Page 115 of Love Bleeds Red
Bailey’s face has gone pale, and she’s still clutching the phone like her life depends on it. “Falin said they were at the gates, then the line went dead right before?—”
“They got ambushed,” I finish, my mind racing. If those were gunshots, it means the others ran into trouble. Maybe his guards, maybe Brotherhood—whoever it is, they’re not our friends. “We need to get you both somewhere safe.”
Mum looks between Bailey and I, confusion and fear warring in her expression. “Leon, what’s happening? Who’s shooting?”
There’s no time to explain.
I move to the kitchen window, trying to see anything through the darkness. The massive estate grounds stretch out like a blackvoid, hiding whatever’s going on in the dark. But somewhere out there, my family might be hurt. Or worse.
“Mum, I need you to listen to me carefully,” I say, keeping my voice steady even though my heart is hammering. “There are some very bad people here tonight. People who want to hurt us all. I need to go help my friends, but first I need to make sure you’re both protected.”
Her brows raise. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“Neither do I,” Bailey agrees.
Before I can argue, the lights in the kitchen flicker once, then go out completely.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Bailey, can you turn on my phone light?”
She nods, and switches on the single beam. It barely illuminates the space in front of us.
The silence that follows is deafening as they huddle closer to me. There’s no hum of electricity, no distant sounds of the others fighting their way inside. Only our breathing and the thundering of my pulse in my ears.
“Should we go out there?” Bailey asks. “Or try to find out what happened to the power?”
“It’s probably been cut,” I tell them. “It’s not safe for either of you.”
“Leon,” Bailey whispers, pointing toward the kitchen doorway.
A shadow moves under the crack in the door that leads back to the dining room. I know instantly it’s not Jasper or Damon. The gait is completely wrong.
I raise my weapon, motioning for Bailey and Mum to get behind me. The shadow pauses, as if sensing that he’s been spotted.
“Come out, son. It’s over.” Dread settles in my chest. Alfred. But how? He was locked in that cell, unconscious, with the door completely sealed.
“I know you’re there,” Alfred continues, his voice a crazed calm. “Why don’t you come out? We still have so much to discuss.”
I press my back against the kitchen counter, with Bailey and Mum to my sides. My mind races through options. The kitchen has one entrance, which means we’re trapped if he decides to come in. But it also means he can’t surprise us.
“What do you want, Alfred?” I call out.
“You know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.” His footsteps sound closer as the shadow grows. “You may have complicated things, but we can work through it.”
“Who is shooting outside?”
He pauses, then chuckles, and the sound makes my stomach churn. “Your friends encountered some of my security staff. I’m sure they put up quite a fight.”
How would he know that? The bastard’s playing games with me, trying to get under my skin. I hate that it’s working.
“Leon,” Bailey whispers so quietly I barely hear her. “There’s a service door behind the pantry. It leads to the back gardens.”
I glance at her, then at Mum. “Go, please.”
“Not without you,” she whispers back.
I can’t just leave now. Not with Alfred still standing. Not while the others are in danger.
“I have a proposition for you,” Alfred calls out. He must be right outside the kitchen now. “Your friends’ lives for a simple conversation. Five minutes of your time, and I’ll tell my staff to let them go.”
