Chapter 8 - The Trap Springs
"Who is it?" Clara asked, her voice tight.
"It is Marcus," Victor said.
"My underboss."
"He made a deal with the Colombians to take over the ports."
Clara thought about Silas leaving to find the doctor.
"Silas just left to find Dr. Aris," she warned him.
"Marcus will use Aris to frame Silas."
Victor stood up, tucking the pistol into the waistband of his dark trousers.
"Silas knows exactly what he is walking into."
"He is bait."
Victor walked toward the door, stopping right in front of Clara.
He reached out and gently tucked a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear.
His touch was absurdly gentle for a man holding a loaded weapon.
"Lock the door behind me."
"Do not let anyone inside unless it is me or Silas."
"Understand?"
Clara nodded, her throat suddenly dry.
"Be careful," she whispered.
Victor offered her a dark, dangerous smile.
"I am the monster they are afraid of in the dark, Clara."
"They are the ones who need to be careful."
He stepped out into the hallway, and Clara locked the heavy oak door behind him.
For an hour, the mansion was dead silent.
Then, the sound of a single gunshot echoed from the first floor.
Clara jumped, backing away from the door.
Three more shots followed in rapid succession.
She heard heavy boots running up the grand staircase.
Someone pounded violently on her door.
"Clara!" a voice shouted.
It was Marcus.
"Victor is hit, open the door, I need your help!"
Clara did not move.
She remembered Victor's strict instructions.
"Clara, open the damn door!" Marcus screamed, jiggling the brass handle violently.
She backed further into the room, picking up a heavy bronze lamp from the bedside table.
"He is bleeding to death out here!" Marcus yelled.
Clara took a deep breath.
"Slide his blood under the door," she called out coldly.
The pounding stopped.
A heavy silence fell over the hallway.
May you like
Then, a new sound echoed through the wood.
The sound of Victor Kaine’s dark, rumbling laughter.
