CHAPTER 76.
THE FINAL ATTACK
The car ride home felt like moving through water. Everything slowed down, sounds muffled, my own heartbeat too loud in my ears.
William kept glancing at me. "Kate, talk to me."
I couldn't stop seeing that smile. The one that promised I'd end up just like my parents.
"Kate." His hand found mine. "Whose voice was it?"
"I don't know yet." The lie tasted bitter. "But I will."
Tina sat in the back seat, unusually quiet. She knew I was lying too.
We pulled up to the mansion and I practically ran inside. The walls felt like they were closing in. I needed air, space, something.
"Mrs. Dray?" One of the housekeepers appeared. "Are you alright? Can I get you anything?"
"No. I'm fine." I wasn't fine. "Just tired."
William dismissed her with a nod and steered me toward the living room. "Sit."
"I don't want to sit."
"Kate."
"Stop saying my name like that." I pulled away from him. "I'm not some fragile doll about to break."
"You're shaking."
I looked down at my hands. He was right. They trembled like leaves in a storm.
Tina sat beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "It's okay to be scared."
"I'm not scared." My voice cracked. "I'm furious."
"You can be both."
The doorbell rang. William's entire body went rigid.
"Stay here." He moved toward the entrance hall but I was already on my feet.
"If someone's coming for me I want to see their face."
"Kate for once just listen to me."
I ignored him and followed. Through the window I could see Liam pacing on the front steps, his phone pressed to his ear.
William opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
Liam's face was pale. "We have a problem. A big one."
"What kind of problem?" I pushed past William.
"Carlos escaped."
The words hung in the air like smoke. I couldn't have heard that right.
"What do you mean escaped?" William's voice dropped to something dangerous. "He was in police custody."
"Someone helped him." Liam ran a hand through his hair. "Two guards are in the hospital, three others are dead. They found a black SUV abandoned two blocks from the station but no trace of Carlos."
My legs went weak. Tina caught me before I could fall.
"When?" William demanded.
"Twenty minutes ago. I came straight here." Liam looked at me. "Kate, he left a message on the precinct wall. Written in blood."
I didn't want to know. Didn't want to hear it.
"What did it say?"
"She took everything from me. Now I'll take everything from her."
The room tilted. Or maybe I did.
"Get everyone inside." William's voice cut through the fog. "Every security guard, every staff member. No one leaves, no one enters without my direct approval."
"Already done." Liam pulled out his phone. "Jeremy's working on tracking Carlos's phone but it's been turned off. We're checking traffic cameras, running facial recognition at every exit point in the city."
"He won't leave the city." I heard myself speaking but the voice didn't sound like mine. "He wants me dead first."
"That's not going to happen." William grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Do you hear me? I won't let him touch you."
"You can't promise that."
"Watch me."
Tina's phone buzzed. She looked at the screen and her face went white.
"What?" I grabbed it from her hands.
A photo. Me leaving the hotel tonight, a red X drawn over my face. The message underneath made my stomach drop.
"Accidents happen every day. Especially to pregnant women."
"Oh my God." Tina snatched the phone back. "He's threatening the baby now?"
William took one look at the message and his jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind. "Liam, I want every inch of this property secured. Cameras, motion sensors, armed guards at every entrance. And get me Donovan's location right now."
"You think Donovan helped him escape?" Liam was already typing.
"Carlos doesn't have those kinds of resources on his own. Someone with serious money and connections pulled this off." William turned to me. "Pack a bag. We're leaving."
"What? No." I stood my ground. "I'm not running from him."
"This isn't about bravery Kate, it's about survival."
"If I run now he wins. He gets to keep destroying lives while I hide like a coward."
"You're not a coward, you're pregnant and he just threatened our child."
"Which is exactly why I need to end this." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "If we run he'll just follow. If we hide he'll wait. The only way this stops is if we stop him first."
Tina grabbed my arm. "Kate, be reasonable. The man is unhinged."
"So am I." I looked between the three of them. "My entire life has been shaped by his greed. He murdered my parents, stole my inheritance, tried to destroy my husband. And now he's threatening my baby?" I laughed but it sounded broken. "No. I'm done being his victim."
"Then what do you suggest?" William asked quietly.
"We use me as bait."
"Absolutely not."
"He wants me dead right? So let's give him the opportunity. Set a trap, make him think he's won, and when he comes for me—" I made a snapping motion with my hands. "We catch him."
"That's insane." Liam shook his head. "There are too many variables, too many things that could go wrong."
"You have a better idea?"
Silence.
"I didn't think so."
William paced the length of the room, his mind clearly working through scenarios. Finally he stopped and looked at me with something between admiration and fury.
"If we do this, and that's a very big if, you follow every instruction I give. No improvising, no heroics, no putting yourself in unnecessary danger."
"Deal."
"I'm not finished." He moved closer, his voice dropping. "The second I think you or the baby are at risk, we abort. No arguments, no negotiations. Understood?"
I nodded.
"Say it."
"Understood."
Tina groaned. "I can't believe I'm about to say this but I'm in. Whatever you need."
"You don't have to do this." I turned to her.
"Yes I do. You're my best friend and I'm not letting you face that monster alone." She squeezed my hand. "Plus someone needs to keep you from doing something stupid."
"That's my job." William almost smiled.
My phone rang. Unknown number again.
I answered before anyone could stop me. "Hello Carlos."
Heavy breathing. Then that voice, the one from my nightmares.
"Smart girl. I knew you'd figure it out eventually."
"Where are you?"
"Closer than you think." I heard traffic in the background, horns honking. "Did you like my message? I thought the blood was a nice touch."
"You're sick."
"I'm practical. You took everything from me tonight Kate. My reputation, my freedom, my future. So now I'm going to take everything from you. Starting with that baby you're carrying."
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach. William's eyes followed the movement and something dark and dangerous flickered across his face.
"You won't get near her." I kept my voice steady. "Or me."
"Oh Katie." He laughed and it sounded like breaking glass. "I'm already there."
The line went dead.
William grabbed my phone, checking the number. "Liam, trace this call now."
"On it." Liam was already moving.
A crash came from upstairs. Glass shattering, wood splintering.
We all froze.
"Stay behind me." William pulled me back.
Another crash. This time from the kitchen.
"He's inside." Tina's voice shook. "Oh God, he's inside the house."
The lights went out.
In the darkness I heard footsteps. Slow, deliberate, coming down the main staircase.
Then Carlos's voice, singsong and terrifying.
"Come out come out wherever you are."