Chapter 25 #2
“Because men like your husband possess a singular weakness.”
She frowned. “And what is that?”
“They care.” The words hung in the air. “They become predictable.”
Jane felt something cold settle beneath her ribs. “You believe Hector will come after me.”
“I know he will.”
“You seem very confident.”
“I’ve watched him.” A tiny pulse flickered in his jaw. “He has become... exceptionally devoted to your welfare.”
Jane’s heart pounded. Strachan had been observing them. Perhaps for weeks. Perhaps even longer.
She forced herself to sound calmer than she felt. “If you’ve watched us so closely, then you know he won’t stop.”
“No.” A slow smile spread across Strachan’s face. “He won’t.”
Jane saw genuine anticipation in the crime lord’s eyes. Expectation. As though this had never truly been about her at all. As though she were merely the bait. And Hector... Hector was the prey.
Lady Wynten’s fear finally broke through the silence.
The tears that had been quietly falling down her cheeks became louder, more desperate sobs. Her shoulders shook beneath Strachan’s grip, and Jane felt every sound like a blade twisting beneath her ribs.
“Mother,” she whispered.
She wanted to reach her. She wanted to pull her away from this man and tell her everything would be all right. But she couldn’t. Not with the pistol still pressed against her.
Strachan’s expression hardened. “Enough.”
Lady Wynten tried to quiet herself, but panic had taken control. Her breathing came in uneven gasps, her eyes wide with terror.
“I said, enough.”
The next moment happened so quickly that Jane barely understood it. Strachan moved. The butt of the pistol struck against her mother’s temple with a sickening crack.
Jane screamed. “Mother!”
Her mother’s body went limp before she could even process what had happened. She collapsed against the floor. Jane was already moving. She forgot the weapon. Forgot the danger. Forgot every lesson Hector had ever taught her.
She dropped to her knees beside her mother, gathering her carefully into her arms. “Mother. Please.”
No response. Only the faint rise and fall of her breathing. Alive. Thank God.
Jane looked up at Strachan, horror and fury battling inside her. “You monster.”
For a moment, the room was silent. Then Strachan laughed. A quiet, amused sound that made Jane’s skin crawl. “You should be careful with such accusations.”
Her hands trembled as she brushed a strand of hair away from her mother’s face. “You hurt an innocent woman.”
“No.” His smile faded. “I removed an obstacle.”
“You are a monster.”
Strachan stepped closer. “And you should have known better than to meddle with monsters if you did not wish to face one.”
Jane hated that her body reacted before her mind did. She wanted to retreat. She wanted Hector. But she remained where she was. Her mother needed her.
A movement near the fireplace caught her attention. Zachary. He looked as though he might be sick. All the arrogance, all the superiority he had carried for years, had vanished.
“Strachan,” he said quickly.
The crime lord turned.
“I upheld my part of the bargain.”
Jane’s head snapped toward him. Bargain. The word confirmed what she already suspected. Zachary had known. Perhaps not everything. Perhaps not the extent of it. But enough.
“I provided access,” Zachary continued. “I arranged the meeting. I did everything you asked.”
Strachan stared at him. Then slowly, deliberately, he lifted the pistol. This time, he pointed it at Zachary.
Her uncle’s face drained of color. “Wait.”
Strachan took another step. “You misunderstand your position.”
“I helped you.”
“You helped yourself.”
“I did what we agreed.”
“And now you are an inconvenience.”
Zachary’s composure shattered. “No.” His voice rose. “No, you cannot do this.”
Jane watched in disbelief as the man who had terrorized her for years began to beg.
“I gave you what you wanted.”
Strachan tilted his head. “Did you?”
“Please.”
The word was so pathetic that Jane almost didn’t recognize him.
She knew she should feel satisfaction. She should feel relief that he was finally afraid of someone else.
Instead, all she felt was urgency. Because a desperate man with a pistol was still a dangerous man.
And Strachan was enjoying this far too much.
“Enough.” Her own voice surprised her.
Both men looked toward her. Jane slowly rose from the floor. Every part of her wanted to run back to her mother. But if Strachan pulled that trigger… She could not allow him to focus on Zachary. Not when she could still control where his attention went.
“Leave him.”
Strachan’s eyes narrowed with interest.
Jane forced herself to stand straighter. “What do you truly want?”
The room went still. Strachan lowered the pistol slightly. Not because he had lost interest. Because he had found something far more entertaining. Her.
He moved toward her slowly. Each step deliberate. Each step reminding her that he believed he owned this room. Owned everyone inside it.
“What do I want?” His gaze traveled over her face. “You still don’t understand.”
Jane refused to look away.
Strachan smiled. “Your husband is a difficult man to hurt. But everyone has a weakness. And his weakness...is that he loves you.”
Jane’s heart pounded. She said nothing.
Strachan leaned closer. “Hurting you will wound the Duke of Sunderford far more deeply than any bullet ever could.”
The words settled over her like ice. Because in that moment, Jane understood. She was not the target. She was the weapon. And Strachan intended to use her against Hector.