Chapter 4 - The Door Opens
In the basement,
I heard the sound of the explosion.
I knew that sound.
It was the sound of my life starting over.
Phoebe jumped,
clinging to me.
“Mommy,
what was that?”
“That’s your uncles,
Phoebe,”
I said,
my voice finally breaking into a sob of relief.
“They’re here.”
The heavy metal door groaned.
This door was designed to be a vault,
something no one could break into.
But the Waltons didn't believe in obstacles.
I heard the sound of metal grinding against metal.
Then,
with a shriek of protesting iron,
the door was ripped outward.
The light from the hallway flooded into the dark room.
I squinted,
my eyes adjusting to the brightness.
Five silhouettes stood in the doorway.
The Five Kings.
Grant was the first one through.
He saw me sitting on the floor,
my dress stained with blood,
my wrists red from the silk ribbon.
He saw Phoebe,
the small bandage on her head.
I had never seen my brother look so close to murder.
He dropped to his knees in front of us,
his hands trembling as he reached out.
“Heather,”
he choked out.
I didn't say anything.
I just leaned into him,
letting his strength take my weight.
“Get her out of here,”
Grant said,
his voice tight.
Jax reached down and scooped Phoebe into his arms.
He was a man who had seen the worst of the world,
but his touch was as gentle as a feather.
“Hey there,
little princess,”
he whispered.
“We’ve got you.”
Phoebe looked at him with wide eyes.
“Are you a giant?”
Jax smiled,
a real,
warm smile.
“Something like that.”
Silas and Caleb stood by the door,
their faces grim.
“The doctor is waiting in the SUV,”
Silas said.
“Leo is already starting the liquidation.”
We walked out of the basement,
passing through the kitchen.
Russell was pinned against the wall by two of Jax’s men.
Gwendolyn was cowering in a corner,
her flawless makeup ruined by tears of genuine terror.
I stopped in front of Russell.
I wanted to feel something—anger,
pity,
sadness.
But all I felt was a cold,
hollow emptiness.
“You told me I had no one,”
I said,
my voice clear and steady.
“You told me I was lucky to have you.”
“You were wrong.”
Russell looked at me,
his eyes bulging.
“Heather...
I didn't know...
who are these people?”
Caleb stepped forward,
adjusting his cufflinks.
“We are the people who are going to make sure you never see the sun again,”
he said.
“We are the Waltons.”
Russell’s face went gray.
Everyone in the business world knew the Waltons.
They were the shadow rulers,
the ones who moved the pieces on the board.
“Heather,
please,”
Gwendolyn sobbed.
“It was a mistake!
I’ll fix the dress!”
I looked at her,
at the woman who had tried to destroy my child’s spirit.
“The dress was never the problem,”
I said.
“You were.”
I turned away and walked out the front door,
leaving the Vaughn mansion behind forever.
I stepped into the night air,
feeling the wind on my face.
It was the first breath of freedom I had taken in six years.
The black SUV was waiting,
the door open.
May you like
I climbed inside with Phoebe,
and the world outside began to disappear.
