Chapter 4: Sisterhood and Snares

Louise’s eyes glint with murder as soon as she sees me. But when Lucy enters, her tone softens—sweet as honey over a blade. "Sister, what brings you here?"

Lucy laughs, brittle and sharp. "I heard you want to kill him. Such a golden opportunity—can I do it myself?"

I’m stunned. "Ruthless woman! I am your son’s real father!"

Lucy turns to Louise, lips curled in a mocking smile. "Sister, he’s talking nonsense."

Louise laughs, a cold sound. "Then I’ll leave him to you."

The guards tie me up and throw me before Lucy.

"Precisely because you’re my son’s father, I want you dead," Lucy says, voice flat as steel.

This is the longest death. The Louise women—cold-blooded, every one of them. From the start, Lucy wanted me dead; coming to Whitehall Mansion with me was just to make my end more miserable.

Somewhere outside, the drone of news radio mingles with the muffled sounds of D.C.—in America, sometimes your worst enemies share your blood, and the only thing sharper than a knife in your back is the smile on their face.