Chapter 264
Chapter 264:
Anger flashed across her face. “If you turn yourself in, they’ll make you tell them everything. I’ll be implicated.”
“Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?” Herod asked. “That I’ll tell them the truth? That the bombings were your idea? That you planned everything?”
“They’ll never believe you,” Rose said, but uncertainty tinged her voice. “You’re the one with the grudge against Victoria Kane. You’re the one with the fingerprints at the bomb sites. You’re the one with the plans in your apartment.”
“Plans you put there,” Herod said. “But you made one mistake.”
“What mistake?” Rose demanded.
“You got greedy. The fake journals, the blueprints, it was too much. Too perfect. It looks staged.”
Rose’s face paled slightly. “You’re delusional.”
“Am I?” Herod walked to his jacket and pulled something from the pocket—a small digital recorder. “I’ve been recording our conversations, Rose. For days now. Ever since I suspected you were setting me up.”
Rose lunged for the recorder, but Herod held it out of reach. “It’s too late. I’ve already made copies. Sent them to people who will know what to do with them if anything happens to me.”
“You’re lying,” Rose hissed, but doubt showed in her eyes.
“Maybe,” Herod pocketed the recorder. “But can you risk it?”
They stood facing each other, the air thick with tension. In Rose’s eyes, Herod saw something he’d never seen before—fear. Real fear.
“What are you going to do?” she asked finally.
“What Charles would have wanted me to do.” Herod picked up his phone from the nightstand. “Turn myself in. Tell them everything. Take responsibility for my part in this madness.”
“They’ll lock you up forever,” Rose warned, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice.
“Probably,” Herod agreed. “But at least I’ll be able to look at myself in the mirror again.”
Rose watched him, her mind visibly racing. Then, she smiled—the slow, confident smile that once made his heart race. Now, it only made him sad.
“You won’t do it,” she said. “You’re too scared. Too weak. That’s why I had to plan everything. Why I had to push you to act.”
Herod shook his head. “You’re wrong. I was weak when I let you manipulate me. When I helped you hurt innocent people. I’m finding my strength now.” He dialed a number on his phone. Rose watched, her confidence faltering.
“Who are you calling?” she demanded.
“The FBI.” Herod held her gaze as he raised the phone to his ear. “It’s time to end this.”
Rose grabbed her bag and rushed to the door. “You’re making a terrible mistake.”
“No,” Herod said quietly. “I already made my mistakes. Now I’m trying to fix them.”
.
.
.