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As if her thoughts had conjured him, Hays was suddenly at her side.
“Never again,” Elizabeth said, drawing strength from his presence. “My purpose in life is protecting my siblings and seeing you pay for the crimes you’ve inflicted on many, starting with Quaid, Jacey, and myself”
“I can’t believe you would betray me.” His voice was quiet. He was playing the beaten-down victim, a role he excelled at. She felt a moment of fear, but then she realized he was simply trying to play the crowd, gain sympathy and support.
“Believe it.” Satisfaction she’d never experienced filled her. Peace as well. Maybe heaven didn’t hate her.
“With all the information Elizabeth has been able to give us,” Quaid continued, “the FBI is going to be ecstatic as they seize your properties around the world and the billions of dollars Aiden’s tech team are currently draining from multiple accounts. Many of your allies will be indicted. I can only imagine how those men and women will rat out you and others to lessen their own sentences. Your empire is crumbling. Check mate.”
Quaid gestured to the lead officer, who stepped forward.
Elizabeth could hardly believe it was over. Father and his men would be arrested. If his empire truly crumbled, there was hope her siblings could live out their lives in peace. Not her. She’d have to hide. If he lived, she’d be his number one target, even from prison.
Hays’s arm pressed against her. Could they be together?
“You might want to slow down,” her father said. He held a phone up so she and Hays could see it. There was a beautiful brunette perched on a hard chair, a gun pressed to her head by a large man. It appeared her hands and legs were bound to the chair.
“No!” Elizabeth cried out. She didn’t know who this woman was, but she would be killed.
“Your sister, I believe, Lieutenant Hays? A student at UNC?”
“No!” Elizabeth screamed again. Hays’s sister. Hays’s sister.
Everybody else in the room seemed to freeze—the FBI agent, Quaid, Aiden. Only Elizabeth was flipping out.
“Father, no. I’ll come with you. Please. Have your man release her and I’ll do what you want.”
“Liz.” Hays squeezed her hand, his voice calm. How could he be calm? His innocent sister, Carmel, would be killed.
“Come to me, Elizabeth,” her father instructed. “Peter.”
Elizabeth started forward. Hays held onto her, and then he smiled. What was he doing?
“My sister is blonde,” Hays said.
What?
As they watched, the woman lifted her unbound hands, yanked the gun from the man’s hands, grinned at the camera, and then fired. She must’ve shot whoever was holding the camera because the phone clattered and the view went haywire as the sounds of fighting came from the small speaker.
“What?” Her father looked stunned now. He pulled the camera back around.
“Autumn Cardon is the woman you paid to kidnap while she posed as Carmel West,” Aiden explained. “Autumn is one of my top people. I stole her from the FBI.” He looked to the agent. “Forgive me.”
The agent smiled. “We’ll try.”
“Add another kidnapping to the list,” Quaid said.
“Done.”
Her father looked stunned, but then he said, “Execute.”
Peter ripped the pocket of his pants open.
The sound of helicopter blades filled the night sky. Automatic weapons fired. Aiden’s helicopter was hit and spiraled off into the trees.
“No!” she cried out.
She heard a grunt of pain and glanced back. Her father’s other guards had yanked flat, long knives out of their pants and were jabbing them into Aiden’s guards.
