Chapter 4

Fiona didn’t hesitate. She lunged at Xena, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and started slapping her back and forth.

“You two-faced bitch! You tried to trick Dolly into giving you a kidney? I’m going to kill you!”

Mom and Dad were disappointed in Xena too, but they still rushed over and pulled them apart.

My vision went black, and I nearly collapsed.

But I wasn’t angry.

I was devastated.

I lunged for the agreement and clutched it like my life depended on it, sobbing uncontrollably.

“My half of the Xander fortune! My ten apartment buildings! My solid-gold wheelchair!”

Fiona threw her arms around me.

“Dolly, forget the money! You’re okay. That’s all that matters!”

Tears streamed down my face.

“I’m not okay! I just lost half an empire!”

Still heartbroken, I flipped open my price list.

“Faking an illness to get my kidney, attempted fraud, and attempted murder. I’m doubling the emotional damages. Pay up!”

After we brought Xena home, she became much quieter.

She kept her head down and barely said a word. She didn’t even dare shed more than a few tears.

But I knew better than to think she was done scheming.

A snake didn’t stop being a snake just because it went quiet.

Sure enough, three days later, someone threw a bag over my head the moment I stepped outside.

When I came to, I was hanging in midair inside an abandoned factory.

An industrial meat grinder roared beneath me, its steel blades spinning just below my feet.

Xena was hanging beside me, sobbing.

“Dolly, I’m so scared.”

I glanced at the knot around her wrists, then at the loose one around mine.

Interesting.

Her rope was tied securely, while mine looked like it could come undone at any second.

These kidnappers weren’t even trying to hide which one of us they wanted dead.

A few minutes later, they video-called Dad.

Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Fiona were all on the screen.

One of the kidnappers pressed a button on the remote, and both Xena and I dropped several inches.

Heat and the metallic stench of the machine rose toward me. My toes were almost touching the blades.

“Mr. Xander, you have two daughters, but you can only save one.

“Tell me which one you choose, and I’ll stop her rope. The other one goes into the grinder.”

Mom broke down.

“No! Save both of them! I’ll give you whatever you want!”

The kidnapper gave a mocking laugh and pressed the button again.

Both ropes lowered farther.

Xena was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

“Mom, Dad, I don’t want to die!”

Ethan’s eyes were red.

“Save Xena! She’s not well. She can’t handle this!”

Fiona screamed at him.

“Are you insane? She literally faked being sick a few days ago to trick Dolly into giving her a kidney!”

Ethan shouted back, “Is now really the time to bring that up? Dolly’s smart. She’ll figure something out!”

Dad gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white, but he still couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Mom kept shaking her head and crying my name over and over.

But she never chose me.

The kidnapper finally lost patience and held the button down.

My rope dropped fast.

My toes struck the edge of the grinder, and pain tore through my foot.

Blood soaked through my shoe as my vision blurred from the pain.

Fiona completely lost it.

“Dad! Mom! Pick Dolly! You’re always saying you want to make it up to her, so pick her!”

Dad closed his eyes.

When he finally spoke, his voice was strained.

“Save Xena.”

Mom covered her mouth and crumpled to the floor.

Fiona lunged for the phone.

“No! I don’t agree!”

The kidnapper laughed.

“Your father made the choice. That’s all I need.”

Xena’s rope stopped.

She lifted her head and looked at me.

For a split second, I caught the smug satisfaction in her eyes.

My rope kept dropping.

The grinder had already mangled my toes, and searing pain shot up my leg.

A few more inches and my entire body would go straight into the blades.

Just before I fell, the factory doors burst open.