Chapter Fifty-Two
I t was good to see the terror in Jewel’s eyes. Who could possibly deserve it more?
The consequences of her actions were crashing down around her. She wasn’t untouchable after all.
Because of me, a man willing to end all this suffering.
“This is going to hurt,” I told her. “Brace yourself for a delicious death.”
“You wouldn’t dare in front of all these people.”
I shrugged. “These kinds of people love a good blood sport. Because they’re your people.”
She scanned the faces around her, as though looking for someone who would realize she was being threatened.
They all looked drugged out to me—high on booze, drugs, or endless sex. A heady combination and enough to be a welcome distraction.
Justice buzzed around her like an invisible bee, ready to deliver its final sting. How beautiful karma is, with its exquisite insight. Not one more person would suffer because of her. Not one more person would lose their life because of Jewel’s sick agenda.
“This is a decent place to die,” I bit out. “Bravo.”
She flew out of the crypt, scurrying along the hallway.
I’d never seen her behave this way before, as though she’d glimpsed her reflection in an unforgiving mirror.
I strolled casually after Jewel so as not to attract attention. I made sure I was away from the madding crowd before taking longer strides after her. Having viewed a map of the castle’s layout, I knew where she was headed—a dead end.
And it gave me a dark satisfaction.
Both of us made our way along stone corridors steeped in gloomy light, our footsteps falling on ancient rock. Generations had gone this way before us. Some with knowledge of what lay ahead, and others blindly entering the dark night of the soul.
I liked that I scared her.
She, too, would know what it was to endure suffering at the level she had caused others to feel. Jewel was responsible for millions of deaths. How many more people would she hurt if allowed to continue?
The idea that I could stop her gave me a twisted kind of pleasure.
The ghosts of this place who fought for victory against their oppressors would approve of the hunter turned hunted.
Jewel ran down serpentine corridors where time seemed to have stopped. For me, this felt intoxicating—the scent of damp stone, hearing her breathless gasps, the sharp rhythm of my relentless pursuit—it all caused my heart to race.
My final gift to the world… this.
Light shimmied ahead, and I felt a burst of chilling cold—the cave entrance was straight ahead.
Beyond the archway lay the rocky shoreline, and I heard the waves crashing as they met the beach. Rain pelted the ground, soaking everything in its wake.
Even Mother Nature was crying tears of relief.
Jewel was running along the pebble beach, her pace slowing as she tried to determine which way she should go, realizing she was out of choices.
Before her was a roaring horror as waves crashed against the rocks, spitting froth and foam.
I grew closer, cutting off her escape.
She either faced the crashing waves—or me.
Her eyes were glistening pools of terror. Her once perfect hair had fallen around her face in an unkempt mess. Her dress was now sopping wet from the downpour.
The howling wind seemed to applaud my efforts.
In a whirl of fabric and motion, she backed away. “What do you want? I can give you anything.”
Ignoring the cold, I slipped out of my tuxedo jacket and threw it down. “I want you to go away. Permanently.”
Both of us scanned our surroundings. She was still hoping for a way out, and I was intent on making sure she didn’t find one.
The sea surrounding the island was restless and unrelenting, its waters shifting between shades of steel gray and inky black under an angry sky. The tide crept in with deceptive speed, enveloping the narrow causeway that once connected the island to the mainland.
“How much?” she yelled.
“Are you trying to buy you’re way out of this?” I wasn’t surprised.
“Don’t underestimate me, Greyson. I’ve served kings their greatest fantasy. Presidents know my name. Whatever you desire can be yours.”
“I’m flattered, but no.”
“Is this because of the Cole girl?”
“Willa?” I shook my head. “There have been so many victims. It would be difficult to even name them all.”
“You can have Pendulum,” she spat out. “It’s yours.”
I sneered. “Let me check with our fourth partner.”
“Cameron?”
It didn’t matter now. “Yes.”
She gave a nod.
“You know where you went wrong? You went after Cameron through me.”
She looked surprised that I realized her motive.
“And you lured Willa into your world.”
Jewel gave me an ugly smile. “She’s smarter than I realized.”
“She was smart enough to find evidence of what you and Lance were doing abroad. If you were to survive my efforts to stop you, you would still be ruined.”
“What does she have?”
“Everything.”
“Is this revenge, Greyson, for your girlfriend?”
“Say her name.”
“Amelia was nothing. You and I both know that. She didn’t love you. Didn’t even like you.”
“Is this meant to help your case?”
“I’m trying to get you to see reason.”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
“Her life was meaningless.”
I balled my hands into fists. “You don’t even realize you’re doing it, do you?”
She raised her chin high. “I’m the deliverer of dreams.”
“The correct word is nightmares,” I said, stepping toward her. “Any last words?”
“Please, Greyson.” She stepped back. “This is a misunderstanding. Let’s go back inside and talk this through. I’ll make you a billionaire.”
“I’m already a billionaire.”
She blinked at me. “You’re an architect. I mean, you’re good…”
“Is that a ‘but’ I hear?”
“Who are you, really, Greyson Grantchester?”
Seconds passed and I wondered how Atticus felt when he had to do the unthinkable—end the life of Pendulum’s other villain, Roper. Did he question if he had it in him? When he came to realize he could take a life, how did he deal with it?
Our ability to become a monster—it was a mystery as deep as the dark depths spreading out before me.
Jewel’s expression changed to one of triumph.
I spun around to see what had caused the change in attitude.
My heart sank at the view.
Willa hadn’t stayed in the room where she was safe—she had followed me. Her brunette locks were drenched, along with her gold gown, which now clung to her trembling body.
Then I saw who was behind her. The brute who had killed Amelia was now holding Willa at gunpoint.
My throat tightened, and I clenched my fists, ready to fight him.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” Jewel shouted at me.
There was too much distance for me to tackle him and grab the gun. I pivoted back to her. “Take me. Let her go.”
“How admirable,” said Jewel, her confidence back.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Willa called out.
I gestured to Willa, motioning for her not to say anything else.
I had been foolish to believe she would stay in the room. I knew she was brave and resilient, and that she wanted to save me as well as the world—at her own expense.
We were similar in that way…wanting to do the right thing, even at the expense of our own survival.
I should have waited until Cameron had Willa in his sights.
My stomach twisted into knots as I looked back at Jewel, seeing her smug face, her true ugliness. Being in her presence made me feel disgust, proving she was a creature of hate.
“I have to know,” said Willa.
She was staring toward the ocean, all fear gone, as though knowing something we didn’t. Her bravery was compelling.
“Know what?” Jewel stepped forward, taking back her power.
“What does the black apple mean?” asked Willa. “I saw a woman eating one in Pendulum.”
“That’s what you want to ask me?” Jewel was astonished. “Of all the things you might want to know.”
Willa gave a nod.
I glanced behind her, wanting, no, needing, to rip that man apart, but one wrong move and he might pull the trigger, ending the life of the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.
Our future had seemed bright, a thing of exquisite beauty, but now that hope was threatened, because I had to finish this in the only way I knew how.
“The apple represents the dark truth,” said Jewel. “Most people in the world don’t want to face it.”
Willa looked confused. “How do you mean?”
“Ever the brilliant journalist,” Jewel mocked. “Wanting to dig deeper.”
“I found it intriguing,” Willa said calmly, taking a step forward, as though unaware of the terror looming behind her.
“Don’t move.” The monster’s threat was real.
Willa held my gaze with a serene expression, as though sharing that if this was our time to die, we would do it peacefully and with grace, and with hearts full of love.
My attention returned to the sea snake. I wanted to ask Jewel what had happened in the past to make her so evil. That masked dancer who had donned the garb of the devil and danced before her seemed quite fitting.
“Let Willa go, and I’ll share my secret. It’s a good trade.”
“You’ll tell me anyway,” she chided.
I shrugged. “It’s the exclusive you’ve been relentlessly pursuing.”
“That’s for me to decide.”
“It’s a doozy,” I said, smirking.
“So is the gun against your girlfriend’s head.”
That made my smirk fade. “I’m Celeste Starling’s son.”
The wind tore my words apart, carrying them into the air as though the secret itself was scattering into the ether.
Jewel looked stunned. “Celeste Starling, the actress?”
“Yes.”
I silently begged Celeste for forgiveness—but she would want it no other way, not if it meant Willa would be saved.
Jewel looked thoughtful. “That would make your father…”
“Yes.”
“Well, that is newsworthy, Greyson.”
“Now let Willa go.”
“I want the full story.”
“Agreed. Then you get me, in whatever capacity you want. Roll me out on your news shows, the evening talk shows.” I opened my arms. “I’ll be yours to do with as you please.”
She looked triumphant. “How heroic.”
“Least I can do.”
“You wanted to kill me?” She shook her head, grimacing. “That won’t change.”
“You and I are both good at the grand pivot.”
Jewel stepped closer. “Are you ready for me to make a mockery of you, and your mother and your arrogant father? You do realize you’re giving me the ability to stain your existence.”
“It’s part of the deal.”
Her smile was evil. “Prepare to be humiliated.”
Jewel had certainly prepared me for that. Though keeping my mouth shut at this point was wise.
Jewel had to see she had won—and she would soon revel in it.
I glanced toward Willa, needing her to know I would take care of the situation. “Go back inside.” I turned toward the gunman. “And you’ll let her.”
He was waiting for an order. I prayed it was the right one. If anything happened to Willa, I might as well be dead, too.
A sound rose out of the roaring waves.
Peering into the murkiness, I finally saw a speedboat appear not that far from shore, slowing its approach. Whoever was aboard had to see us on the shoreline. The boat’s engine idled as it kept its distance. I could make out four distinct figures on board.
“Are they ours?” Jewel asked her man.
He looked confused as he shook his head no.
Willa’s expression was filled with relief. “It’s them.”
She was right—it was Cameron and Shay, along with Atticus and Jake. They were the remarkable friends I never took for granted.
Cameron’s timing was impeccable.
Jewel didn’t know they were here for us. Her smile was uneasy.
In that moment, I sensed the castle had seen all this before. Its long history had stained these shores with the blood of countless innocents. But not today.
A shot rang out.
The man with the gun fell back, struck by a bullet in his chest. He now lay dead a few feet from Willa. Gasping, she turned and peered down at him, staring at his blood-stained shirt.
“You’re next,” I told Jewel.
She bolted toward the rocks, lifting her hem and kicking off her shoes. Jewel was trying to get around the shoreline, braving the uneven terrain with water lapping at her heels.
I imagined her soles were being torn to ribbons, ripped raw as she scrambled over the jagged rocks. The same woman who had once been a goddess of pain—untouchable, unreachable, and worshipped in the news industry—was nothing here, stripped of the power she wielded in her world.
She hadn’t counted on the wild, unforgiving forces of nature slowing her escape.
Mother Earth was harnessing her own unique brand of darkness.
“Stay here!” I called out to Willa.
And then I went after Jewel. There was no need to rush.
I climbed up the slick, craggy terrain, my shoes slipping now and then, but not caring. Behind me, I heard Willa desperately calling out, her voice fading into the night.
I can’t stop. Not now.
I was unwilling to let Jewel get away this time.
To our right, the sea stretched out, black and endless. The waves lunged at her, as though they desperately wanted to steal my right to destroy her.
The cold stung my face and burrowed deep into the marrow of my bones.
Jewel stumbled, yelping as her palms met the bedrock, cutting her skin with an indiscriminate swiftness.
The speedboat sounded like it was getting closer. Turning slightly, I made sure it was Cameron and the others, feeling confident that Willa was safe at last. The men climbed out of the boat, which was no easy task, but they were all as determined as me.
I turned my back on them and proceeded to where hell beckoned.
The waves lapped at my ankles with an eerie rhythm, with each surge of water reaching higher.
Sea foam stretched greedily and then retreated with a sucking hiss, only to return more insistent. The air was thick with salt and drama, carried on a howling wind.
I was getting closer to Jewel now, close enough to reach out and grab her…
Another larger wave hit us both.
Steadying myself, I regained my balance, blinking as water blurred my vision.
I wiped my eyes and saw she was no longer ahead of me.
Jewel was gone.
The wave had snatched her away.
My yell could be heard above the chaos.
Beneath my feet, water churned with a malevolence that seemed alive. The sea wasn’t merely water; it was a shifting, breathing entity, its depths filled with secrets.
And it had swallowed my enemy.
Peering out to sea, I saw Jewel rise to the surface, gasping for air, her hands waving wildly for help, only to disappear beneath the surface of the water again.
I watched and saw nothing, just the crashing of waves.
Then a hand rose out of the mire, grasping the edge of rock, and Jewel’s face rose above the dark water. “Help me. Please.”
Pausing, I contemplated her words. Me, the man on the edge, the only witness.
In our darkest moments, doing the right thing means making the hardest choice. I was confronting the essence of my own morality, desperate to know mercy, doused in a strange kind of madness.
I reached out and tried to grab her hand, trusting that fate would be her judge, and the world her jury.
Jewel was a bloodied mess, her face contorting with rage, her eyes wide with a familiar torment.
She reached up and seized my wrist, yanking me forward and pulling me into the tumultuous sea.
We came up together, both of us gasping for air.
There was a moment where time slowed and I let go, surrendering, not fighting it, giving my fate over to destiny.
The deep seemed to swallow her whole.
One moment she was there, flailing, gasping, and in the next she was gone.
The sea closed over her, indifferent to her struggles.
It claimed me, too.
Gripped by frigid tendrils, I was held forcefully in its merciless grasp.
I stared up at the surface above me, a full moon fading out of sight as the current took me.
I felt a thousand shards of agony in my chest as my breath was ripped from my lungs. The surging sea coiled around me, yanking me down, dragging me this way and that, water rushing into my mouth and nose, choking me.
I fought my way back to the surface, fighting for her. If this was my last breath, I would use it to say the only name that mattered. “Willa.”
The current pulled me back beneath the waves.
I was thrashing, tumbling, spinning towards the jagged rocks, dragged along by an unforgiving force.
I rose up, my head out of the water, reaching for the rocks, bracing myself for the agony of my flesh being sliced into ribbons.
All I could think about was getting back to her—my Willa.