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Chase narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said you weren’t the Voice.”
“I’m not.” Gillen grinned. “But the Voice speaks for me.”
“Just tell me why,” pleaded Chase. “Why didn’t you just hire some damn lobbyists to blow past your roadblocks? Why all this? The stadium? The plant? The Metro?My family?Why?”
Gillen sidestepped the questions. “After two decades, Avalon is finally on track to be the top dog. We can withstand a lot, but not an antitrust investigation. Not right now. I wasn’t lying to you when I told you I had the utmost respect for your wife. But she accessed… a tranche of private investments. Shay Summers was a ticking time bomb. We had to act decisively before she filed a whistleblower complaint. Or worse.”
“Oh, God,” said Chase, bending over. “I feel sick.”
“You know, I ran my own risk analysis on you, Chase. I’ll give you this—you’re nothing if not persistent. You would have caused too many problems unless I made you culpable.”
“You’re insane,” said Chase, tears in his eyes.
“No, Chase,you’reinsane. That’s the point! My executive assistant and two security guards will testify to your aggressive tactics and wild conspiracy theories. Your wife must have discovered your harebrained scheme and the shame was too overwhelming. You couldn’t stand the look in her eyes, in your children’s eyes, so you murdered your entire family. Finally, broke and with nothing left to lose, you kidnapped me. But I got the drop on you.
“It’s such a perfect plan, Weldon, and Avalon products are nothing if not elegant. Don’t feel too bad. I’m a futurist. I was always going to get the drop on you.”
Chase looked around, stymied. He squeezed his eyes shut and balled his fists.
“I know it’s cold comfort,” Gillen continued, “but I really am sorry about your family. I just couldn’t let Shay ruin what I’ve spent my life building. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”
“Can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs?” said Chase, his teeth gritted.
“In fairness, it’s going to be one hell of an omelet.”
Gillen pulled the trigger and kept squeezing until the slide locked to the rear. Once the deafening sound faded, Chase, still on his feet, opened one eye.
“Damn, that was loud,” said a voice in his ear.
Chase touched his hidden earpiece. “Sorry about that, kiddo.”
“Just punch this douchebag in the face already.”
“Roger that.”
“Who the hell are you talking to?” asked Gillen, incredulous.
“My family,” said Chase, advancing. He cracked his knuckles. “Did I not mention they were still alive?”
CHAPTER 23
SHAY CHECKED HER watch, took a slow, deliberate sip of her coffee, then looked at the man across from her. He wore a sour look.
“Should be any time now,” she said.
Seated at his kitchen table, Captain Townsend Wade stared back at the woman who had turned it into an impromptu OPCEN and, Shay guessed, his normally quiet evening into a royal headache. The Weldons were imposing on him, but Shay didn’t care.
It was the least he could do, she thought.
Beside Shay was Madison, hovering over her laptop. In the corner was Luke, scratching Titus’s belly. Though the massive cane corso weighed more than her son, he was kicking at the air with his hind legs and scooting along the floor on his back, eyes wide and tongue lolling, as happy as a manic puppy.
“Must he do that?” asked Wade, making a face.
“He’s happy,” said Shay.
“Who?”
“Both of them.”
