Chapter 88 The Story: The Fall

• Darren stepped out of the SUV clutching the fat envelope, the faint scent of Horace’s cigar still clinging to his clothes. His legs felt like lead as he walked back toward Bryan’s car, every step dragging under the weight of conflicting emotions.
• When he slid into the passenger seat, he didn’t speak right away. His hands stayed fixed on the envelope, knuckles tight, as though letting go might undo the miracle. Relief bubbled inside him; Clara could finally get what she needed. Yet under it throbbed something darker: unease, the sense of a chain snapping shut around his neck.
• Bryan flicked him a sidelong glance, one corner of his mouth tilting upward. “That’s the look of a man who just got a lifeline. Not many people get one.”