Chapter 6 - A Midnight Betrayal
Friday evening arrived under a blanket of torrential rain and howling winds off the lake. The grand ballroom of the Mercer estate was packed with three hundred guests, senators, judges, and tycoons celebrating the news that had broken at four o'clock: the grand jury had completely rejected Special Prosecutor Warren’s indictment for lack of credible evidence. Mercer Holdings was vindicated.
Penelope was dressed in a gown of midnight blue silk that shimmered like starlight, but her mind was completely frayed. Cassian had spent the evening shaking hands and receiving congratulations, but his eyes were constantly scanning the room, tense, coiled, waiting for something to strike.
Around eleven o'clock, the music slowed to a quiet waltz. Penelope slipped away from the noise, heading toward the quieter library wing to catch her breath and nurse a glass of sparkling water.
As she stepped into the dimly lit, wood-paneled corridor leading to the library, a frantic hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the shadows.
"Penelope! Thank God," Julian whispered frantically.
She tried to pull away, but Julian’s grip was surprisingly tight, his fingernails digging through her silk sleeve. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, his face pale with terror.
"Let go of me, Julian! I told you I can't talk to you!" she hissed, trying to break free without causing a scene.
"You have to listen to me! Cassian is going to be murdered tonight!"
The words hit her like a blast of freezing water. "What?"
"Warren lost the grand jury, but he made a deal with Cassian's old rivals from the waterfront union," Julian whispered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "They planted an explosive charge in Cassian’s private town car. When he leaves tonight to escort you to your bakery, the car will detonate at the gate! They’re going to frame me for it!"
"Why are you telling me this?!" Penelope cried, panic seizing her chest. "Go tell security! Tell the police!"
"The security team has been compromised! Cassian’s chief of security, Keller, is in on it!" Julian pulled her further into the dark library, slamming the heavy oak doors shut. "The only person who can stop this is Warren! He’s parked two miles down the road in an unmarked van. He has federal agents who can raid the gate and disarm the device before Cassian gets into that car!"
Penelope’s thoughts were racing. Was Julian telling the truth? Was Cassian walking into an ambush? The image of Cassian’s town car exploding into a fireball, of the man who had kissed her so tenderly being torn apart by shrapnel, made her knees go weak with terror.
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"How do we reach him?" she asked, tears filling her eyes.
"The secure line on the desk," Julian urged, pointing to the antique telephone resting beside a green banker's lamp. "Dial the emergency override. Beg Warren to send the tactical team. If you do it, Warren will know it's not a trap. He trusts you. He knows you're an innocent victim caught in Cassian's web. You have to save his life, Penelope! Do it now!"
