Chapter 4 - RUN
“DOWN!”
Mercer tackled Maya behind a steel prep table as bullets shattered the kitchen windows.
People screamed.
Cooks crawled under counters.
Charles dropped behind a refrigerator.
Daniel drew his weapon and fired toward the alley.
The SUV roared away.
“Luis!” Maya screamed.
She shoved Mercer off and ran outside.
“Maya!”
Her shoes slipped on broken glass.
Luis was gone.
Blood dotted the pavement.
“No.”
Maya followed the drops around a dumpster and found him collapsed behind a delivery truck.
“Luis!”
He opened his eyes.
“Maya?”
She dropped beside him.
Blood soaked his left sleeve.
“You idiot.”
“Nice to see you too.”
She pressed both hands against the wound.
“You’re shot.”
“Arm.”
“You could’ve been killed!”
“That was kind of the idea.”
Mercer arrived with Daniel.
“Hands where I can see them!”
Luis laughed weakly.
“Detective, I’m bleeding. My hands are busy.”
“Who shot at you?”
Luis looked toward Charles, who had followed more slowly.
His expression changed.
“Him.”
Charles stared back.
“You’ve got some nerve.”
Luis tried to stand.
Maya held him down.
“Stop.”
“He killed Adrian.”
Charles snapped, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Mercer crouched.
“You were in the pantry tonight.”
“Yes.”
“You touched Mr. Sterling’s decanter.”
“Yes.”
Maya stared at her brother.
“Why?”
“To switch it.”
Silence.
Luis looked at her.
“Eleanor told me she was scared Charles would poison her. She said the decanter was part of some plan. She paid me to replace it.”
“That makes no sense,” Mercer said.
“Because she lied to me.”
Luis winced.
“I didn’t know she was poisoning him until I saw her put the bottle away.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
“I tried.”
“You left.”
“She threatened Maya.”
Maya went still.
“What?”
Luis reached into his jacket with two fingers.
Daniel aimed his weapon.
“Slow.”
Luis pulled out a small photograph.
He handed it to Maya.
It showed Maya leaving her apartment three days earlier.
Taken from across the street.
On the back, written in black marker:
HELP ME, OR SHE DIES FIRST.
Maya felt sick.
“She had someone watching me?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because telling you was exactly what she said would get you hurt.”
An ambulance siren approached.
Mercer took the photograph.
“Who was Eleanor working with?”
Luis looked at Charles.
“Ask him.”
Charles laughed bitterly.
“Enough with this.”
Luis suddenly grabbed Maya’s wrist.
“Listen to me.”
She leaned closer.
“Adrian didn’t die in that car.”
Charles shouted, “Shut up.”
Luis smiled through the pain.
“See?”
Mercer looked between them.
“What does that mean?”
Luis whispered, “There was a body in the car.”
Maya frowned.
“But?”
“It wasn’t Adrian.”
Charles lunged.
Daniel stopped him.
“You lying little—”
Luis shouted over him.
“ADRIAN STERLING IS ALIVE.”
Nobody moved.
Maya stared at Charles.
May you like
Charles stared at Luis.
And Charles’s silence told her everything.
