Page 64 of Willowbrooke
I could hear Margot’s frantic breathing in the dark as we stumbled through the dank air, past stone walls. As I pursued her, I thought of the gun in my hand. I’d never used a gun before—I’d only seen them used on TV or in movies.
But I recognized the part of the gun I needed to cock in order to engage it. I knew there was likely a safety switch, buthaving never held one before, I didn’t know where it was, or how to unlock it, so if it wasn’t already off, I’d be sunk. I had no faith in my aim—or in having the courage to actually pull the trigger, but perhaps adrenaline alone would assist me in such a feat.
Not having thought through the logistics of chasing Margot, I realized with alarm as I emerged on the other side of the tunnel that I had no idea what part of the cottage I’d be entering, and in the darkness, Margot had the upper hand in all matters. And sure enough, suddenly the wind was knocked out of me as Margot barreled into me from the side, the moment I made it out of the tunnel.
Wheezing, some of my vision returned as a singular sconce illuminated the storage room under Margot’s house. I’d never been down there before.
I looked around and spotted the gun a few feet from Margot. I propelled myself for the weapon, but Margot was too close. We struggled over the gun, and in the process, it fired.
Guess the safety wasn’t on after all.
I felt the blood along my side before searing pain ripped through me. It had only grazed me, though. But Margot had already won. In one hand, she still held my phone, and in the other, the gun—pointed directly at me.
“YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!” Margot screeched. “I was just fighting for what belonged to me, what was taken from me—my birthright!” Her hands trembled as sheconsidered if she should end me. “You should understand. Your parents were the same—marginalizing you.”
Still catching my breath, I could only watch and listen. Even if I had been capable of speaking, I knew it would only enrage her further. Like a true egomaniac, she needed it to be about her; she needed to be understood—to be in control. And she was completely out of control—she was spiraling.
“You never should have come here…” She shook her head, regaining some sort of composure.
And I knew at that moment I was done for.
She cocked the gun.
I closed my eyes, feeling tears falling on my cheeks. I hoped that William would make it in time to save Leo.
Margot pulled the trigger.
I flinched.
But the gun only made a clicking noise.
It was jammed!
Before she could try again, there was a thud upstairs, which took her attention from me. She looked toward the staircase, where police had begun to stream into the basement.
Click. Click. Click.
She tried firing at them. But the gun was still stuck.
“Hands up—drop the gun!” one of the police yelled.
As if in slow motion, I watched as one of the officers tackled Margot to the ground in her soiled evening gown when she refused to comply.
After that, everything went black.
EPILOGUE
“You got a real Christmas tree!?” Mina exclaimed, barreling through the door, kicking her shoes off before she ran to the tree Leo had surprised me with a couple weeks before. “It smells so nice!” she exclaimed, examining the lights, tinsel, and vintage ornaments Leo had unearthed from the basement, where the prohibition tunnels had been safely blocked off.
“We never got a real one growing up.” I smiled, following her into the living room.
“Me neither.” Mina glanced back at me before her attention shifted to the larger room. “Wow, Pen, you really outdid yourself here.” She took a couple minutes to slowly wander around the open living room and into the kitchen,inspecting the craftsmanship and little details. “You’d put some of the senior designers at my company to shame.” She shook her head.
“Really?” I felt a blush creep along my cheeks; that was a compliment I hadn’t expected to receive. It meant a lot coming from her—she was honest to a fault with me.
Mina nodded earnestly. “I know I’m biased, being your best friend and all, but I can’t believe you did all this yourself.”
“Well Leo helped, and Danny, the lead contractor—”
