Chapter 11 - The Night Sarah Was Supposed to Die
Sarah didn’t move.
Victoria did.
She stared at Mercer.
“What did you say?”
Mercer kept the gun aimed at Sarah.
“You heard me.”
Victoria’s voice became thin.
“I never told you to hurt her.”
“You told me the problem had to disappear.”
“Ethan was the problem.”
Sarah looked at Victoria.
The admission seemed to shock even her.
Mercer laughed.
“You really want to rewrite history now?”
Victoria stepped backward.
“I told you to stop Ethan from exposing the accounts.”
“You told me to protect Sterling at any cost.”
“You killed my son.”
“No.”
Mercer’s expression turned cold.
“We killed your son.”
Victoria’s face collapsed.
“Don’t.”
“You opened the door.”
“I didn’t cut that brake line.”
“But you paid me.”
Sarah’s microphone transmitted every word.
She only had to keep Mercer talking.
“What did you mean when you said I was supposed to die?”
Mercer looked at her.
“Ethan was heading home.”
Sarah’s stomach turned.
“You knew?”
“He called you.”
“Yes.”
“You told him you were taking Leo to urgent care.”
Sarah remembered.
Leo had a fever that night.
She had changed plans at the last minute.
Mercer smiled.
“You were supposed to be in Ethan’s car.”
Victoria covered her mouth.
“No.”
“You knew that?” Sarah asked her.
Victoria shook her head.
For the first time since Sarah had known her, Victoria looked genuinely horrified.
“No.”
Mercer shrugged.
“Collateral damage.”
Sarah’s entire body went cold.
“You were willing to kill a two-year-old?”
“I expected the child to stay with the nanny.”
Victoria suddenly lunged at him.
“You monster!”
Mercer struck her aside.
She hit the wall.
Sarah ran for the gun.
Mercer spun.
A shot exploded.
Sarah dropped.
Not because she had been hit.
Because Julian tackled Mercer from the side.
The gun slid across the floor.
Sarah kicked it away.
Mercer punched Julian.
Julian hit the wall hard.
Mercer ran toward the rear exit.
Detective Reyes appeared.
“Police! Down!”
Mercer stopped.
Three officers blocked the other end.
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Mercer raised his empty hands.
“You have no idea who else is involved.”
Reyes cuffed him.
“You can tell me downtown.”
Victoria sat against the wall.
She stared at Mercer as if seeing him for the first time.
Sarah picked up the ledger.
Victoria looked at her.
“Sarah.”
“No.”
“I didn’t know he planned to kill you.”
Sarah’s eyes filled.
“You made me the enemy.”
“I was angry.”
“You forged evidence.”
“I was protecting—”
“You stole my son.”
Victoria stopped.
Sarah stepped closer.
“You taught him that I killed his father.”
Victoria looked down.
“And every birthday you canceled?”
No answer.
“Every Christmas gift you sent back?”
Silence.
“Every night my son wondered why his mother didn’t want him?”
Victoria’s lips trembled.
Sarah shook her head.
“You don’t get to blame Mercer for that.”
Police entered the hallway.
One officer approached Victoria.
“Victoria Sterling, stand up.”
She looked stunned.
“For what?”
“Kidnapping, fraud, obstruction, conspiracy and several additional charges pending review.”
“You can’t arrest me.”
The officer reached for her wrists.
Victoria looked at Julian.
“Tell them.”
Julian held his bruised shoulder.
“Tell them what?”
“Who I am.”
Julian stared at her.
“I think they finally know exactly who you are.”
The cuffs clicked.
Victoria began to cry.
Sarah felt nothing.
Then Reyes approached.
“We have a problem.”
Sarah immediately looked toward Leo.
“What?”
“Not criminal.”
“What is it?”
“The custody order.”
Sarah’s relief vanished.
Reyes continued.
“Victoria is still Leo’s legal guardian until a family-court judge vacates the order.”
Sarah stared at her son.
“So I still can’t take him home?”
“Not tonight.”
Leo heard her.
His face crumpled.
Sarah crouched and held him.
“I’m not leaving you.”
A lawyer in a navy suit entered the hallway.
He carried another file.
“Sarah Mitchell?”
Sarah turned.
“Yes.”
“My name is Andrew Bell. I represented Ethan Sterling.”
She recognized the name from the letter.
He looked at Leo.
Then at Sarah.
“There’s something the court needs to know before tomorrow.”
“What?”
Bell opened the file.
“Victoria didn’t only forge your custody waiver.”
He handed Sarah a document.
May you like
“She also forged your rejection of Ethan’s forty-eight-million-dollar inheritance.”
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