Page 73 of Haunted

Almost there, baby.

Flood lights blazed to life from the roof, illuminating the entire area in an instant at the same time the front door swung wide. Camden stepped onto the porch with Henley and Jade, who were thankfully fully clothed again, positioned like a shield with their wrists zip-tied in front of them. Blood dripped from Henley's hands from where the plastic had obviously cut into her delicate skin.Bastard.

“Glad you could join us, Calvin.” He grinned, looking around. “Though it took you a little longer than I expected.”

“Let them go, Camden, or should I call you Declan?”

My team converged simultaneously, surrounding him on all sides. Even with seven rifles aimed at his head––eight if you included Koen, who remained out of sight––he didn’t appear anxious, just the opposite, in fact.

“So you figured it all out, huh? Not surprising. You got your brains from yourfather.”

“There’s a bomb under my jacket, Keaton,” Henley cried out, tears flooding her bloodshot eyes.

“Do. Not. Move,” Duncan barked through gritted teeth, but he didn’t have to worry. I went lethally still when I saw the square remote-looking object in Camden’s hand. Her whimper of pain when he viciously yanked her by the arm against him sent flashes of red across my vision, as did the bruising I saw forming on her cheek.

He was a dead man walking.

Set up the shot, Koen.The voice in my head screamed.

Swallowing down the bile creeping up my throat, I zeroed in on Henley. Her distress was palpable. “It’s okay, baby. We’ve got you.” Glancing at Jade, who appeared to be ready to crawl out of her skin, I amended my statement. “Both of you.”

“Snitches get stitches, Henley,” he cooed in her ear, dragging the detonator down the side of her face. Rivers of tears flowed from her gorgeous eyes while her entire body trembled in his grasp. “That was our little secret.”

“Fuck you,” she sneered, wiping her tears away on her shoulder.

Easy, baby.

“Why the charade?” I pulled his attention away from her. “If this was all about getting revenge on me for putting my father behind bars, why not just come after me?”

“Is that what you think?” His sinister laugh formed a pit in my stomach. “Imagine my surprise when you waltzed into my bar all those years ago. I’d been waiting for a sign, then there you were. Playing with you was nothing more than a final fuck you to my big brother,nephew. Those women deserved what they got. Every last one of them were cheating whores, just like my mother. Christ, that bitch couldn’t even own up to her mistakes. She shipped meoff the second I was born, not giving a damn the man she willingly spread her legs for was a bastard who got a little handsy when he’d had too much to drink.”

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Did my dad?” A thought sparked in my brain. “He didn’t, did he?”

“I thought when he found out he had a brother, he’d bring me into the fold; give me a high-powered job at his company and we’d rule the world together, like we always should have.”

“Target acquired,” I heard in my ear.

“Instead, he kept you a secret.” I edged forward, keeping my eyes on him—along with the red dot—which appeared in the middle of his forehead from Koen’s scope. Camden was so lost in his head; he didn’t even notice my movement.

“After he took the fall, I held onto hope he’d come around one day, but the last time I visited him in prison, I saw it in his eyes. He was gonna give me up to save himself, the narcissistic bastard.”

Everything clicked into place. I’d always wondered why a man who believed he was above the law committed suicide. Now, I knew.

“You had him killed.”

“It’s amazing what people will do for a couple of cartons of cigarettes and a measly hundred bucks.” He shrugged.

“What now?” Duncan voiced.

“The fun begins. Let’s see how much you can endure. Here, Henley, hold this.” He transferred the device to her hand, wrapping her finger around the trigger mechanism. “Don’t let this go unless you want us to all go boom.”

“Give me the signal, goddammit,” Koen growled as Camden reached into his pocket.

“Close your eyes, baby.”

“Green,” Duncan commanded.

The snick of the knife opening was the only warning I got before he drove it deep into her side; her gasp was drowned out by the report of the rifle firing.

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