Page 80 of Trick's Trap

They followed him inside, giving the office a wide berth.

The library was crowded. One shelf was on hinges. It was pulled away from the wall, exposing a thick steel door with a dated electronic keypad.

“The shelf was open a crack,” Ethan said. “That’s the only reason we found it so soon.”

A technician was standing in front of the keypad while a few agents poked around the library, searching for papers with the code.

Eventually, they asked Tahlia for help.

“Don’t worry if you can’t guess it,” Ethan told her before taking out his service piece. “But if you can and he’s in there, we’re ready.”

Tahlia glanced at him. “I can’t believe this has been here the whole time.”

“At least ten years,” Ethan confirmed.

“So my father put it in. Maybe it’s his birthday.” She leaned over the technician and punched in a series of numbers. It buzzed negatively. She tried a few more combinations, none of which worked either.

“Maybe it’s your birthday,” Trick suggested.

Tahlia rolled her eyes, her lips turned down, but she put in the numbers anyway. A green LED lit, and the door swung open with a click.

Trick pulled Tahlia behind him. Another agent pulled out their weapon. He and Ethan nodded at each other, before they yanked the door wide, their guns drawn.

“What the fuck is this?” Ethan snapped, putting away his gun. He and the backup agent stepped inside, lowering their weapons.

Once they moved, Trick saw Lucas—or what was left of him.

A florid middle-aged man sat in an office chair behind a small mahogany desk, head still attached to his body. But he was dead, the cause the large bullet hole in the middle of this forehead.

The corpse was holding a pen as if he were writing a letter. There was a piece of paper in front of him.

Behind him, Tahlia gasped. He turned in time to see her hands fly to her mouth.

“Uncle Lucas!”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t look baby.”

“Who shot him?” she asked, throwing her hands up to cover her face.

Ethan walked out of the panic room, holding the paper from the desk. “I think this may explain that. Who’s Killian?”

“What?” Tahlia raised her head and snatched the sheet from his hands. Trick read over her shoulder.

Tahlia,

Forgive me for taking my leave before the authorities arrived. After you protested your innocence so succinctly, I decided to study your father’s death in greater detail. I soon learned Lucas hired me under false pretenses, so I decided to take care of him for you. Consider it an early wedding present. Also, he refused to pay me.

Kindest Regards,

Killian

Trick heldTahlia’s hand as the authorities wrapped up. All the bodies—and the pieces of bodies—had been carted away by the authorities.

Ethan and the other agents took his statement twice. They’d wanted to talk to Tahlia alone to take hers, but he put his foot down. He refused to let her out his sight…at least until she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Liam was in deep discussion with their family’s lawyers despite the fact Ethan assured them no charges would be filed against them. But Liam wasn’t taking any chances. He’d seen the headless corpse of Tahlia’s cousin and called the cavalry in.

Meanwhile, Trick was waiting in the hall with his hands in his pockets He wanted nothing more than to leave this place, but Jason had a point. They needed to dot their I’s and cross their T’s so they would never have to come back here again.

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