Alle Kapitel von Dead Before She Cared: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 8

"Pull the trigger, Gemma! Now!"Valerie's roar whipped through the air, snapping like a barbed whip right against my eardrums.It was the hottest day on record in North America. Ground temperatures reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The scorching heat and the burning smell of hot concrete nearly suffocated me.I had been standing in the blistering sun for three whole hours. My clothes were soaked with sweat.My hands shook as I held the heavy handgun. Fifteen yards away, a small white rabbit was tied to the target, trembling in fear.I had a severe congenital heart defect and extreme blood phobia. But to prove to the family elders that she had no weaknesses and was completely unbiased, Valerie—our Underboss—dragged me straight into the family live-fire training field."How long are you going to shake? You can't even kill a freaking rabbit. You're embarrassingly weak!" Valerie marched up behind me. She shoved her cold gun barrel hard against the back of my head. "If I don't see blood today

"The Underboss told you to get lost! Didn't you hear her?"Chloe slapped the emergency gear straight out of the old doctor's hands. Her eyes flashed with pure malice.Two towering guards dragged the old doctor away roughly. The training field fell back into dead silence.The scorching sun beat down without mercy.My lifeless body lay on the burning concrete, stiff and cold.Valerie saw me still not moving and snorted coldly. "Everyone else finished training. You're the only one wasting time. I don't have time for your drama!"She turned to Chloe with a warm smile. "You know our family drills well. Do me a small favor? Gemma is spoiled. Keep an eye on her. Don't let her run off until she finishes.""Not at all. Serving the Underboss is my honor. I'm sure the Young Lady didn't mean it."My soul floated in the air. I saw everything clearly. The moment Valerie left, the sweet fake smile on Chloe's face disappeared completely.She walked up to my body and kicked my calf to test me.I didn't

"Dead from heart failure?"Valerie let out a sharp laugh. She leaned back in her chair, pure disgust written all over her face."Are cop badges on sale now? How much did Gemma pay you for this little show? Ten grand? Twenty?"Chloe giggled right next to her. "Officer, she's playing you. I checked her myself a few hours ago. Her vitals were perfect. She's just a drama queen paying you to scare her mom!""Faking it to skip training? Paying us?"The lead officer's face darkened with rage.He didn't waste another word. He grabbed a stack of photos and stamped reports from his folder and slammed them onto the desk!The papers hit the wood with a heavy thud and slid across the table.Right on top was a photo of my face—pale, covered in dark dried blood, eyes wide and unseeing."Take a good look! We took these ten minutes ago in the alley!" The officer's voice cut through the air like ice. "We don't have time for your little rich-family games. The body is stiff. Her pupils are dilated. She's

Both of them shut their mouths instantly.The lead officer flipped open his folder. His cold voice cut through the air like a blade:"The autopsy report confirms the victim died about eight hours ago. The cause of death was acute heart failure, triggered by extreme terror and intense mental trauma."The officer paused, letting out a heavy sigh before looking at them:"Meaning, the second she collapsed eight hours ago, her heart had already stopped. Everything you did after that... was nothing more than abusing a corpse."The words hit Valerie like a sledgehammer straight to the chest."Eight hours ago... dead?"Valerie shook violently, her pupils shrinking in horror.Eight hours ago... that was when she held a gun to Gemma's head, forcing her to shoot that rabbit!How is that possible? Chloe said...Chloe, who had just been loaded into the ambulance, was dragged back by two officers.With her lies completely exposed, her innocent act shattered. She collapsed onto the pavement, thrashin