Page 121 of Date With Danger

“Oh, he’s done plenty of bad things, darling,” the man I used to know as Gary says. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s a thief and it was easy to make him look guilty.”

“What do you mean?”

“This box.” He taps the lid, “belonged to her. I was content to let that be my only theft. But then she figured me out, so I had to kill her. That’s when I decided the box wasn’t worth as much as the ring, so I took that too. Right off her dead finger. And because she was dating Liam at the time, a suspected thief and all that, it was easy to sway the investigation in his direction. Except he stole the box and ring from me and disappeared.”

And then he lost it to my parents. He was probably planning on taking it to the authorities or the Winthrops and telling them what happened until he lost it. That’s why he’s been searching for it all these years. Or did he want it because he’s a thief?

“Why didn’t you let everyone believe it was Liam and let it be?”

“And risk him finding the box and revealing the truth? Not a chance. Besides, that's a lot of money. I followed him to Italy, thinking he still had the box until I overheard him talking to this lovely couple.”

My stomach sinks. No.

“I approached them. They wouldn’t give it up. But they also knew too much. So you see, I couldn’t let them live. As luck would have it, I didn’t have to do anything at all. Your dad had too much to drink, and the curve came too quickly.”

My dad had too much to drink? My dad barely drank. Gary must have poisoned him like he’s trying to poison me. I pick up the cup of tea and chuck it at Gary, then I bolt out of my seat and right at him. I dig my fingernails into his face until droplets of blood pop through the red skin. All I feel is vengeance. He killed my parents.

A familiar sound of a gun clicking echoes through the kitchen and I feel the press of cold metal under my chin. “I didn’t want to do it this way. I prefer a gentler approach.”

He wipes blood from his cheek and I feel a small measure of satisfaction at causing him pain when he’s caused so much more for me. I won’t go down without a fight.

My nostrils flare, the fire in me only raging hotter, but I step back, hands up. I need to hold him off until someone comes. Because someone will come. Caleb. He’s coming for me, I know it.

“Good thing I made another,” Gary smirks, grabbing another cup from the counter and walking me backward to the table, gun in one hand, poison in the other.

“Now come on, stop talking and finish your tea, I’ve got a flight to catch.”

“Think this through, Gary. There’s still time to change.”

He laughs. Actually cackles. “And give up the chance to make forty million dollars when I sell this? No, thank you.”

I had a ring worth forty million dollars in my possession? And I didn’t lose it. Wait no, I did lose it to Gary.

If I’m going to meet my demise tonight, there is one last thing I need to know.

“Did you tell Justin to propose to me?” I can’t ask Justin anymore what was real and what wasn’t. But I need to know the answer to this.

Gary barks out a laugh. “The stupid kid fell for you. I straightened him out quickly though and found him some other girls to spend his time with to keep him from getting too attached to you.” He nods towards Leah, who screams behind her gag.

I can’t believe I ever considered this man a grandfatherly figure. He’s pure evil.

I’ve always wanted to try this and there’s no better time than now. My body convulses and I grab the side of my head. “I’m getting a vision. I see your mother. She’s so disappointed.”

“Good.” Garcy scoffs. “The woman disappointed me too.”

“And your first love. She regrets not sticking around. Maybe then you would have known true love.”

“You’re not psychic!” he snarls, his eyes twitching.

“No, but I thought it would buy me some time.”

“You thought wrong.” He raises the gun and I take a dainty sip. The cold, bitter liquid slips down my throat and I imagine it singeing my esophagus on its way down. It probably doesn’t work that fast, but what if it does? I need to throw it up. But what if he waits around to watch me die? My throat constricts. Is that the poison or my fear?

The gun clicks. This time it’s aimed in Leah’s direction. “Finish it.”

I can’t believe I didn’t think ahead to this moment. I should have, like Carlton Lassiter, slowly built up an immunity to poison by consuming a tiny bit each day. It could have been one of my hobbies.

Okay, that might not be real. But facing imminent death makes me regret not trying. Unless of course, I died before that. These end-of-life conundrums are very confusing. I’m not worried about Connor or Maddie. They’ll be devastated but they’re strong, and they’ve got each other. But what about Caleb? He’ll hate himself forever for not protecting me better even though it was all my fault.

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