Page 46 of Protecting Chaos

“What the hell do you mean he’s been paying people to buy my art?”

Jenny gestured to the money on the ground. “That was the last installment, since you were returning home. That money was for tonight. The last favor I was doing for your brother. It was supposed to end tonight once you returned home. There would be no more exhibits until you were well.”

She lifted her gaze from the money to Conrad. “You knew about this?”

“Tell her the rest,” Conrad said, shooting Jenny in the leg, making her scream and drop to her knees.

Stella reached for her, but Conrad pointed the gun in her direction.

“You need to know everything,” Conrad said and returned the gun’s aim toward Jenny. “Tell her how we met.”

“I was at Marcus’s house giving him the money for the other buyers when I met Conrad.”

“Tell her what the rest of the money was for,” Conrad said, re-cocking the gun.

“To break up with you. Grant didn’t think the guy was good enough, so he offered Marcus money to leave you, and Grant was right. Marcus took it.”

“But not before all the times he cheated on you,” Conrad said. “But don’t worry. I took care of all of those women, too, and their deaths will all point back to Marcus. He’ll never have the chance to hurt you again. See, Stella, it’s me that’s protecting you. It’s me that loves you. It’s always been me. Now you know the truth. Now it can be just you and me, forever.”

“What did you do?” Stella’s heart dropped into her stomach. Bile rose in her throat, and her legs felt like they were about to give out. Grant had betrayed her, her entire career was one big lie, and Conrad looked ready to kill.

“I took care of everything. Every body part that Marcus thought was perfect is now flawed and in his basement. The cops should have found them by now. Especially after I called in a tip that Marcus killed Gretchen. No one is allowed to hurt you. No one but me,” Conrad growled. Anger filled his voice as he pulled the trigger.

Fear froze her on the spot.

The bullet hit Jenny’s chest and she collapsed to the floor. Crimson blood oozed out beneath her white pantsuit, staining it.

23

Stella

Stella glanced to the door, debating if she could make a run for it toward the gallery.

“They didn’t do a good job at protecting you. Not like I can do. Not like I’ve done for the last six months.”

Stella swallowed hard. “Six months?”

“Technically, I’ve been doing since the day we met.”

“We’re friends, right, Conrad?” She glanced from the gun down at Jenny, who was bleeding on the ground. Stella’s heart raced. “Let me help her. Let me call an ambulance.”

His eyes narrowed. “I took care of you when you were sick.”

She nodded and gestured to Jenny. “You did. You brought me soup and stayed with me when I was too weak to take care of myself. You’re a good man, Conrad. Help me save her life.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think you appreciate the lengths I’ve gone through to protect you like I did with your fiancé. He was cheating on you, but I took care of all of them. I did this all for you, for us. I needed you to see how much I love you. What I’m willing to do. I decide who lives and dies. Your life has always been in my hands. Your own fiancé cheated on you. Marcus slept with all those whores, and you didn’t notice, but you broke up with him. I thought you’d figure it all out. He’d called them perfect, long enough to screw them. He was wrong to say you were flawed. I got you to believe my lies, and then I fed you all the poison I needed. You got sick, and then I swooped in and mended you. I did that. I realized I had the power of whether you live or die in the palm of my hands. Me. Not them.”

Stella took a step back until she bumped into the table, trapped with nowhere to run. “Why did you make me sick? How is that taking care of me?”

“I needed you to see that I let you live. You got better because I deemed it so. You are so clueless. You had no idea what Marcus was doing. You had no idea your brother paid Marcus to buy your paintings to make it look like you were in demand. Your entire life is one big lie, orchestrated by the people who claim to love you. They don’t know love, not like I do.” His voice was deceptively calm as he adjusted the gun tighter in his grip, making his fingers turn white. “You’ll come to love me, too. I can give you life, if you’re good. I’ll take care of you, more than anyone else ever did.”

Conrad was crazy in the head. Ice-cold fear froze her on the spot. No one would be coming to the gallery opening for hours.

“You’re the reason all those officers got sick. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Conrad’s lip twitched. “I wasn’t sure which pizza your childhood friend was going to eat. So, I had to poison them all. I had to make sure he knew you were mine.” His eyes flashed his craziness. “But you’re fine. I didn’t poison yours, not this time.”

“This time…” The words were a whisper as realization smacked her in the face and her heart seized.

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