Chapter 2

“Alex, you’d say anything to save your skin, wouldn’t you?”

“My brother’s at Disneyland with his girlfriend today. I just helped him with the plans last night. Next time you lie, at least try to make it believable.”

Damien’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie:

“Karma’s a bitch, Alex! You murdered my brother, and now you’ll both die the same way!”

I moved away from my wife’s brother, fearing I was blocking Seraphina’s view, wanting her to get a clear look at him.

But his face was injured, and he’d been trapped here for a day and a night.

He was already unrecognizable.

“Seraphina, you’ll regret this!”

After shouting that, I immediately cut the connection on the walkie-talkie. We were running out of time!

If we didn’t get out before the quicksand reached our lungs, we’d really be dead.

My wife’s brother gasped for breath, clinging to my hand, unwilling to let go.

“Alex, what’s wrong with Seraphina? Does she really want to kill me? I’m her own brother!”

He finally burst into tears after that.

My heart ached for him, but there was no time to comfort him now.

If I didn’t make a decision immediately, even a second of hesitation would mean our death.

The quicksand rose higher and higher, slowly covering our ankles.

“Hold on tight, don’t let go!”

I tied us together with a rope and started digging footholds with a small shovel I carried.

The next second, a boulder the size of a sandbag grazed my ear and tumbled past.

My wife’s brother yelled hoarsely at the top of the pit:

“Seraphina! Are you crazy? Why are you trying to smash Alex?”

I covered my ears to avoid excessive bleeding.

Seraphina grabbed a megaphone, her voice echoing with arrogant authority.

“Still got a big mouth when you’re staring death in the face? You’re just begging for it!”

Stones rained down like bullets. I was forced to stop digging and huddle with my wife’s brother, dodging the onslaught.

Meanwhile, the quicksand continued to pile up, already submerging our calves.

The next moment, the bodyguards suddenly stopped shoveling. A package was tossed down.

I opened it. It was a cell phone and a document. The phone was on a FaceTime call with Seraphina.

“It’s not too late to give up. Just agree to this document, and I’ll have them pull you out immediately.”

I opened the document, desperate to see what could make her so hell-bent on killing me.

What I saw made my blood run cold.