Chapter 243 Marisa's Money

Chapter 243 Marisa's Money
Diana POV

I never imagined that a simple act of kindness would one day save my life.

Colin sat across from us, his hands still bound, though Bradley had allowed him to shift to a more comfortable position. The bruises on his face from the interrogation were beginning to darken, but his eyes remained clear and focused.

Bradley, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "I still have questions about Marisa." He turned to me first, sharing his doubts and suspicions about her involvement in all this, then faced Colin directly. "How did she pay you?"

"Cash," Colin replied. "Half up front, half upon completion."

Bradley's brow furrowed. "That doesn't make sense. Marisa was committed to a psychiatric facility after she attacked Diana. Her family's fortune is gone, her accounts frozen. She shouldn't have access to the kind of money needed to hire a professional like you."

Colin shrugged. "All I know is that she paid. And she certainly looked the part of someone with money to burn. Designer clothes, expensive jewelry, the works."

"You met her in person?" I asked, surprised.

"Once. For the initial contract. She insisted on it. Said she wanted to make sure I understood exactly who the target was." His eyes flickered to me apologetically.

Bradley pulled out his phone, showing Colin a photo. "Is this who you met with?" The image showed Marisa's institutional photo, her defiant expression captured in the harsh lighting of the psychiatric facility where she'd been committed.

Colin leaned forward, squinting slightly. After a moment, he nodded firmly. "Yes." His eyes remained fixed on the photo, as if making absolutely sure. "That's her."

Bradley ran a hand through his hair, a habit I'd noticed appeared only when he was deeply troubled. "This doesn't add up. Where would she get that kind of money?"

I touched his arm gently. "Maybe the Pierce family has assets you don't know about? Or she had money hidden away somewhere?"

"It's possible," Bradley conceded. "Pierce Industries was substantial before its collapse. There could be offshore accounts we don't know about."

We all fell silent for a moment. The implications were troubling. If Marisa had resources we weren't aware of, what else might she be capable of?

"So what now?" Colin finally asked.

Bradley and I exchanged glances. I could see the gears turning in his mind.

Bradley decisively suggested that we draw her out. He wanted Colin to contact Marisa, tell her the job was done, and arrange to meet for the second payment.

I caught on immediately, adding that we could follow him and catch her red-handed.

Bradley nodded in agreement. He emphasized that we needed to find out if she was working alone or if someone else was backing her.

Colin considered this. "She'll be suspicious if I don't have proof."

"We can stage photos," Bradley suggested. "Make it look convincing enough for a quick glance."

I watched as the two men, predator and protector, began forming an unlikely alliance to trap the woman who wanted me dead.

"Where would this meeting happen?" I asked.

"She suggested an abandoned factory on the east side for the final payment," Colin replied. "It's isolated."

Bradley's expression darkened. "You're not going anywhere near this," he said to me firmly.

I'd expected this. "And what happens if you leave and someone else comes for me while you're gone? Didn't you promise not to leave my side?"

His jaw tightened. I could see he was torn between keeping me safe at home and the risk of leaving me unprotected.

"Diana, your due date is approaching. This isn't up for discussion."

But I held my ground. "I'm safer with you than without you. And I need to see this through." I placed my hands protectively over my rounded belly. "For them. I need to know the threat is neutralized."

Bradley's eyes softened slightly at the sight of my protective gesture. After several moments of internal struggle, he let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine. But you stay in the car with me at all times. We watch from a distance. At the first sign of trouble, we leave immediately." His voice left no room for negotiation.

I nodded, relief washing over me. "Agreed."

Bradley turned back to Colin. "Call her. Set it up for tonight. Tell her you have proof the job is done and you want the rest of your payment."

While Colin made the call on speaker, I watched Bradley's face. The cool calculation in his eyes reminded me of the businessman who had built an empire, not the husband who tenderly rubbed my feet after a long day. Sometimes I forgot how dangerous he could be when protecting what was his.

After the call was completed and the meeting set, we returned to the house. Martha was in the kitchen with the children, helping them make cookies.

"We need to go out for a while," Bradley said, his tone deliberately casual. "Business matter. Parker will stay here with you."

Martha looked between us, clearly sensing something was amiss, but she simply nodded. "We'll be fine. Jacob is showing me his new robot design, and Joanne wants to bake enough cookies to feed an army."

I hugged my children, holding them perhaps a bit too tightly. Jacob squirmed away, but Joanne clung to me. "Bring us back a surprise, Mommy," she whispered.

"I will, sweetheart," I promised, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Parker approached as we were preparing to leave. Bradley gave him explicit instructions about securing the house and not letting anyone in under any circumstances. The gravity in Bradley's voice must have conveyed the seriousness of the situation because Parker nodded solemnly without asking questions.

Back in the cottage, Colin was waiting, now unbound but still guarded. Bradley had given him back his phone and a change of clothes, making him look less like a prisoner and more like the professional he claimed to be.

As we got into Bradley's car, I found myself in the unexpected position of sitting behind a hitman who had once been contracted to kill me, on our way to trap the woman who had ordered my death. I reached for Bradley's hand across the console, drawing strength from his steady presence.

"Ready?" he asked, his eyes meeting mine.

I nodded. "Let's finish this."

With that, Bradley started the engine, and we drove off toward the abandoned factory, where hopefully, this chapter of danger in our lives would finally close.