“Did he do that to save me?” she asked herself, pacing back and forth across the room.
“Elle?” Beth asked softly. Elle looked up at her concerned eyes. “Why don’t you come with me to therapy? I wasn’t kidding when I said we needed it.”
“I know. But I’m not ready. I’m just remembering the sequence of events and trying to make sense of everything.”
“Okay. Did you hear about the studio?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything about anything. What’s going on?”
“The studio is closing the lot and filing for bankruptcy.” Elle’s brows drew downward, her eyes narrowed, and her lips parted. Beth understood Elle’s confusion was because she’d cut herself off from the outside world. “Okay, from the beginning. The person behind our abduction was actually a studio executive. He mismanaged investor funds and tried to hide it by delaying movie releases. Anyway, once the gang took him hostage because he double-crossed them, the investors figured out what happened and they withdrew all funding, so the studio has no capital to operate with. They’re closing the doors for good.”
“What about the movie we just finished? It’s scrapped too?”
“Maybe not. Another studio is asking about buying it. There’s also talk about a group of investors producing it independently,” Beth replied.
“I like option number two better.”
Week three post-funeral, Elle started watching the news and began entering the world of the living again. The television was safer than going out in public—not because she was afraid but because she’d become indifferent to everything. For the sake of her own career, should she ever go back to it, she had to maintain appearances. At that moment, she recognized she simply didn’t care about anything.
Then the images of the Devil’s Dominion club officers flashed across the screen, and she turned the volume up to catch every word the news anchor said.
“These high-ranking members of the Devil’s Dominion motorcycle club, one of the infamous one-percenter gangs, have been arrested and denied bail because of their flight risk. Their charges include human trafficking, kidnapping, murder, extortion, and drug trafficking. Federal agencies say they expect to file more charges soon, including organized crime and money laundering.
“Two weeks ago, Detective Joanna Gough’s body washed ashore. The gang has been linked to her murder. You’ll remember she was the detective in charge of the kidnapping investigation involving Elle Sinclair, Beth Condra, Katrina Fox, Carrie Snow, and Lori Hensley. Director Vince Rossi and agent Ray Burke have also been indicted on conspiracy charges.”
Fueled by rage over what they’d stolen from her, Elle flew up from her seat and moved into action. Just the sight of their faces was enough to turn her stomach, but more than that, she was ashamed of what she’d allowed them to reduce her to.
“No more,” she decided. “No more living my life behind closed doors. Devon would’ve wanted more for me. I want more for me.”
