Page 9 of Pretty Plaything
“A business deal? With who?” I furrowed my brow because I hadn’t even known my father had been negotiating with someone.
“I don’t have time to explain. We’re going to be late.” My brother got in his car.
“Fine,” I muttered to myself.
Business deals weren’t my thing, but if my father wanted us all there, then I’d go.
I got in my car and followed the last car, the one with the guards. If anything happened, at least I’d be there to stop it.
About ten minutes later, my phone beeped. I glanced at it and frowned.
An alert popped out. One of the alarms at our house had been triggered.
I tapped the screen so I could access one of the cameras. Sometimes, an animal or something would trigger the alarms, and it didn’t mean someone had broken in. Besides, the guards were there.
But the camera feed was completely black.
I checked the others.
All black.
I dialed our phone. The house was full of people at all times.
Someone would pick up. Either the staff or one of the guards.
But the phone rang and rang, and no one picked up.
Fuck.
I sent a quick text to my brother to tell him I’d be late, and then I turned around, speeding back to the house.
It might be nothing.
A power outage.
No need to get concerned.
But it was better to check.
I got a text from my brother with the address where I was supposed to meet them later. When I pulled over in the driveway, I jumped out of the car.
As I made my way to the front door, my gun ready in my hand, I spotted one of the guards.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing, sir,” he said. “Some animal or something chewed through the wires. The power’s out.”
“An animal?”
The guard shrugged. “We’ve swept the whole house. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
I entered the house, checking every corner myself, just in case.
Once I was sure everything was in order, I went back to my car.
It took me a while to find the field hidden among the trees just outside the city. As soon as I reached the first car, I realized something was wrong.
The body of a dead guard lay in the grass.
