The oak door slammed behind me, and the lock clicked. The study smelled of old leather and expensive scotch. Arthur's mahogany desk stood between the fireplace and the only exit.
Arthur paced in front of the fireplace. "You have no idea what you almost did. You could have destroyed everything."
I laughed. "Destroyed what, Arthur? Your new life? You paid for it with mine."
He stopped pacing. "I did it to protect you. The company was collapsing. Dangerous people were involved, and faking my death kept you out of it."
"You call this protection?" I held up my scarred hands. "I sold my blood to pay your debts. My basement floods whenever it rains. For five years, I waited for your creditors to break down my door."
The room tipped. I caught the desk with one hand and pressed the other to my
