Chapter 7 - CAT AND MOUSE
Grace crept through the darkened dining room, using the flashes of lightning to navigate. She could hear the estate manager kicking open doors upstairs, searching for Noah. Time was running out.
Suddenly, a cold hand clamped over her mouth, and an arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her backward into the library.
Grace thrashed wildly until a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "It's me. It's me."
She went limp against Nathaniel's chest. He turned her around, his eyes wide in the gloom. "Where is Noah?"
"Hidden," she breathed. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the small, silver flash drive. "Take this. This is what she wants. It has the original encrypted emails and the takeover contract. If you get this to the police, she's finished."
Nathaniel looked at the drive, then at Grace. The sheer bravery of the woman standing before him left him speechless. "Grace, I am so sorry I brought this danger into your life."
"You didn't," she replied fiercely. "I chose to look in that drawer. I chose to stay."
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Before Nathaniel could respond, the library doors flew open. A flashlight beam blinded them both.
"How touching," Victoria's voice sneered from the doorway. The estate manager stood beside her, his gun leveled directly at Nathaniel's chest. "Hand it over, Nathaniel. And maybe I'll let the maid live."
