Chapter 146
Pain came first. A deep, burning ache in his chest that seemed to pulse with each heartbeat. Then sounds filtered in, the steady beep of machines, the squeak of rubber–soled shoes on linoleum, hushed voices just beyond his reach
Herod Preston opened his eyes
The hospital room swam into focus slowly White ceiling Blue curtains Clear tubes running into his arms. And a man in a dark suit sitting beside his bed, watching him with tired eyes.
“Mr. Preston,” the man said, leaning forward. Im Special Agent Morgan with the FBI. Can you hear me?”
Herod tried to speak, but his throat felt like sandpaper. A nurse appeared, holding a small cup of water with a straw. He sipped, the cool liquid both painful and soothing as it went down.
“Yes,” he managed finally, his voice a raspy whisper. “I hear you.”
Agent Morgan nodded to someone Herod couldn’t see. A woman stepped into view, also in a dark suit. ‘Agent Chen,” she introduced herself. “You’ve been unconscious for four days, Mr. Preston, Do you remember what happened?”
The memories hit him like a physical blow. The motel room. The phone call to the FBI. Rose’s face when she realized what he was doing. The sound of gunshots. The burning pain in his chest.
“Rose,” he said. “Rose shot me.”
The agents exchanged glances. “Rose Lewis,” Agent Morgan confirmed. “We’ve been looking for her, but she’s disappeared.”
Herod closed his eyes briefly, gathering his strength. Each word cost him, but he needed to speak. Needed to finally tell the
truth.
“She was behind everything,” he said, each word careful and deliberate. “The bombings. The sabotage. All of it.”
Agent Chen pulled out a recorder. “Mr. Preston, would you be willing to make an official statement? You have the right to have an attorney present.”
“No attorney,” Herod said. “I want to talk now. Before…” He didn’t finish the thought. Before Rose could silence him permanently. Before he lost his courage.
Agent Morgan turned on the recorder, stating the date, time, and those present. Then he nodded to Herod. “Tell us what happened, from the beginning.”
Herod took another sip of water, organizing his thoughts. The beginning. Where was the beginning? With his family’s downfall at Victoria Kane’s hands? With his first meeting with Rose? With the moment he realized she was using him?
“I met Rose Lewis six months ago,” he started. “She knew about my hatred for Victoria Kane. She used that. Encouraged it. Made me believe we were partners with the same goal, revenge against the Kanes.”
“And were you?” Agent Chen asked. “Partners?”
Herod gave a small, bitter laugh that turned into a wince of pain. “No. I was a tool. A convenient scapegoat with resources she needed.”
“Resources for what?” Morgan pressed.
“Money. Connections. A name that gave her access to places she couldn’t go on her own.” Herod’s voice grew stronger as he spoke, as if the words themselves were giving him energy. “Rose planned everything. The attacks on the Phoenix Grid. The sabotage attempts. The bombings.”
Chen leaned forward. “Are you saying Rose Lewis planted the bombs herself?”
“Yes.” Herod met her eyes. “She had training–I never asked where she learned it. She planted both devices. Made sure my fingerprints were on components. My DNA at the scenes. All while establishing alibis for herself.”
“And you?” Morgan asked. “Where were you during the bombings?”
Herod looked down at his bandaged chest. “I knew about them. I provided money. Equipment. I helped her plan the damage to maximize impact while minimizing casualties.”
“But you didn’t plant the bombs yourself?”
“No.” The admission brought no relief, no absolution. “But I didn’t stop her either. That makes me guilty too.” Agent Chen made notes on a small pad. “Mr. Preston, do you have any proof of what you’re telling us? Any evidence that Rose Lewis was directly involved in the bombir
Herod had been waiting for this question. “The
Successfully unlocked!
mentioned when I called you. Did you fir
The agents exchanged glances again. “No recorder was found at the scene,” Morgan said carefully.
Herod closed his eyes, thinking. The recorder had been in his jacket pocket when Rose shot him. If the FBI didn’t have it, where was it?
Chapter 146
“Check the jacket I was wearing,” he said. “Inside pocket. Or maybe it fell out when I was shot
“We’ve been through your clothing, Mr. Preston, Chen said. “There was no recording device‘
A cold realization washed over Herod. ‘She took it. After she shot me. Before you arrived”
Morgan’s face remained impassive. “That’s convenient for your story.”
“It’s the truth,” Herod insisted, frustration making his heart rate spike. The machines beside him beeped faster “Rose Lewis planned and executed the bombings. I knew about them but didn’t stop her. I’m guilty of conspiracy, but she was the one who actually planted the devices.”
“Without evidence, it’s your word against hers, Chen pointed out. And you have a strong motive to shift blame
Herod felt a wave of despair. Of course they didn’t believe him. Why would they? Rose had done her job too well, making sure all trails led back to him and him alone.
But then he remembered something. A small detail that might change everything.
“The hotel,” he said suddenly. “The Plaza Hotel.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”
*Rose established her alibis there during both bombings. Made sure she was visible, surrounded by witnesses.” Herod’s words came faster now, urgent. “But she had to leave at some point. There would be a gap in the security footage. A period when she slipped out, planted the bombs, and returned.”
Agent Chen was writing rapidly now. “We can check the hotel’s security cameras.”
“Not just the main entrances,” Herod added. “Service doors. Fire exits. Rose is smart, she would find a way out that wouldn‘ t be obvious.”
For the first time, Morgan looked genuinely interested. “Anything else?”
Herod thought carefully. What other evidence might Rose have missed? What other trail might she have left?
“Her phone,” he said. “She used a burner for most communications, but sometimes she used her regular phone. Check the tower data on the nights of the bombings. It might show her location.”
“We’ll look into it,” Morgan said, noncommittal.
Herod sensed their continued skepticism. He needed something more concrete, something they couldn’t ignore.
“The storage unit,” he said suddenly, the memory surfacing through the fog of pain medication.
“What storage unit?” Chen asked.
“In Queens. Under the name Sarah Miller. Unit 217 at Secure Storage on Vernon Boulevard.” The details came back to him in a rush. “Rose kept supplies there. Equipment. Maybe plans. She thought I didn’t know about it, but I followed her once, saw her using a key with the number on it.”
Now Morgan was taking notes too. “You’re sure about this? Unit 217, Secure Storage, Vernon Boulevard?”
“Yes.” Herod felt a glimmer of hope. “And there’s more. Check her connection to Anton Bessonov. Russian businessman with ties to organized crime. She bought the explosives through him.”
The agents looked at each other, a silent communication passing between them. Then Morgan turned back to Herod. “Mr. Preston, if what you’re telling us proves true, would you be willing to testify against Rose Lewis in court?”
The question hung in the air. Testify against Rose. The woman he had thought he loved. The woman who had used him, betrayed him, and tried to kill him.
“Yes,” Herod said, his voice stronger now. “I’ll testify.”
“Even knowing that would mean admitting your own role?” Chen pressed. “You’d still face significant jail time for conspiracy.”
Herod thought of his brother Charles. Of what he would want Herod to do. The right thing, no matter the cost.
“I’ll accept whatever punishment I deserve,” he said quietly. “But Rose needs to be stopped before she hurts anyone else.” Morgan nodded slowly, seeming to reassess the man lying before him. “We’ll need a complete statement. Every detail you can remember about the bombings, about Rose’s involvement, about your own actions.”
“I’ll tell you everything,” Herod promised. “But there’s something else you need to know. Something urgent.”
“What’s that?” Chen asked.
“Rose won’t stop,” Herod said, fear creeping into his voice for the first time. “The bombings were just the beginning wants to destroy Camille Kane completely. She’ll try again. Something bigger. More dangerous.”
“Do you know what she’s planning?” Morgan leaned forward, suddenly alert.
Herod shook his head, pain shooting through his chest at the movement. “No specific plans. But I know how she thinks.
Chapra 146
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“It won’t be enough” Herod warned, his voice fading as fatigue washed over hans don’t onderstand how far the mists go. What she’s capable of
“We’ll handle it, Mr. Preston, Chen assured him, but the worry in her eyes betrayed her confiden
Herod wanted to say more, to make them understand the true nature of the theat Pose posed But his body had reached its first. The pain medication pulled him toward unconsciousness, the room growing word the stor
“Check the storage unit,” he managed to say “Stop her before. His voice trailed off as datiness damned him once more The last thing he heard was Agent Morgan’s voice, sharp and urgent, ordering a team to Queens. To the stooge unit where proof of Rose’s crimes might finally be found
As Herod drifted into unconsciousness, a strange peace settled over him. He had done it. Finally. Told the truth Chores the right path, even knowing it would lead to his own punishment.
For the first time since his family’s downfall, Herod Preston felt something like redemption. Whether it would be enough to stop Rose remained to be seen.
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Chapter 147
