Lord Hungerton retrieved a pistol and brought it up. “How could you?” he demanded.
Simone held her father’s gaze. “I wasn’t about to letJuliette kill Caleb,” she replied. “Are you going to kill me- your own daughter?”
“Yes,” Lord Hungerton said, tightening his hold on the pistol. “You left me with little choice.”
In a swift motion, Caleb reached down and retrieved the muff pistol from his right boot. He brought it up, pointing it at Lord Hungerton. “Put your pistol down or I will have no choice but to shoot you.”
“You are bluffing.”
Caleb clenched his jaw. “I am many things, but bluffing is not one of them. If your finger so much as twitches on that trigger, I will kill you.”
Doubt crept into Lord Hungerton’s eyes. “This is not how it is supposed to end. I am supposed to be avicomte.”
“Your greed and ambition have ruined this family, Father,” Simone declared. “You don’t need to die today.”
“But for how long?” Lord Hungerton asked. “We both know that I don’t have long.”
“That is your doing,” Simone asserted. “You only have yourself to blame.”
Lord Hungerton’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You impertinent girl. You think you are better than me?”
“No, I have never thought that,” Simone said with a shake of her head. “But I do think you need to pay for what you have done.”
Caleb saw Lord Hungerton grow tense at Simone’s words and he knew he needed to end this. He wouldn’t risk Simone getting shot. Cocking his pistol, he fired, aiming at Lord Hungerton’s hand that gripped the pistol.
Lord Hungerton dropped the pistol and cradled his right hand. “You shot me!” he exclaimed.
Approaching Lord Hungerton, Caleb crouched down to retrieve the pistol. “It is over,” he declared, walking back over to Simone.
With a ruthless laugh, Lord Hungerton insisted, “This isn’t over. The second grenade will go off any minute, killing more people. You have stopped nothing.”
Fredrick’s voice echoed from behind Lord Hungerton. “You are wrong,” he stated, emerging from the trees.
A moment later, Roswell and Greydon came to stand next to Fredrick, all pointing pistols at Lord Hungerton.
Lord Hungerton’s eyes grew frantic. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “You should all be dead.”
Roswell grinned at his brother. “Do you want to tell him or should I?”
“You do the honors,” Fredrick replied.
Roswell stepped forward. “We located Victor before he released the grenade and we set it off in a secluded part of the gardens. So you see, no one died.”
“Except for Victor,” Greydon interjected. “And, apparently, Juliette.”
Simone took a step towards her father and Caleb placed his hand on her sleeve to stop her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“It is all right,” Simone assured him.
Lord Hungerton watched her as she came closer. “Do you want to gloat?” he half-asked, half-demanded.
“No, I want you to know that I will not think of you after today, but I am sure you will think of me every moment until you die,” Simone said, coming to a stop in front of him. “You have no power over me or Mother anymore. We have won. You have lost. And now you will finally receive the comeuppance you so desperately deserve.”
With defiance in his eyes, Lord Hungerton held Simone’s gaze, remaining silent.
Fredrick grabbed Lord Hungerton’s arm. “Do you even want to say goodbye?” he asked.
“I already said my goodbyes earlier,” Lord Hungerton responded, showing no hint of remorse for what he had done.
