Chapter 12
I stared at the last line of Bennett's letter.
My blood ran cold.
Eleanor had escaped.
She was coming for me.
I called Jake immediately.
I called the prison.
I called the FBI.
It was true.
Eleanor Finch had escaped from prison three days earlier.
She'd faked a medical emergency.
She'd been taken to the hospital.
And she'd escaped from there.
The authorities had been looking for her.
But they hadn't wanted to alarm us until they were sure.
And now Bennett's letter had confirmed it.
She was out.
And she was coming for me.
Eleanor was even more dangerous than Bennett.
She was smarter.
Colder.
More ruthless.
And she had nothing left to lose.
Her son was in prison for life.
Her company was gone.
Her money was gone.
Her reputation was destroyed.
She had nothing left but revenge.
And she was going to make me pay.
For everything.
The security was increased again.
More guards.
More cameras.
More alarms.
The FBI was searching for Eleanor everywhere.
But there was no sign of her.
She was too smart.
Too careful.
She'd been planning this for a long time.
The wedding was only three weeks away.
Jake wanted to postpone it.
But I refused.
I wasn't going to let Eleanor ruin another part of my life.
I was going to get married.
I was going to be happy.
And Eleanor Finch wasn't going to stop me.
The wedding planning continued.
The venue was booked.
The dress was fitted.
The flowers were ordered.
The invitations were sent.
Everything was perfect.
But I was always looking over my shoulder.
Always waiting for Eleanor to strike.
And then, one week before the wedding, she did.
I was at the office.
Working late.
Jake was picking up Hope from daycare.
I was alone in my office.
The security team was outside.
And then my computer screen went black.
A message appeared on the screen.
In red letters.
"One week, Tessa. One week until your wedding. And one week until I destroy everything you love."
The screen went back to normal.
I called security.
I called the FBI.
But they couldn't trace the message.
Eleanor had covered her tracks.
She was taunting me.
Playing with me.
Enjoying my fear.
The next day, another message.
This time, it was delivered to the penthouse.
A wedding invitation.
For my wedding.
But it had been altered.
My name was still there.
But Jake's name had been crossed out.
And Bennett's name had been written in.
In blood-red ink.
The note on the back said:
"You'll marry the right man, Tessa. Even if I have to kill the wrong one first."
I was terrified.
But I was also angry.
Furious.
Eleanor had taken so much from me.
My marriage.
My innocence.
My father.
And now she was trying to take my wedding.
My future.
My happiness.
I wasn't going to let her.
I was going to fight back.
I went to the FBI.
I told them I wanted to use the wedding as bait.
To draw Eleanor out.
To catch her.
Once and for all.
They thought it was too dangerous.
Too risky.
But I insisted.
"This is my only chance to end this," I told them. "Eleanor will come to the wedding. She won't be able to resist. She'll want to see the look on my face when she destroys everything. We can catch her there. We have to try."
Reluctantly, they agreed.
The wedding would go on as planned.
But it would be heavily guarded.
Undercover FBI agents would be everywhere.
Posing as guests.
As waiters.
As photographers.
Snipers would be positioned on the roofs.
SWAT teams would be nearby.
Ready to move in at a moment's notice.
Everything was planned.
Every detail.
Every possibility.
We were ready.
The day of the wedding arrived.
It was a beautiful day.
Sunny.
Warm.
Perfect.
I got ready in the bridal suite.
Hope was there with me.
She was the flower girl.
She looked adorable in her little white dress.
Uncle Robert walked me down the aisle.
The venue was beautiful.
Flowers everywhere.
Candles.
Soft music.
All my friends and family were there.
Smiling.
Happy.
And among them, the undercover agents.
Watching.
Waiting.
I walked down the aisle.
Jake was waiting for me at the altar.
He looked handsome.
Happy.
Loving.
He took my hands.
And for a moment, I forgot everything.
The fear.
The danger.
Eleanor.
All I could see was Jake.
All I could feel was love.
The ceremony began.
The minister spoke.
We said our vows.
Jake promised to love me.
To protect me.
To always be there for me.
I promised the same.
The minister asked if anyone had any reason why we should not be married.
Silence.
And then the back door of the venue burst open.
Eleanor stood there.
She was wearing a black dress.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes were wild.
She was holding a gun.
"I object!" she screamed.
Chaos erupted.
Guests screamed.
People started running.
The undercover agents moved toward her.
But Eleanor fired a shot into the ceiling.
"Nobody move!" she shouted. "Or I'll kill her!"
She pointed the gun at me.
The agents froze.
They couldn't risk her shooting me.
Eleanor walked down the aisle.
The guests moved out of her way.
Terrified.
She stopped in front of us.
The gun pointed at my chest.
"You thought you could be happy, Tessa? You thought you could marry another man and live happily ever after? Not while I'm alive."
She looked at Jake.
"And you. You thought you could take my son's wife? My son's daughter? You're going to pay for that."
She raised the gun and pointed it at Jake.
"Goodbye, Agent."
Everything happened in slow motion.
I saw her finger tighten on the trigger.
I saw Jake tense, ready to push me out of the way.
I saw the agents getting ready to fire.
And then I moved.
I stepped in front of Jake.
I pushed Eleanor's hand away.
The gun went off.
The bullet hit the floor.
I grabbed the gun from her hand.
And I pointed it at her.
The agents rushed forward.
They tackled Eleanor to the ground.
They cuffed her.
She was screaming.
Fighting.
Spitting.
But she was done.
I stood there.
The gun still in my hand.
Shaking.
Jake ran to me.
He took the gun from me.
He held me tight.
"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
I shook my head.
"I'm okay. We're okay."
Hope ran to me.
She was crying.
I knelt down and hugged her.
"It's okay, baby. It's over. The bad lady is gone."
Eleanor was led away by the agents.
She was still screaming.
But she was going back to prison.
This time, to a maximum security facility.
Solitary confinement.
She would never escape again.
She would never hurt anyone again.
The guests slowly calmed down.
The minister looked at us.
"Shall we continue?"
I looked at Jake.
He smiled at me.
I smiled back.
"Yes," I said. "Please."
The ceremony continued.
We said our "I dos."
Jake kissed me.
And the guests cheered.
It wasn't the perfect wedding I'd planned.
But it was perfect in its own way.
Because we'd faced our worst fear.
And we'd won.
The reception was wonderful.
Everyone was happy.
Relieved.
Celebrating.
Hope danced with Jake.
She laughed and smiled.
She was safe.
We were all safe.
Uncle Robert gave a speech.
He talked about strength.
About courage.
About family.
He talked about how proud he was of me.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
That night, as Jake and I left the reception, I looked back at my family and friends.
Everyone was happy.
Smiling.
Celebrating.
The nightmare was over.
Eleanor was in prison.
Bennett was in prison.
The cartel was gone.
All the people who had tried to destroy me were gone.
And I was surrounded by people who loved me.
Who supported me.
Who would always be there for me.
Jake squeezed my hand.
"Ready for our honeymoon?" he asked.
I smiled at him.
"More than anything."
We drove toward the airport.
Toward our honeymoon.
Toward our future.
A future full of love.
Of hope.
Of happiness.
And as the sun set behind us, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange and pink, I knew that everything was going to be okay.
The nightmare was over.
And my new life was just beginning.
But as we drove toward the airport, Jake's phone rang.
It was the FBI.
He answered it.
He listened.
His face went white.
He hung up.
He looked at me.
"Tessa," he said quietly. "They found something in Eleanor's hotel room. Evidence that she wasn't working alone. There's someone else. Someone higher up. Someone we never suspected."
May you like
He paused.
"And they're still out there."
