Bloodright and Deception

In the penthouse, Kendra Mercer sat perfectly still on the edge of the master bed. The champagne satin gown from yesterday lay discarded on the floor, replaced by a simple pair of jeans and a dark sweater. Her hands were shaking violently as she stared at the glowing screen of her burner phone.

Garrett is going to prison for embezzlement. He will use you as the fall guy. Bring me the hard drives from his home office, and I will give you two million dollars and safe passage out of the country for you and your son. You have one hour. — Brooke.

Kendra read the message three times. Her breath hitched in her throat. She looked toward the open door of the bedroom, listening to the sounds of Garrett pacing in the living room, shouting obscenities into his phone at his lawyers.

He was losing his mind. Ever since the hospital, the charming, wealthy man she had fallen in love with had vanished, replaced by a violent, cornered animal. Just hours ago, he had threatened to take their son and leave her on the streets if she didn't provide a false alibi for a business trip he took last month.

Kendra looked at her toddler, who was sleeping fitfully on the large bed. She loved her son more than anything. And she knew Brooke was right. Garrett would sacrifice them both without a second thought to save his empire.

She stood up, slipping the burner phone into her pocket. She walked silently down the carpeted hallway, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

Garrett's home office was locked, but Kendra knew where he kept the spare key. She reached under a heavy decorative vase in the hallway, her fingers finding the cold metal.

She slipped into the office, locking the door behind her. The room was dark, illuminated only by the blinking blue lights of the massive server tower sitting beneath the mahogany desk.

Kendra knelt on the floor, her hands trembling as she pulled the heavy metal casing off the server. Garrett had bragged once that his entire life was stored on these three physical drives—blackmail, offshore accounts, everything.

She quickly disconnected the wires, pulling the three rectangular drives free. She shoved them into her small cream handbag, the metal heavy and cold against her side.

"What are you doing in here?"

Kendra gasped, spinning around.

Garrett stood in the doorway, having used his master key to open the door. His dark eyes darted from her pale face to the open server tower, and finally to the bulging cream handbag.

"Garrett, I..." Kendra stammered, backing away until she hit the desk.

Garrett didn't yell. His face went entirely blank, a terrifying, dead calm washing over his features. He stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"You were going to steal from me," Garrett whispered, loosening his black tie slowly. "You were going to sell me to my wife."