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SAMANTHA’S TREACHERY came as no surprise; I’d distrusted her since the moment I saw bruises on her wrist.
The surprise was the pain. Knockout drops do not cause pain–only poison does. George Wrexham’s desperation had reached a new level. I hoped Samantha realized the danger that put her in. As soon as she outlived her usefulness, he would want her gone.
Pretending to be asleep, I allowed my body go limp. Sam paused at the door, and a moment later I heard the door latch behind her.
During my nightmare days I probably wished for the courage to leave my life a hundred times, but defeat was no longer an option. Like Hugh Marsford, I loved my work; and, like him, I’ve also decided I love my life. Flaws, yes, we shared them too, but in the end Hugh recognized his failings and apologized to his family in his own peculiar way. I didn’t want anyone to ruin that on my watch. Nor did I want to let down the friend who’d done so much for me.
There was a moment, a part of a second, when these thoughts fused into action. I believe now it was the only opportunity I had before the poison would have won. Forcing my finger down my throat, I emptied my stomach of whatever I could. Then I lay back on the hard tile floor and rested for...I don’t know how long.
When I roused myself, my head wasn’t as foggy, but it ached as if swollen three times its size. I tried to crawl, but my elbows buckled under and my knees slipped uselessly to the side. Instead I stretched my arms and pulled myself forward a few feet every few minutes. Soaked with perspiration, I finally reached the door to the kitchen hallway. I reached up, pressed the latch and shoved.
From overhead came the sound of wood being rended with mallets and crowbars. Confident no one would interfere, Wrexham and the thug were tearing apart Hugh Marsford’s magnificent carved cabinets.
Fury welled up inside me like dragon-fire. I scrambled the last eight feet into the kitchen with scarcely a pause to breathe. Then with more willpower than strength I drew my knees under me and lunged for the alarm lever. A satisfying shriek pierced the night and smothered out the sounds of destruction.
I’m not sure if I managed a smug smile before my energy gave out, but I do know I crumbled onto my injured right side when I lost consciousness.