Chapter 4
The voice didn't belong to a hardened capo or an arrogant family elder. It belonged to Willa Hart.
At twenty-eight, Willa was incredibly beautiful, possessing the kind of striking, cinematic beauty that rivaled a movie star. Her fair, rosy skin was flawless, and she was dressed perfectly in casual family-party clothing, blending effortlessly into the affluent crowd. But she wasn't a Voss by blood; she was an outsider, brought into the fold only recently.
Willa stepped forward from the edge of the crowd, breaking the physical perimeter that the terrified guests had formed around Corbin and his daughter. Her hands were shaking slightly, but her jaw was set with absolute determination.
In her hand, she tightly gripped a sleek smartphone. The screen was brilliantly illuminated in the bright light of the living room.
"Willa, what are you doing?" Tabitha snapped, glaring at the younger woman. "Put that away. This doesn't concern you."
Willa completely ignored the older woman's command. She kept her eyes entirely locked on Corbin, recognizing the lethal danger vibrating from his massive, muscular frame. She knew that if she didn't provide proof, the family patriarch would simply brush the abuse under the rug, leaving the child vulnerable to future attacks.
"I recorded what happened before you got here," Willa stated. Her voice was shaken, but it carried an urgent, undeniable clarity that echoed through the silent room.
Tabitha’s arrogant sneer vanished instantly. The color drained from her fair skin. "You did what?"
"I was filming the string quartet," Willa explained quickly, taking another step toward Corbin. She held the phone out toward him, her hand trembling as she realized the massive target she had just painted on her own back. "I caught Tabitha in the background. I caught the whole thing, Corbin. You need to see this."
Orson Voss stepped forward, his face turning purple with sudden rage. "Give me that phone immediately, young woman! You do not record private family gatherings!"
"Back off, Orson," Corbin commanded, his voice a low, terrifying growl that stopped the patriarch dead in his tracks.
Corbin reached out and gently took the smartphone from Willa’s trembling hand. The screen was already cued up to the video file.
He pressed play.
The bright, high-definition video played flawlessly. The audio was clear. Corbin watched the screen, his entire body going rigid. The video didn't just show Tabitha snatching the inhaler; it showed the preceding five minutes.
It showed Juniper sitting quietly in a corner, playing with a small toy. It showed Tabitha approaching the child, a cruel, calculating look on her face. It showed Tabitha intentionally grabbing the small inhaler pouch, unzipping it, and removing the device while the little girl wasn't looking.
As Juniper began to gasp and claw at her throat, the video showed Tabitha smiling, holding the inhaler just out of reach, watching the child slowly suffocate for her own twisted amusement.
The video ended right as Corbin’s voice thundered through the audio, demanding the inhaler.
Corbin lowered the phone. The device creaked audibly in his massive, crushing grip.
May you like
His explosive rage suddenly evaporated, completely replaced by a stunned, horrifying disbelief. He couldn't comprehend the sheer, unadulterated evil required to orchestrate such an agonizing form of torture on a toddler.
"How could you do this to a defenseless child?" Corbin whispered, his face completely contorted with a mixture of agony and a terrifying, protective fury that promised absolute destruction.
