Page 50 of One Last Step

“Oh, sonowyou’re a criminal overlord?”Margot scoffs.

“I’m a man who most people still believe is wealthy.That counts for something.”

“Well, whoop de do.I say we take her somewhere and make sure she can never talk again.”

“For the last time, no.”

“She can still talk if she’s in another country.”

Lukas’s shoulders slump.He brings his hands to the top of his head.“Damn it.God damn it.”

My knees begin to tremble.“I won’t tell a soul,” I promise.“I won’t tell anyone.You don’t need to do this.”

“Shut up!You meddling whore!”

Lukas shakes his head.He won’t look at me.Ice runs down my spine.I need to keep them talking.I can’t call for help, or they might try to kill me now, and anyway, I don’t want Elena and Sophie in danger.But if I can distract them long enough, maybe I can get past them to the door and call for help when I’m outside.

I lift my hands and back away a little.As I expect, Margot immediately moves to cut me off.This means the gap between her and Lukas widens.

“Why are you doing this, Margot?You could just come clean.Your family’s sins aren’t your own.”

“So youdidhear!”she crows.

“I heard something about German gold.I assume that your ancestors obtained ill-gotten gains due to connections with Nazis.”

“My great-grandfather stole gold from the Third Reich’s treasury when the war ended.He used it to establish our business empire.”

I restrain myself from acting horrified at the admission.I need to be careful to save my own life.“Well, no one would blame you for stealing from that regime!They were evil!”

“Theywouldblame us for not immediately giving it to the Jewish people.You know how sensitive people are about those things.”

You mean the attempted genocide of their entire race?Yes, that tends to upset people.

“They’ll ruin me,” Margot said.“And I can’t afford that right now.I’m purchasing the assets of an Israeli company that needs our manufacturing capacity.They don’t have warehouses, but they have liquid assets, which will do very nicely to cover up our family’s debts.I fear my father’s ambitions outstripped his business sense.I need this money.”

I frown.“What about the gold?”

"The gold is eighty years old, idiot!It's gone!My grandfather was a fool, and my father was a drunk, and they left me with barely enough to keep the company afloat.Which I did very well up until the pandemic ruined the economy.Now, I'm nearly bankrupt, and this is mylastchance!And I’mtaking it.No matter what.”

She moves toward me.Lukas remains where he is, head hanging low, shoulders slumped.I wait until Margot is close, then lunge forward.I catch her by surprise and shove her backwards into a clock.Both her and the clock fall to the floor, and I rush past her for the front door.

Lukas swipes at me, but I avoid him.I rush for the door and try to push it open, but it’s locked.I curse and look for the lock, but it’s a key-operated lock even from the inside.

My heart sinks.I’m trapped here.

Maybe I can escape to the elevator and press the emergency stop button.I can wait there until the fire department arrives.Margot and Lukas will probably get away, but I can survive and report them after.

I turn around, and Lukas drives his fist into my gut.I gasp and drop to the ground, retching.Pain rolls through me in deep, throbbing waves, consuming all of my senses and nearly causing me to lose consciousness.

“What are you waiting for?”Margot calls.“Finish it!”

Lukas looks at me with grief and guilt in his eyes.“I’m sorry, Mary.”

He lifts his boot up high.I bring my hands up in front of my face and open my mouth to scream.

Then the door shatters.Glass peppers me, and I bring my hands down and turn over to keep it from getting into my eyes.

“On the ground!”Claudia calls.“Now!”

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