Chapter 8 - Betrayal in the Inner Circle
With his back completely against the wall, Graham snapped. "Kill them," he ordered his guards. "Kill all of them!"
But before his enforcers could even raise their weapons, three of them suddenly turned their guns on Graham himself.
The lead guard, a loyal soldier who had served Daniel Mercer decades ago, looked at Graham with pure disgust. "We loyal to the Mercer blood, Graham. Not a rat who kills his own brother."
Laurel Vance let out a shrill scream and tried to run toward the exit, but Callum’s loyal men blocked the doors. Callum walked over to his fiancée, his eyes completely dead to any affection they once had.
"You knew, didn't you?" Callum asked her.
Laurel trembled, her face pale. "Callum, please! My father forced me... Graham promised our families would merge completely if I kept an eye on your mother! I didn't know about the fire, I swear!"
"Take her away," Callum commanded. "She leaves this city tonight and never returns. If I ever see her face in Pennsylvania again, she won't walk away."
Graham looked around, completely abandoned, surrounded by a dozen firearms pointed directly at his chest. He dropped his silver revolver onto the polished marble floor with a heavy, metallic clatter.
"It’s over, Uncle," Callum said, stepping up to him, the barrel of his gun resting directly against Graham’s forehead. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out right here in front of everyone."
"Callum, no," Harper said, stepping forward, risking everything to touch his arm.
Callum looked at her, his jaw tight, his finger twitching on the trigger.
"Don't do it like this," Harper pleaded softly. "He wants you to be a monster just like him. Let the commission handle him. Let him spend the rest of his life in a cold concrete cell, knowing he lost everything to a maid and a confused old woman. That's a worse death for a man like him."
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Callum stared into Harper's eyes. The brutal, unyielding ice in his gaze slowly began to thaw, replaced by a profound, exhausted relief. He slowly lowered the weapon.
"Take him to the basement," Callum ordered his men. "Call the council. Let them know Graham Mercer is ready for trial."
