Chapter 4

My body slammed into the mud of the vineyard.

Thorns ripped through my expensive designer gown, and sharp pain tore through my thigh.

"Don't stop! Harrison's hunting dogs will smell our blood in five minutes!"

Mara yanked me out of the mud so hard she nearly pulled my arm from its socket.

We ran through the thunderstorm. I tore away the ruined, heavy skirt and raced barefoot over sharp stones, every breath tasting like blood.

Ten minutes later, Mara smashed the window of a pickup truck parked outside the fermentation building and expertly hot-wired it beneath the steering column.

The engine roared as we crashed through the wire fence behind the winery and disappeared into the night.

"Where are we going?" Mara jerked the wheel and glanced at the distant flashlights chasing us in the rearview mirror.

"My boat is at the San Francisco marina, but Harrison has definitely called the police. They'll set up roadblocks on every highway soon."

I held the stolen documents tightly against my chest.

In a flash of lightning, I finally saw the agreement Harrison had used to secretly mortgage the winery.

There was no official bank stamp in the bottom-right corner.

Only a wax seal shaped like a bleeding rose.

The instant I saw it, my blood turned to ice.

"We're not going to the marina." I bit my lip until I tasted blood and pointed toward a hidden road leading deeper into Napa Valley.

"Go to Blackstone Estate. We're going to see Dominic Vance."

The pickup fishtailed violently through the rain as Mara slammed on the brakes.

She stared at me as if I had truly lost my mind. "Dominic Vance? The man who controls the underground casinos on the West Coast? The lunatic rumored to feed traitors to sharks? Are you trying to get us killed faster?"

"The dirty money Harrison borrowed against the winery belongs to Dominic."

I stared into the darkness ahead while my mind raced through the danger.

"Harrison plans to declare the winery bankrupt tomorrow morning so he can legally walk away from Dominic's massive loan."

"Dominic hates being cheated under his own nose even more than he hates a supposedly insane heiress."

A cold smile curved my lips. "We're going to bring him a gift."

The pickup tore through the rain and stopped before the black wrought-iron gates of Blackstone Estate.

Almost instantly, more than a dozen suppressed Glocks appeared from the shadows. Red laser dots covered Mara's forehead and mine.

Mara reversed her grip on the corkscrew and moved in front of me like a panther protecting its kill.

"Well, look what the storm dragged in. Silverleaf Winery's 'crazy wife,' currently wanted all over the city."

A deep, lazy male voice came from beneath a black umbrella, carrying effortless and deadly authority.

The bodyguards moved aside.

Dominic Vance stepped forward.

He wore a flawless black three-piece suit, his features sharp enough to belong on a Greek statue.

His gray-green eyes watched me like a snake studying prey, sliding over my mud-soaked dress and bleeding bare feet with casual interest.

"Mrs. Bell." He did not even remove his hands from his pockets. Cold amusement filled his eyes.

"Your husband called me ten minutes ago. He offered two million dollars if I returned his 'mentally unstable little lamb.' Why shouldn't I tie you up right now and collect the reward?"

I pushed past Mara's protective arm and walked toward him, ignoring the guns aimed at me.

"Because tomorrow he plans to file for bankruptcy and dump your three-hundred-million-dollar bad debt on a 'crazy woman.'"

I slapped the contract bearing the bleeding-rose seal onto the hood of his limited-edition Aston Martin.

"Harrison thinks he can keep your money. Help me take back the winery, and I'll repay you five hundred million, principal and interest included."

I lifted my chin and met his stare without flinching.

"If I die here tonight, your three hundred million disappears with me."

Nothing moved in the darkness except the rain.

Dominic studied me for ten full seconds.

Finally, he leaned down and caught my chin between cold fingers.

"You've got nerve, Eleanor." A quiet laugh left him. "But the interest I charge is paid with your soul."