eye, I saw Cassius and Weston inching closer to Petr and Jessa. Distraction.
I answered her question with one of my own. “Why did you kill my dad?”
Her face paled. “What? I—”
“Don’t lie to me!”
Our eyes met, and hers narrowed. “How did you know?”
And there it was. She’d admitted it. A spark of white-hot rage ignited inside me, rushing through my blood, turning it to fire. It fuelled me. “Why do you think I came to Alstone? I knew there was something suspicious about his death.”
Her face hardened. “He deserved it—poking his nose where it didn’t belong. He knew too much. Thanks to my connections with the Strelichevos, I was able to arrange an ‘accidental’ gas leak.” A smug, satisfied smile spread across her face. “He really should have been more careful.”
The fire raged inside me, and I dug my nails into my palms so tightly, I felt the skin break. Tiny pinpricks of blood heated my chilled fingertips. “You killed the only parent I ever knew. The only one who ever cared about me.” My words were calm, measured, though it was costing me everything I had to keep the fury from bleeding through my voice.
Caiden’s breath ruffled my hair, and I felt his body tense behind mine. I hoped he’d stay in place—Christine seemed to have temporarily forgotten about him, and the longer I could keep the attention on me, the better.
“You were better off without him. Look at you now. Attending one of the most prestigious universities in the country, a guaranteed legacy, countless riches once you join me on the board of Alstone Holdings.”
“Once I join you?” I focused on the final part of her speech. “How, exactly, is that going to happen? I’m not a Cavendish.”
She laughed. “The Cavendishes will cease to be an issue, as of tomorrow.”
My stomach flipped, and everything seemed to still. “What do you mean by that?”
“I may as well tell you. The De Witt deal that Arlo has been working on? It will be signed tomorrow morning, and after that, Arlo will no longer be of use to me. Your stepbrother, here, he will pay tonight.”
“What do you mean?” My words were a breathless whisper.
She directed a poisonous smile in Caiden’s direction. “Imagine my surprise when Allan and Mr. Hyde were taken from right under our noses this evening. I had no idea who could have done such a thing, until Petr came to me, bleeding from the arm and holding a knife. One of the very knives that Arlo had purchased for his eldest son, the Christmas before last, in an attempt to worm his way into his good graces. He had them custom made, you know.”
“Fuck,” Caiden muttered from behind me. I didn’t dare to move to comfort him; I didn’t want anything to set Christine off.
“I knew that the game was up. It was then a case of sending a message to Miss De Witt’s phone, to say that Caiden wanted to meet with her. She didn’t question it—stupid girl.”
She sighed. “I have to say, I’m extremely disappointed to see you here, Winter. I knew you had feelings for him, but I never imagined you’d be so stupid as to follow him into something like this. Especially not where his girlfriend is concerned. Don’t you have any pride?”
“Never mind that. What did you mean by Caiden paying tonight?”
She raised her arm. The arm holding the gun. “One Cavendish down, three to go. I was originally going to let the boys live, but after tonight…no. I’m afraid I can’t risk keeping them alive.”
“One Cavendish down?” Bile rose in my throat.
“Arlo’s wife was easy. The right words whispered in her ear, the open bottle of pills…I barely had to do anything. Arlo will have a car accident tomorrow, on the way back from signing the contract. Weston will go mad with grief, once he finds out every member of his family is dead, and it’ll be a simple matter to stage his death to look like a suicide. Now, be a good girl and step aside so I can eliminate one of them here and now.”
“No.” I stared at her, never faltering.
She waved the gun threateningly.
“Move, or I will shoot you. I’d hoped you’d join me, but if you refuse to see sense, then you are of no use to me.”
Her eyes glittered maniacally. She really was insane.
“I would never join you,” I hissed. “Never, ever.”
“Have it your way.” She squeezed the trigger.
Several things happened at once.
Time slowed down to