what?

“no!”myvoicemirrorshis.ohno.ohno.ohno—howcanhethinkthat?

themoney?hethinksi’mgoingbecauseofthemoney?

andinmomentofhorrificclarity,irealizetheonlywayi’mgoingtokeep

christianatarm’slength,outofharm’sway,andtosa一vehissister...isto

lie.

“yes,”iwhisper.andsearingpainlancesthroughme,tearsspringingtomy

eyes.

hegasps,almostasob.“ana,i—”hechokes.

no!myhandclutchesmymouthasistiflemywarringemotions.

“christian,please.don’t.”ifightbacktears.

“you’regoing?”hesays.

“yes.”

“butwhythecash?wasitalwaysthemoney?”historturedvoiceisbarely

audible.

no!tearsrolldownmyface.“no,”iwhisper.

“isfivemillionenough?”

ohplease,stop!

“yes.”

“andthebaby?”hisvoiceisabreathlessecho.

what?myhandmovesfrommymouthtomybelly.“i’lltakecareofthebaby,”

imurmur.mylittleblip...ourlittleblip.

“thisiswhatyouwant?”

no!

“yes.”

heinhalessharply.“takeitall,”hehisses.

“christian,”isob.“it’sforyou.foryourfamily.please.don’t.”

“takeitall,anastasia.”

“christian—”andinearlyca一ve.nearlytellhim—aboutjack,about420|pa

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mia,abouttheransom.justtrustme,please!isilentlybeghim.

“i’llalwaysloveyou.”hisvoiceishoarse.hehangsup.

“christian!no...iloveyou,too.”andallthestupidshitthatweputeach

otherthroughoverthelastfewdaysfadesintoinsignificance.ipromisedi’d

neverlea一vehim.iamnotlea一vingyou.iamsa一vingyoursister.islumpintothe

chair,weepingcopiouslyintomyhands.iaminterruptedbyatimidknockon

thedoor.whelanenters,thoughiha一ven’tacknowledgedhim.helooks

everywherebutatme.he’smortified.

youcalledhim,youbastard!iglareathim.

“youha一vecarteblanche,mrs.grey,”hesays.“mr.greyhasagreedtoliquefy

someofhisassets.hesaysyoucanha一vewhateveryouneed.”

“ijustneedfivemilliondollars,”imutterthroughgrittedteeth.

“yesma’am.areyouallright?”

“doilookallright?”isnap.

“i’msorry,ma’am.somewater?”

inod,sullenly.iha一vejustleftmyhusband.well,christianthinksiha一ve.my

subconsciouspursesherlips.becauseyoutoldhimso.butidon’twantto

lea一vehim.ilovehim.

“i’llha一vemycolleaguebringyousomewhileipreparethemoney.ifyoucould

justsignhere,ma’am...andmakethecheckouttocashandsignthat,too.”

heplacesaformonthetable.iscrawlmysignaturealongthedottedlineof

thecheck,thentheform.anastasiagrey.teardropsfallonthedesk,

narrowlymissingthepaperwork.

“i’lltakethose,ma’am.itwilltakeusabouthalfanhourtopreparethe

money.”

iquicklycheckmywatch.jacksaidtwohours—thatshouldtakeustotwo

hours.inodtowhelan,andhetiptoesoutoftheoffice,lea一vingmetomy

misery.

afewmoments,minutes,hourslater—idon’tknow—missinsinceresmile

reenterswithacarafeofwaterandaglass.

“mrs.grey,”shesayssoftlyassheplacestheglassonthedeskandfillsit.

“thankyou.”itaketheglassanddrinkgratefully.sheexits,lea一vingmewith

myjumbled,frightenedthoughts.iwillfixthingswith421|page

fiftyshadesfreed

christiansomehow...ifit’snottoolate.atleasthe’soutofthepicture.

rightnowiha一vetoconcentrateonmia.supposejackislying?

supposehedoesn’tha一veher?surelyishouldcallthepolice.

“tellnooneori’llfuckherupbeforeikillher.”ican’t.isitbackinthechair,

feelingthereassuringpresenceofleila’spistolatmywaist,diggingintomy

back.whowouldha一vethoughti’deverfeelgratefulthatleilaoncepulleda

gunonme?oh,ray,i’msogladyoutaughtmehowtoshoot.

ray!igasp.he’llbeexpectingmetovisitthisevening.perhapsicansimply

dumpthemoneywithjack.hecanrunwhileitakemiahome.oh,this

soundsabsurd!

myblackberryjumpstolife,“yourloveisking”fillingtheroom.ohno!what

doeschristianwant?totwisttheknifeinmywounds?

“wasitalwaysthemoney?”

oh,christian—howcouldyouthinkthat?angerflaresinmygut.yes,anger.it

helps.isendthecalltovoicemail.i’lldealwithmyhusbandlater.

there’saknockonthedoor.

“mrs.grey.”it’swhelan.“themoneyisready.”

“thankyou.”istandupandtheroomspinsmomentarily.iclutchthechair.

“mrs.grey,areyoufeelingokay?”

inodandgivehimaback-off-now-misterstare.itakeanotherdeepcalming

breath.iha一vetodothis.iha一vetodothis.imustsa一vemia.ipullthehemof

myhoodedsweatshirtdown,concealingthebuttofthepistolinthebackof

myjeans.

mr.whelanfrownsbutholdsopenthedoor,andipropelmyselfforwardon

myshakinglimbs.

sawyeriswaitingattheentrance,scanningthepublicarea.shit!

oureyesmeet,andhefrownsatme,gaugingmyreaction.oh,he’smad.i

holdupmyindexfingerinawith-you-in-a-minutegesture.henodsand

answersacallonhiscellphone.shit!ibetthat’schristian.iturnabruptly,

almostcollidingwithwhelanrightbehindme,andboltbackintothelittle

office.

“mrs.grey?”whelansoundsconfusedashefollowsmebackin.sawyer

couldblowthiswholeplan.igazeupatwhelan.

“there’ssomeoneoutthereidon’twanttosee.someonefollowing422|pa

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eljames

me.”

whelan’seyeswiden.

“doyouwantmetocallthepolice?”

“no!”holyfuck,no.whatamigoingtodo?iglanceatmywatch.it’snearly

threefifteen.jackwillcallanymoment.think,ana,think!

whelangazesatmeingrowingdesperationandbewilderment.hemust

thinki’mcrazy.youarecrazy,mysubconscioussnaps.

“ineedtomakeacall.couldyougivemesomeprivacy,please?”

“certainly,”whelananswers—grateful,ithink,tolea一vetheroom.whenhe’s

closedthedoor,icallmia’scellphonewithtremblingfingers.

“well,ifitisn’tmypaycheck,”jackanswersscornfully.idon’tha一vetimefor

hisbullshit.“iha一veaproblem.”

“iknow.yoursecurityfollowedyoutothebank.”

what?howthehelldoesheknow?

“you’llha一vetolosehim.iha一veacarwaitingatthebackofthebank.black

suv,adodge.youha一vethreeminutestogetthere.”thedodge!

“itmaytakelongerthanthreeminutes.”myheartleapsintomythroatonce

more.

“you’rebrightforagold-diggingwhore,grey.youfigureitout.anddump

yourcellphoneonceyoureachthevehicle.gotit,bitch?”

“yes.”

“sayit!”hesnaps.

“i’vegotit.”

hehangsup.

shit!iopenthedoortofindwhelanwaitingpatientlyoutside.

“mr.whelan,i’llneedsomehelptakingthebagstomycar.it’sparked

outside,atthebackofthebank.doyouha一veanexitattherear?”

hefrowns.

“wedo,yes.forstaff.”

“canwelea一vethatway?icana一voidtheunwelcomeattentionatthedoor.”

“asyouwish,mrs.grey.i’llha一vetwoclerkshelpwiththebagsandtwo

securityguardstosupervise.ifyoucouldfollowme?”

“iha一veonemorefa一vortoaskyou.”

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fiftyshadesfreed

“byallmeans,mrs.grey.”

twominuteslatermyentourageandiareoutonthestreet,headingoverto

thedodge.itswindowsareblackedout,andican’ttellwho’satthewheel.

butasweapproach,thedriver’sdoorswingsopen,andawomancladin

blackwithablackcappulledlowoverherfaceclimbsgracefullyoutofthe

car.elizabeth!shemovestotherearofthesuv

andopensthetrunk.thetwoyoungbankclerkscarryingthemoneyslingthe

hea一vybagsintotheback.

“mrs.grey.”shehasthenervetosmileasifweareoffonafriendlyjaunt.

“elizabeth.”mygreetingisarctic.“nicetoseeyououtsidework.”

mr.whelanclearsthisthroat.

“well,it’sbeenaninterestingafternoon,mrs.grey,”hesays.andiamforced

toobservethesocialnicetiesofshakinghishandandthankinghimwhilemy

mindreels.elizabeth?whatthehell?whyisshemixedupwithjack?

whelanandhisteamdisappearbackintothebank,lea一vingmealonewith

theheadofpersonnelatsipwho’sinvolvedinkidnapping,extortion,and

verypossiblyotherfelonies.why?

elizabethopenstherearpassengerdoorandushersmein.

“yourphone,mrs.grey?”sheasks,watchingmewarily.ihandittoher,and

shetossesitintoanearbytrashcan.

“thatwillthrowthedogsoffthescent,”shesayssmugly.whoisthiswoman?

elizabethslamsmydoorshutandclimbsintothedriver’sseat.iglance

anxiouslybehindmeasshepullsoutintothetraffic,goingeast.sawyeris

nowheretobeseen.

“elizabeth,youha一vethemoney.calljack.tellhimtoletmiago.”

“ithinkhewantstothankyouinperson.”

shit!iglareatherstonilyintherearviewmirror.shepalesandananxious

scowlmarsherotherwiselovelyface.

“whyareyoudoingthis,elizabeth?ithoughtyoudidn’tlikejack.”

sheglancesatmeagainbrieflyinthemirror,andiseeafleetinglookofpain

inhereyes.

“ana,we’llgetalongjustfineifyoukeepyourmouthshut.”

“butyoucan’tdothis.thisissowrong.”

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eljames

“quiet,”shesays,butisenseherunease.

“doesheha一vesomekindofholdonyou?”iask.hereyesshoottomineand

sheslamsonthebrakes,throwingmeforwardsohardihitmyfaceagainst

theheadrestofthefrontseat.

“isaidbequiet,”shesnarls.“andisuggestyouputonyourseatbelt.”

andinthatmomentiknowthathedoes.somethingsoawfulthatshe’s

preparedtodothisforhim.iwonderbrieflywhatthatcouldbe.theftfromthe

company?somethingfromherprivatelife?somethingsexual?ishudderat

thethought.christiansaidthatnoneofjack’spaswouldtalk.perhapsit’s

thesamestorywithallofthem.that’swhyhewantedtofuckme,too.bile

risesinmythroatwithrevulsionatthethought.

elizabethheadsawayfromdowntownseattleandupintothehillstotheeast.

beforelongwe’redrivingthroughresidentialstreets.icatchsightofoneof

thestreetsigns:southirvingstreet.sheturnssharpleftatajunction

intoadesertedstreetwithadilapidatedchildren’splaygroundononeside

andalargeconcreteparkinglotflankedbyarowofsquat,emptybrick

buildingsontheother.elizabethpullsintotheparkinglotandstopsoutside

thelastofthebrickunits.sheturnstome.“showtime,”shemurmurs.my

scalppricklesasfearandadrenalinecoursethroughmybody.

“youdon’tha一vetodothis,”iwhisperback.hermouthflattensintoagrimline,

andsheclimbsoutofthecar.thisisformia.thisisformia.iquicklypray,

pleaseletherbeokay,pleaseletherbeokay.

“getout,”elizabethsnaps,yankingtherearpassengerdooropen.shit.

asiclamberout,mylegsareshakingsohardiwonderificanstand.the

coollate-afternoonbreezecarriesthescentofthecomingfallandthechalky,

dustysmellofderelictbuildings.

“well,lookiehere.”jackemergesfromasmall,boarded-updoorwayonthe

leftofthebuilding.hishairisshort.he’sremovedhisearringsandhe’s

wearingasuit.asuit?heamblestowardme,oozingarroganceandhate.

myheartratespikes.

“where’smia?”istammer,mymouthsodryicanhardlyformthewords.

“firstthingsfirst,bitch,”jacksneers,comingtoahaltinfrontof425|page

fiftyshadesfreed

me.icanpracticallytastehiscontempt.“themoney?”

elizabethischeckingthebagsinthetrunk.

“there’sahellofalotofcashhere,”shesaysinawe,zippingandunzipping

eachbag.

“andhercell?”

“inthetrash.”

“good,”jacksnarls,andfromnowherehelashesout,backhandingmehard

acrosstheface.theferocious,unprovokedblowknocksmetotheground,

andmyheadbounceswithasickeningthudofftheconcrete.painexplodes

inmyhead,myeyesfillwithtears,andmyvisionblursastheshockofthe

impactresonates,unleashingagonythatpulsesthroughmyskull.

iscreamasilentcryofsufferingandshockedterror.ohno—littleblip.jack

followsthroughwithaswift,viciouskicktomyribs,andmybreathisblasted

frommylungsbytheforceoftheblow.scrunchingmyeyestightly,itrytofight

thenauseaandpain,tofightforapreciousbreath.littleblip,littleblip,oh

mylittleblip—

“that’sforsip,youfuckingbitch!”jackscreams.

ipullmylegsup,huddlingintoaballandanticipatingthenextblow.no.no.

no.

“jack!”elizabethscreeches.“nothere.notinbroaddaylightforfuck’s

sake!”

hepauses.

“thebitchdeservesit!”hegloatstoelizabeth.anditgivesmeoneprecious

secondtoreacharoundandpullthegunfromthewaistbandofmyjeans.

shakily,iaimathim,squeezethetrigger,andfire.thebullethitshimjust

abovetheknee,andhecollapsesinfrontofme,cryingoutinagony,

clutchinghisthighashisfingersreddenwithhisblood.

“fuck!”jackbellows.iturntofaceelizabeth,andshe’sgapingatmein

horrorandraisingherhandsaboveherhead.sheblurs...darknesscloses

in.shit...she’sattheendofatunnel.darknessconsumingher.

consumingme.fromfaraway,allhellbreaksloose.carsscreeching...

brakes...doors...shouting...running...footsteps.thegundropsfrom

myhand.

“ana!”christian’svoice...christian’svoice...christian’sagonizedvoice.

mia...sa一vemia.

“ana!”

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eljames

darkness...peace.

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fiftyshadesfreed