom," Kayla’s voice came from the doorway.
We all turned. Kayla was standing there, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Her head was still completely bare. Without her hair, her eyes looked massive, fierce, and beautiful in a completely new way. She looked like a warrior.
"The prom is at the Grand Hotel," Kayla said, her voice steadying. "The entire town will be there. The mayor, the school board, all the parents. Steven wants me there because he thinks he owns me. He thinks he won."
"Kayla," I started, worried about the emotional toll.
"No, Mom," she interrupted, walking over to stand beside Reese. "He wanted to take my hair to take my power. He wanted to make me too ashamed to show my face so I’d stay home and let Daddy go to jail. Or force me to go in a wig and pretend everything is fine. I’m not hiding anymore. I want everyone to see what he did to me."
Marcus looked at Kayla, a look of profound respect crossing his face. "If you do this, Kayla, it’s going to be a media circus. Are you ready for that?"
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"I'm ready," she said.
"Alright," Marcus stood up, opening his briefcase. "Here’s what we do. We don't use the limo. We let Steven think he’s won until the very last second. Ellen, we need to make some copies of these photos and this audio. And I’m making a phone call to a friend of mine at the State Bureau of Investigation. We’re going to crash a prom."
