Page 43 of Betray Me
Two hours to get this recording to safety.
Two hours to find a way to save not just myself, but Luna and everyone else caught in the web of whoever’s really been pulling the strings.
The game ends tonight. I just pray I live long enough to see how it finally plays out.
Chapter 16: The Save
Now
The dining room feels like a mausoleum tonight, all crystal and shadows under the massive chandelier that’s witnessed decades of Gallagher family secrets. I sit at my usual place—the dutiful daughter’s chair to Father’s right—while the wire feels like a burning brand against my skin, the tiny recording device taped beneath my bra more crucial than ever. Dominic knows, and yet, he didn’t give me up. Yet. Every breath threatens to give me away, every heartbeat pounds against the recording device that’s capturing the final act of my family’s empire.
Mother enters first, elegant in midnight blue silk that makes her look like a beautiful corpse. She’s carrying a silver tray with our traditional pre-dinner cocktails—martinis for the adults, sparkling cider for me. Except tonight, I know my glass contains more than apple juice and bubbles.
“Darling,” she murmurs, setting the crystal flute before me with practiced grace. “Your favorite. I had the cook prepare it specially.”
The liquid catches the light, innocent and golden. Beautiful, like everything else in this house that’s designed to destroy. I lift the glass to my lips, letting the rim touch my mouth without actually drinking. The scent is familiar—crisp apple, a hint of vanilla, and underneath it all, something bitter and medicinal that makes my stomach turn.
“Thank you, Mother.” The lie slides off my tongue like silk. “It’s perfect.”
Father settles into his chair at the head of the table, his silver hair gleaming under the chandelier. Victor Reeves takes the seat across from me, his pale eyes tracking my every movement like a predator watching prey. Dominic slides into the chair beside him, his casual elegance hiding the violence that lurks beneath his expensive suits.
“A toast,” Father says, raising his own glass. “To family. To loyalty. To the bonds that can never be broken.”
The irony burns in my throat as I raise my glass with the others, crystal chiming against crystal in a mockery of celebration. They think they’re about to drug me back into compliance, to reset my memories and reshape me into their perfect weapon.
“To family,” I echo, letting my voice carry just the right amount of reverence. The daughter they created, speaking the words they want to hear while the woman I’ve become plots their destruction.
Victor’s gaze never leaves my face as he takes a sip of his martini. “Belle’s grown into such a remarkable young woman,” he observes, his voice carrying undertones that make my skin crawl. “So like her mother at that age. Beautiful, intelligent, perfectly trained.”
The word ‘trained’ hits like a physical blow. Not raised or educated—trained. Like an animal or a weapon. Which, I suppose, is exactly what I am to them.
“She’s everything we hoped she’d become,” Mother agrees, settling into her own chair with fluid grace. “Our greatest achievement.”
Achievement. Not daughter, not person—achievement. I force myself to smile, to look pleased by their praise while the wire captures every damning word.
“I’ve been thinking about Janet Wilson lately,” I say suddenly, watching their faces for reactions. “What happened to her was so tragic. A girl that young, disappearing without a trace.”
The temperature in the room drops ten degrees. Father’s knuckles whiten around his glass, while Victor’s expression turns to stone. Only Dominic maintains his casual demeanor, but I catch the slight tightening around his eyes and the way they flicker down to my dress to the place where the wire used to be.
“An unfortunate situation,” Father says carefully. “Best not to dwell on such unpleasant matters.”
“But I can’t stop thinking about it,” I continue, injecting just the right amount of innocent curiosity into my voice. I still need to know the details and the role I played in her murder. “The police never found her body. Her parents must be devastated, not knowing what happened to their daughter.”
“Some questions are better left unanswered,” Victor interjects, his voice carrying a subtle warning. “Some mysteries should remain buried.”
Buried. The word choice is interesting, considering we all know exactly where Janet Wilson is buried or was that is. I don’t plan on telling them the police found her remains. Myhands remain steady as I reach for my untouched drink, lifting it toward my lips while maintaining eye contact with Victor.
“I suppose you’re right,” I murmur. “Some secrets are too dangerous to uncover.”
That’s when I see it—the flash of satisfaction in Victor’s eyes, the slight relaxation in Father’s shoulders. They think I’m about to drink their poison, to surrender my memories and my will to their control. They think they’ve won.
I bring the glass closer to my mouth, letting the bitter scent fill my nostrils. The wire continues to transmit our conversation to David Stone's team, my technological lifeline to the outside world still intact. David Stone and his team can listen to our every word, can record their confessions. I hope they’re preparing to act on the evidence they heard. And I hope they’ll do it sooner rather than later. I’d hate to die tonight.
Dominic excuses himself to go to the bathroom. My eyes follow him as he leaves the table when suddenly a beam of a flashlight outside the window catches my attention. Relief washes over my body, allowing my muscles to relax ever so slightly.
It’s over.
“Actually,” I say, setting the glass down without drinking, “I have something to confess.”
