These guys were clearly desperate–dangerous men with nothing to lose. All they cared about was the money.

    It wasn’t just a million; even if it were two million, Elissa wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.

    The tattooed man stared, almost in disbelief, and shot a look at the man with the scar. “Boss, is she… is she really that rich?”

    “I can go higher,” Elissa offered, catching the glimmer of interest in their eyes. She pressed the advantage, her voice smooth and persuasive. “Tell me who hired you, and I’ll add another half a million. That’s one and a

    half million in total.”

    One and a half million.

    Now it wasn’t just the tattooed guy–every man in the room had their eyes fixed on her, hungry and wide with greed.

    ww

    With five hundred thousand, each of them would barely scrape together fifty grand apiece, which was already a fortune to men like this.

    But now? One and a half million.

    Even after the boss took his cut, each of them would walk away with at least a hundred grand–money that would take the average person a lifetime to earn.

    They’dnded this job purely by chance. Who knew when they’d get another opportunity like this?

    The scarred man looked Elissa up and down, suspicion flickering in his eyes. “You really have that kind of cash?”

    “I do,” Elissa replied, not the least bit rattled. Despite being tied up, she met his gaze coolly. “Your client just wants me dead, right? You’ve already got gasoline ready–nning on burning me alive?”

    12:08

    Their surprise was obvious, but Elissa pressed on. “And you’ve got

    explosives prepared, too, I bet. When everything goes up in mes, who’s going to know if you let me go or killed me?”

    “One and a half million. I can wire it to you as soon as I walk out of here. And you’ll still get your client’s payment–two million in total. That’s more than enough to get out of this life for good, isn’t it?”

    Her words set off a ripple of excitement. The tattooed man and his crew couldn’t hide their grins now.

    It was just too much money.

    They nced at the scarred man, barely able to contain themselves. “Boss, maybe we should-”

    “Maybe we should what?” Scarred Man snapped, though a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. He quickly shoved it down, barking, “You think you can just take the money and not worry about your life? Did you forget who our client is? In Vistapeak City, besides the Murphy family, there’s only-”

    He caught himself mid–sentence, ncing warily at Elissa and cutting off

    the rest.

    But Elissa already knew.

    In Vistapeak City, if not the Murphy family, then it had to be the Atwater family.

    The Atwaters…

    If someone wanted her dead this badly, who else could it be but Marcia?

    Elissa was about to speak when a child’s sobs broke through the tension.

    “That little brat’s awake,” the tattooed man grumbled, annoyed. He shot a look at two of his buddies. “Go bring him out.”

    Momentster, Elissa watched as they dragged a small boy from a side

    room.

    12:08

    It was Hickey.

    Marcia never tired of using her own son as leverage.

    As soon as Hickey spotted Elissa, the terror in his eyes turned instantly to hope. He wailed, “Auntie Elissa! Please, save me!”

    He fought the men holding him, struggling toward Elissa with all the strength he could muster, desperate for her protection. There was no trace left of the usual disdain or resentment he’d shown her before.

    Elissa realized, perhaps she’d always been a little cold–blooded.

    Even now, seeing Hickey sobbing his heart out, her eyes remained hard. She nced at the scarred man and said tly, “Let me guess. Your client told you not toy a finger on him, didn’t they?”

    12:08