Chapter 6 - The Unlikely Alliance
To take back his house, Bennett needed help inside. He slipped into the servants' quarters, finding Mateo, the elderly head butler who had served the Hale family for thirty years.
Mateo pulled out a tray of medical supplies, quickly bandaging Bennett's head wound.
"Julian has turned half the staff into hostages, sir," Mateo whispered nervously. "Most of the loyal men were sent to the perimeter gates."
"Where is Clara?" Bennett demanded.
"In the old holding room under the east garage," Mateo replied. "Julian is planning to kill her and make it look like she fled with stolen jewelry. But Mr. Bennett... Mrs. Eleanor's condition is deteriorating rapidly. The stress..."
Bennett gripped the old butler's shoulder. "Get my mother into the hidden panic room behind the library. Take the medical equipment with you. Can you do that for me, Mateo?"
"On my life, sir."
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"If I don't survive tonight," Bennett added, his voice firm and unwavering, "ensure Clara gets the ledgers. She deserves her life back."
Bennett racked the slide of his pistol, his expression grim. He was going to end Julian's rebellion, or die trying.
