The Billionaire's Claim_Redemption

by Nadia Lee

  “You disgusting bastard. She’s your cousin!”

  “Whatever. It isn’t like we’re blood relations. Could’ve fucked Dorothy, too, and it still wouldn’t have been a big deal. Not that I would’ve. She was old and too fucking shrill every time she opened her mouth to bitch me out about what I needed to do for her husband’s fucking career. She was so much nicer when she couldn’t wag that tongue anymore.” He makes open-and-close motions with his fingers and thumb. He grins suddenly. “Now. I’m right outside your building, Elizabeth. Let me in. Let’s finish what we started. Either I kill you or you kill me.” A smirk on his face as he says “you kill me” tells me he doesn’t believe I have what it takes to do that. Or maybe he’s that confident. Bet he has a gun on him at least.

  “I’m calling Dominic now.”

  “Wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He purses his lips. “Unless you don’t care what happens to Kristen.”

  “Shut up and let her go. It’s me you hate, not her.”

  “Nope, not true. I’m an equal-opportunity hater.” He wags Kristen’s finger. “You want to steal her from me, and that isn’t nice. You know how hard it was to disable her bodyguard?” He pauses dramatically, then giggles. “Actually, it was so easy, it was sort of anticlimactic. He always gets a fucking donut and coffee from the little mom-and-pop shop a block away before heading over to the penthouse. All I had to do was create a diversion and slip something into his drink. About half an hour after finishing his coffee, he’s done. Bam!” Andy drops his fist hard. “Down he goes.”

  Good God. He’s put so much thought into all this.

  “So. You can’t have Kristen back, but I’m not entirely unreasonable. I’ll show you what I did to her.”

  He’s too gleeful and talking too much, like he’s extra hyper. Did he mutilate her in some horrible way? He had no problem cutting off a finger. What if…

  I press my palm against my mouth. I can’t complete the thought.

  He sends me a link. I click on it. It takes me to a live video feed on a website, which shows Kristen tied to a chair. The quality of the video is pretty crappy, but I can make out that she’s only wearing her underwear and something that, in the low resolution, looks like a cummerbund. Her feet are covered with cuts and dirt, and the naked bulb over her flickers on and off, about to die. Sweat-stringy and blood-matted hair has fallen forward, covering most of her face. I can’t see her hands behind the chair, and I pray Andy didn’t do more horrible things to her.

  “You see that pretty toy wrapped around her? It’s nothing fancy, just a little homemade explosive I created, using a recipe I found on Google. You know how helpful technology is these days. You can even learn how to make a remote detonator.” He holds a slim black thing in his hand, his thumb twitching over the red button. “If I hit this button…boom! Off she goes like the Fourth of July.” He snickers.

  I heave again.

  “Oh come on! I haven’t even killed her yet!”

  “What do you want?” I say shakily.

  “Told you. I want in.”

  I swallow. “How do I know you won’t hurt Kristen?”

  “Elizabeth, my love, if I wanted her dead, she would’ve been a long, long time ago. All I want is to finish what we started.”

  God. I think hard. I have to stop him. He’s unhinged enough to blow her up if I don’t do as he says.

  If Dominic were here… If Tolyan were here…

  Stop it. They aren’t here. It’s up to me now. I can’t let Andy hurt Kristen any more than he already did. Dominic adores her. I have to keep her safe.

  Come on. There are guns in the penthouse. But my hands shake at the thought. It’s one thing to shoot at a target, something else to point at a human being and pull the trigger. I’m such a coward. My mouth is so dry that it takes two tries before I can say, “Leave the remote with the concierge. I’m going to call them down there and confirm. After that, you can come up to the penthouse.”

  “How do I know you aren’t going to call the police if I do? You let me up, and I give you the remote.”

  “My offer’s final!” I say firmly. Or I try. I think I sound hysterical instead.

  “So is mine. I don’t give a shit if Kristen dies today. I can get you later. You know it’s true.”

  I open and close my hands, then press both of them against my temples. I don’t know what to do. I can’t think of a way out of this.

  “Come ooooon, Elizabeth. I’m getting impatient,” he says in a singsong voice.

  I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing. The only thing I know is that I can’t let Kristen be hurt.

  “You can come up,” I say finally, typing frantically but surreptitiously on the phone. I don’t want Andy seeing me texting. “But if you don’t give me the remote, you’ll regret it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Dominic

  Bach’s elegant string music reverberates from the speakers in the jeweler’s shop. Priceless diamonds and other gemstones sparkle in glass cases, but I dismiss them all, since I’m not here to pick out one of the generic ones from the display. Antoine looks at a platinum and diamond pendant, whistling at the price tag.

  A sharply dressed clerk comes over, a professional smile on her face. “Can I help you, sir?”

  “I’m here to pick up my order. Dominic King.”

  “Certainly, Mr. King. Please take a seat.”

  “I’ll stand. We’re in hurry, so if you could bring it out ASAP…”

  “Of course, sir.”

  She walks away, heels clicking contrapuntally to the Bach. An uncharitable part of me sighs. If she’d worn flats, she might be able to move faster.

  Tolyan texted me and Antoine on our way to the jeweler, saying he needed to go to the hospital regarding his son. I respect and understand that—this is his teenage son we’re talking here. But the fact that Liza’s home alone is making me antsy.

  My preference would’ve been to turn the car around and go straight to the penthouse, but Antoine pointed out, “Weren’t you going to propose this afternoon? Can’t do that without a ring.”

  “I don’t want her alone.”

  “We’re five minutes out from the store. Tolyan said she’s going to sit tight and wait until we get home.”

  I debated. The stop at the jeweler would add only ten minutes to our trip back home, so I said okay. But I can’t help the fluttery feeling in my gut. I rub the back of my neck, and Antoine bumps me with his elbow.

  “Don’t sweat it. She’ll say yes.”

  “It isn’t that. I don’t—”

  The clerk returning with an elegant black box stops me. She opens the case, showing me the ring inside.

  It’s exactly as I specified. A ten-carat pink princess-cut diamond on a simple platinum band, inscribed with My Angel, My Heart, My Love. The stone sparkles brilliantly. I wanted something as perfect as Liza herself, and this was the closest thing I could find. I can’t wait—a romantic sunset cruise along the coast, then me bending a knee and asking her to make me the luckiest guy in the universe. I don’t know yet if I really deserve her… I’ve been such a bastard, but if she gives me a chance, I’m going to make her the happiest woman in the world.

  “Holy shit. That isn’t a ring. That’s an assault weapon,” Antoine says.

  “Shut up.” I hand the woman a black AmEx card. I wish I’d carried enough cash to pay the balance; we could’ve been on our way that much faster.

  The clerk returns with a slip for me to sign, and I scrawl my name over the line. My phone buzzes, and I pull it out and see a text from Liza. I start to grin…but it freezes on my lips as I read it.

  Andy stashed Kristen somewhere with a bomb. He’s here. I’m letting him in.

  “No!” I cry out. My brain reminds me she can’t hear me. I type NO and hit send.

  I have a gun. I can’t let him hurt her. She’s your sister.

  I run a rough hand over my face. I can’t let Kristen be hurt, but not at the expense of Liza’s
safety. No, don’t! I call her. She answers after the fifth ring, my insides shriveling with every second that passes.

  “Don’t even think about it, Liza!”

  “Dominic, it’s the only way. I’ll be all right. I’m armed.”

  “I don’t give a fuck. You don’t let him in, and if he somehow makes it to the penthouse anyway, shoot him on sight!” I hang up and turn to Antoine, who’s staring at me, dead serious.

  “Kristen?”

  “Andy supposedly has her somewhere with a bomb.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I gotta go. Call the cops and Tolyan. Save Kristen!” I’m already running.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To Liza!”

  I have to reach her before she does something unthinkable. Like trying to save my sister by sacrificing herself.

  Chapter Forty

  Elizabeth

  I aim the gun at the door, my palms damp with sweat.

  Steady, calm. Don’t think of the other person as a person. Think of him as a rabid, out-of-control dog you have to put down for the greater good…and just pull the trigger, comes Tolyan’s voice in my head. He told me that over and over again when he taught me how to shoot.

  It was a lot easier when I was aiming at a target. It’s something else knowing I’m about to put a bullet through a live human being, even if it’s someone like Andy.

  The chime of elevator arriving rings in the penthouse like a funereal church bell. I lick dry lips, suddenly wishing for a glass of water. My throat’s parched from breathing too rapidly and harshly, and my heart is thundering like a thousand galloping horses.

  Andy walks into the living room, a black T-shirt and navy jeans making him look like a guy out for a casual stroll around the city. Except I know better. He’s a monster under that human mask.

  “Elizabeth, Elizabeth…” He sighs, caressing a button on a black remote with his thumb. “It’s not nice to point guns at your guests. Didn’t your grandmother teach you better?”

  “Hand it over,” I say, my voice a tad shrill, goosebumps breaking out over my skin. Seeing him in person is a hundred times worse than seeing him on a small phone screen.

  He tsks. “Why would I? You’re going to shoot me the minute I do. Why don’t you put the gun on the floor and kick it away before somebody gets hurt? It’d be a shame if I hit the detonator button by accident. But I do get twitchy around firearms.”

  “You bastard. How about I just shoot you now?”

  “And say what to the cops? You let me in. I’m not an intruder. California isn’t like those barbarous states where you can just shoot someone at will and get away with it. I have rights.”

  “Maybe the right to a leash and some euthanasia. You’re an animal.”

  “We’re all animals. And my thumb’s twitching.” He makes an exaggerated twitch with his hand and my heart almost stops.

  I have no doubt he’ll kill Kristen. And I can’t let that happen. It would devastate Dominic.

  Besides, this gun isn’t the only thing I have on me.

  “You and I…same time, got that? Don’t even think about doing anything funky or I’m going to blow your head off,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice steady, as though I’m the one in control.

  He makes a spread-handed I can be reasonable gesture. “Fine.”

  He and I both slowly squat and place the remote and gun next to us. Then we get up, just as slowly, and kick them off to the side. They glide out of sight.

  “See? I’m not the bad guy here. I’m a man of my word,” Andy says. He takes a step toward me.

  Fear leaves a sour taste in my mouth, my breathing growing rougher and shallower. He’s entirely too unconcerned. I pull out a knife from the small of my back. It’s a kitchen knife—a little awkward for attacking—but it’ll do.

  “Great minds think alike!” Andy pulls a knife too. His is a hunting knife, double-edged and designed to kill. “Guns really are boring. Too distant. I like it up close and personal. I need to feel your pulse when I squeeze your neck. I want to smell your fear when I fuck you.”

  “Only a pathetic loser like you’d want to terrorize women,” I say, trying to keep an eye on him and locate my gun on the floor. I’m not going to win a knife fight with him. He’s got reach and probably speed as well. I have to get my gun or this is game over. “You wouldn’t have had the guts to come if Tolyan were here.”

  “I’m not afraid of him. That’s why I punished him.”

  What?

  “I hope his brat dies,” Andy adds.

  I gasp. “You were the hit-and-run driver?”

  “Uh-huh. And man, it felt good to hit that kid. It’s too bad I couldn’t put the car in reverse and run him over again. Now I just have to hope his doctor’s an alcoholic.”

  Oh my God. Poor Lyosha. Regret pours through me. If it weren’t for me…he would’ve never been hurt. “You bastard.”

  I finally see the gun. It’s a bit far, but I can get it. I know I can.

  “Said that already. You need to expand your vocabulary.” He smiles. “Let’s play.”

  Andy lunges for me. I drop my knife and dive for the gun. The tips of my fingers graze the cool metal, but he kicks it out of reach, then grabs my hair, yanking my head back, and punts me in the side. Something cracks, and I gasp at the pain.

  Placing his feet on each side of me, he drops his whole weight on my belly, and I almost double over, feeling like I just got punched in the stomach. He backhands me, left-right, then reverse. My ears ring, my vision dimming.

  “Stupid bitch. Who’s the gutless loser now, huh?” he snarls. “Answer me, you slut!”

  I gasp as he grinds his butt against my belly, nearly crushing me. “You,” I manage. “You’re the gutless loser.”

  He backhands me again. Copper fills my mouth. “It’s all your fucking fault I had to kill my parents! If you hadn’t told them to get in my way, I wouldn’t have to do that! They could’ve just kept covering for me!”

  He punctuates every statement with a slap. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. Each successive blow feels slightly less painful than the one before. But for all I know, I could be too out of it to register anything correctly.

  Just stay alive until Dominic arrives.

  I cling to that thought. Surely I can do that much.

  Andy rips at my shirt, causing all the buttons to fly. He curses when he can’t get my jeans off as easily. They’re old and about half a size too tight.

  “Fuck!” He grabs his hunting knife and cuts roughly into the denim as though he’s skinning a kill.

  The blade slices my skin open. I vaguely register the sting.

  Gotta stop him. I have to stop him.

  But somehow I’m incapable of moving. My limbs are so heavy, and my face throbs so hard. I want to cry, but I can’t cry. Tears would only make Andy happy.

  “Get off her, you son of a bitch!”

  Dominic!

  I turn my head, do my best to focus. He has a gun, thank God. And it’s pointed at Andy.

  Hissing, Andy brings the blade to my neck.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Dominic

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. There’s too much blood on Liza’s face and body. As I walk into the living room, my vision tunnels, blocking out everything except her. Death is too good for Andy. I want to tear him apart.

  “Stand back, mother fucker, or I’m going to slice her open.” He places the tip of the knife right at the side of her neck.

  Shit. I can’t shoot him now, even if I were a fantastic shot. I can’t risk him cutting that delicate skin and more.

  “It won’t take her long to bleed out.” He snickers. “Come on, cousin. I don’t have a gun. Just a knife. Be a good boy, put your gun down and kick it away…before I accidentally nick her neck. It would be a shame to kill her so quickly. And blood is messy to clean up.”

  Jesus. Andy’s totally unhinged. I can’t believe I never saw how crazy he is.

  Since I have no doubt he�
��ll do as he threatens, I do as he says, making sure the gun doesn’t slide anywhere near him and doing my best not to try to take stock of Liza’s injuries. I have to deal with Andy before I can help her.

  “Andy, what’s going on? You don’t have to do this,” I say to buy some time. “You can walk away. Nobody has to get hurt.”

  He sighs, his knife held loosely, but still right against her throat. “It’s all your fault, you know. If you hadn’t stolen the company from that hateful old man—who, by the way, was lucky to die such an easy death—I would’ve been the scion people respected, not you. If you hadn’t interfered at the beach, I would’ve taken her and none of this unpleasantness would have had to happen. But no! You had to take what’s mine and come rescue her. Why? She’s just a bitch. A pretty one, but a bitch anyway. There are plenty for you to choose from. Nobody would’ve missed her back then. Now I have no choice.”

  I have to keep him distracted and talking. Andy always likes to be recognized for his brilliance, which was another reason he worked so hard as an internal auditor at the company. I need to turn his focus away from Liza long enough to find something else to use as a weapon. “Come on, man. You’re way too smart to throw your life away like this.”

  “You mean I’m too smart for you to handle!”

  “Is it the company you want? You can have it.” My MacBook Pro is on the coffee table. It’s not much of a weapon, but solid enough to do some damage. “I’ll give it to you, transfer ownership. We’ll sign the papers and you can take it and walk away.” I take a short step toward the table, trying to make it look like natural.

  “So you can send Antoine after me? Or Tolyan?” Andy shakes his head. “I don’t think so.” Suddenly he frowns. “Why are you moving?”

  Shit. “I just want to—”

  Liza moans loudly. “Please. Don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.”

  Andy’s head snaps around with the quickness of a viper. “Shut up, bitch! Can’t you see I’m in a business negotiation?”

  She sniffles. “But I’m in pain. Can I please have some water? An Advil? If you’re going to hurt me, at least do it nicely.”