CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT - The Aftermath

Ella slowly raised her hands, her heart pounding in her chest. She could see Lucas doing the same out of the corner of her eye. "Mr. Callahan," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "You don't have to do this. It's not too late to turn yourself in." Callahan let out a harsh laugh. "Turn myself in? After everything I've worked for? No, I don't think so. You two have ruined everything. I'm here to make sure you don't ruin anything else." As he spoke, Ella's mind raced. She knew they needed to keep him talking, to buy time for the police to realize something was wrong. "We know about the property fraud," she said, taking a small step forward. Callahan's gun immediately trained on her, and she stopped moving. "We know about your argument with Thornton. But killing him? Was that really the only solution?" Callahan's face twisted with anger. "Thornton was going to destroy me! He thought he could blackmail me, force me to sell at a loss. Everything I've built would have crumbled." "S