Chapter 4

I screamed and lunged toward David.

The moment I got to my feet, Anderson walked through the door and backhanded me across the face. I hit the floor.

He stood over me, his eyes full of contempt.

"So this is where you've been hiding. Should've known you'd have a den somewhere."

Anderson pressed his boot down onto David's wound — still bleeding — and snarled.

"Talk. Was he the one behind all of it? Was this his scheme?"

"Let go of him!"

I crawled to Anderson's feet on shaking arms and grabbed his ankle.

"If it wasn't for David, you would already be dead. Let him go!"

Anderson looked down at me trembling at his feet. A slow, ugly smile crossed his face.

"Sure."

He pulled out his phone and dropped it in front of me.

"Record a video. Admit you're a fraud. I'll let the old man go."

"Georgina — don't." David stared at me through blood-red eyes, shaking his head over and over.

Before he could say anything more, Anderson yanked the knife free from David's chest and drove it in again — this time near his carotid artery.

A geyser of blood erupted instantly.

I threw myself toward David, but Anderson caught me and held me back.

"Not going to record it? Then we'll just sit here and watch him bleed out."

"I'll do it. I'll record it. Please — just stop—"

Anderson watched the video back and smiled. Satisfied. He agreed to take David to the hospital.

The ambulance had barely pulled up to the emergency bay when a young nurse rushed straight at me and shoved a thick stack of forms into my arms.

"His condition is critical. You need to go pay the deposit. Now."

My frozen bank account flashed through my mind. I stood there, unable to move.

"What are you waiting for?! He's going to bleed to death!"

The nurse kept pushing. I turned slowly and looked back at Anderson.

"Anderson — my accounts are all frozen. Could you—"

Anderson laughed and pulled Alice closer.

"Sure. But people who need favors need to act like it."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Your family has been robbing us for a hundred years. A video isn't going to cover that debt. Get on your knees. Apologize to me and to every ancestor of mine you scammed."

I looked at David. He was soaked through with blood. I couldn't wait another second.

I dropped to the floor in front of Anderson.

"I'm sorry. I lied to you. I deceived you—"

Alice cut me off with a sweet, practiced pout.

"Sorry isn't enough, sweetheart. You need to kneel properly."

"Why are you looking at me? Alice told you to kneel. Are you deaf?"

I went all the way down under Anderson's mocking stare.

Then Alice slapped me across the face. Three times.

I scrambled back to my feet and ran to David's side, screaming at Anderson.

"That's enough! Go pay! Now!"

"Of course. Just let me run home and grab the checkbook..."

Anderson started to walk away. I grabbed his ankle. I dug my fingers in and stared up at him.

"You planned this. All of it. You—"

"That's a terrible attitude for someone asking for a favor. Do you want the money or not?"

My fingers went slack.

"Yes. I want it. Please. Please just hurry—"

Anderson came back an hour later. He flipped the payment receipt into my lap.

I stumbled to the nurse's station and pressed it into her hands.

She looked at it. Then she let out a long, quiet breath.

"It's too late. He's gone."

I stopped shaking. Something cold and still moved through me. I walked back to Anderson and swung at his face as hard as I could.

"You did this on purpose! You killed him! You killed David, you piece of—"

Anderson caught my wrist. His eyes went hard.

"Kill you? Georgina, pay back what you owe my family before you make threats."

He threw a stack of billing statements at my feet.

"Our family has been supporting your people for nearly a hundred years. You admitted on camera that it was a scam. So now it's time to settle up."

"And if you can't pay—"

He held up his phone. My recorded confession lit up the screen.

"This video goes out to everyone. And I don't just mean you. David. Your whole family. All of it goes public."

I was shaking so hard my teeth were clicking together.

"I'll pay you back. Wait until after your birthday. I promise I'll pay every cent."