Chapter 5 - The Snake in the Garden
"It was Victor," Audrey whispered, her heart pounding against her ribs as she stood in Dorian’s private study an hour later.
The room was shadowed, lit only by the green glow of a banker’s lamp on the mahogany desk. Marcus Vance stood by the door, his hand resting instinctively on the holstered firearm at his hip, while Dorian sat behind the desk, his hands clasped together.
"Are you certain?" Dorian asked. His voice was terrifyingly calm, but the vein pulsing at his temple gave him away.
"The night I pulled Julian out of the water, his coat smelled of peppermint and cigar smoke," Audrey said, pacing back and forth across the Persian rug. "I didn't think anything of it at the time—I thought it was just lingering smell from your house. But tonight, when Victor stood on that balcony... it was the exact same scent. He was the one who carried Julian out of the house."
Marcus stepped forward. "Boss, Victor’s keycard access was logged as inactive that night, but he knows the system override codes. He helped me design the secondary security grid three years ago. He could have bypassed the cameras without leaving a digital footprint."
Dorian slowly stood up. He walked over to the glass display cabinet in the corner of the room, taking out a heavy, antique silver pocket watch. He wound it slowly, the metallic ticking sounding like a death knell in the quiet room.
"Victor wants the shipping contracts," Dorian said softly. "The board bylaws state that if I am deemed incapacitated—or if I suffer a severe personal tragedy that leaves me unfit to serve—the executive authority passes to the secondary shareholder. Victor."
"He didn't just want to hurt Julian," Audrey realized, horror dawning on her face. "He wanted to destroy you. If Julian died, you would have burnt this city to the ground hunting for answers. You would have been ruined, distracted, unstable... and Victor would have stepped into your place."
"He underestimated one thing," Dorian said, turning to face her. His gray eyes were ablaze with a cold, terrifying fury. "He didn't count on a nurse walking across a closed bridge at midnight."
"What do we do?" Marcus asked. "I can take two men upstairs right now and—"
"No," Dorian interrupted sharply. "Victor is smart. If we move on him without proof, his allies on the board and in the city council will frame it as a paranoid delusion. They will use it to lock me away and put Victor in control of everything, including Julian's guardianship. We need him to confess. We need him to make a move."
"How?" Audrey asked.
Dorian looked at her, a dark, solemn expression settling over his face. "Tomorrow night is the annual Solstice Gala at the estate. Every major figure in New Orleans will be here—politicians, judges, syndicate bosses, and the entire board of Ashford Enterprises. Victor expects me to stay hidden upstairs, looking like a broken man."
He walked over to Audrey, stopping just inches away. He reached out, gently taking her hand in his. His touch was warm, steady, and filled with an unspoken promise.
"Instead," Dorian said, "we are going to give my brother exactly what he wants. We are going to make him think he has won. And when he steps into the light to take his prize, we will strike."
"I don't like using Audrey as bait, Dorian," Marcus warned softly.
"She isn't the bait," Dorian replied, his eyes never leaving Audrey’s face. "She is the trap."
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Audrey looked into Dorian’s eyes. A month ago, she would have fled from this man in terror. But now, seeing the fierce, unyielding devotion he had for his son, she knew there was nothing she wouldn't do to help him tear down the monster who had tried to drown an eight-year-old boy.
"Tell me what to do," Audrey said firmly.
