16. A Grotesque Gift #4
"Fifty grand?" Iris asked with a frown.
"Yes, fifty grand. Marcus was a lot of things, but innocent was not one of them.
" He said with a snort. "Your optimism is sweet, but I have all the proof I needed to condemn him.
We're in my world now, ma fleur. And you know what I am here?
" Iris shook her head nervously, the intensity in his words caused discomfort to rise within her.
She didn't know what he was. She had suspected he was connected to some sort of criminal ring, but she knew nothing for sure. After what happened this morning, though, it was clear that he didn't operate in the same world as she did. Or the rest of the world, for that matter.
He killed a man with no hesitation. No regret. She knew what that meant. It wasn't his first. And she knew it wouldn't be his last.
"I'm the judge, jury, and if I choose to be, I'm the executioner." His hands came up to clasp her around the shoulders. "My word is law. No one questions me. I knew he was guilty, and I dolled out his punishment. I'll do it again, and you're going to need to handle that."
"And if I can't do that?" His eyes go black, and his whole body seemed to tense.
"You don't have a fucking choice, so you're going to figure it out." He stared at her challengingly. She met his stare with one of her own.
"How did you know he was guilty?" She asked, ignoring the rest of his threat. She didn't have the energy to deal with that yet.
"Because there are two backup logs to track who approved every gift that came into the house.
It also recorded who physically placed a present on those tables.
The tablet in the room was one that they entered the gifts manually into, and the other two worked off facial recognition and scanners monitoring the room.
They tracked every person who came into contact with those gifts and documented it all.
He tampered with the log in the room, but the other logs showed the truth.
Not to mention the hidden cameras picked him up sneaking in late last night to replace the real present with that disgusting rabbit.
And the icing on the cake was the cool fifty thousand that was deposited into his account just two days ago. "
Her eyes blew wide open. The evidence seemed damning, she had to agree.
Marcus wasn't innocent. No, he had sided with her potential killer, and all it took was a measly fifty thousand.
Realization crashed through her. She fell back against the thick cushions.
Whoever was after her, he had more resources than she ever suspected.
Someone who was able to push back against Nash himself.
Whoever this was, they had money, connections, and drugs. He convinced Sarah to kill her by drugging her up. Then killed her while she was under police guard at a mental hospital.
Now this. Breeching security in the one place Nash had called his fortress. Was anywhere safe? She watched as he pulled out his phone and his thumb swiped across the screen. Whatever he read seemed to put him at ease, and he lifted his gaze to look at her.
"We're going, come on." He said, then lifted her from the chair with a firm hand on her elbow.
"Going where?" She asked while he shuffled her off the balcony and pulled her into their room.
"Back to the city," he spoke while striding quickly through the house. He moved so quickly that soon she was jogging to keep up with him.
"Is it safe there?" She asked, huffing quietly. She needed to workout, her bedrest did a number on her stamina. "I thought that was why we were here."
"I had security at the penthouse tightened." His eyes were locked on their surroundings, constantly moving. Fear shot through her. DId he think an attack was going to happen here?
"Is it safer than here?" He nodded his head and her eyes bulged as she marvelled at him. "How is that possible? This was your fortress. We came here because you thought the penthouse wasn't safe enough."
"Because this fortress requires guards. Who can be bought, apparently.
I had the best security system on the planet installed at the penthouse, and not one guard will need to be inside.
" He stopped dead in the grand foyer they had left only a few minutes before.
Her eyes darted around, staring at the pristine tile.
Marcus's body was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't a single fleck of blood left on the floor.
How did they clean it up so quickly? Nash's hands came up, and he cupped her face.
"The nearest a guard will need to be is outside in the hallway.
Only I'll have access to open the door inside.
No one but my absolute most loyal guards will even have the elevator codes.
You will be safe." He dropped his head to press their foreheads together.
"No one will ever get to you again. I promise. "
His words rendered her mute. She followed him numbly.
Safe? Maybe. But it sounded more like a prison than a sanctuary. No one in. But... how would she get out?