Page 46 of Catch a King (Five Kings 1)

She puts her arm on my back and says kindly, “Here, take a seat, I’ll fetch you some water.”

She pushes me into a chair and I put my head between my legs and take some large gulps of air. My head hurts and my stomach’s on fire and I can only think that seafood was seriously off because I have never felt so sick before in my life.

She is soon back and thrusts a cool glass of water into my hand which I drink gratefully and yet the light is still blinding me, so I close my eyes and croak, “I’m sorry Avery, I don’t think I can face a night of dancing, maybe I should just head back.”

“I understand, no problem.” Her concerned voice is the last thing I hear before I pass out and then as I come round, I notice things are now very different. My head hurts and I try to raise my arm to touch it, but I can’t. In fact, I can’t move an inch because my hands and feet are tied behind the chair. There’s a rag binding my mouth and I can’t speak, and as I open my eyes and look around me with fear, I stare at my surroundings in horror.

This isn’t a club, or even a bar. It’s an empty space with nothing but bare walls and a concrete floor.

“That was easy, you disappoint me, Reaper.” Avery’s voice comes out of nowhere and as I look, I don’t recognize the woman standing before me. Her easy-going smile has been replaced by a twisted evil one, and she sneers. “I thought you were supposed to be good. I was almost looking forward to a fight, but you’re just not good enough. Shame really, this was going to be my entertainment.”

I struggle and the muffled sounds I make are enough to make her laugh out loud. “You know, Millie, for someone who should have all the answers, it’s obvious you don’t have a clue why you’re here. Well, let me fill you in because I’m keen to stretch this night out. I wasn’t lying when I said it was party night, it is, which was fortunate for me because I was planning a party of my own, anyway, and it gave me the date I needed. Now, we all know that every party needs guests to make it go with a bang, so I have invited some friends of yours.”

She laughs and pretends to make a call and says in a high pitched, distressed voice. “Come quickly, Millie’s in danger. Billy’s killer has kidnapped her and is holding her in a disused bar on the edge of Fallon Creek. Please hurry, you’re the only ones I can ask. The Dragons can’t be trusted.”

Her words slice my heart into pieces as I understand everything. She’s setting a trap for my family. The Reapers will storm the building, but I’m not sure why she thinks she even stands a chance against them. Then I watch as she lifts a can of gasoline and starts moving around, pouring it over the floor, up the walls and laughing all the time.

“You know, Millie, I’m kind of excited to see what happens next because I’ve been dragging my heels in hell for too long now. As soon as this job is done, I can drive off with more money than I’ve ever had in my life and start again. You see, the man I screwed in Vegas turned out to be someone who very much wanted your family dead.”

She stops and stares into my eyes and growls. “Every. Fucking. One.”

She carries on and grabs another can. “It’s perfect. He arranged my cover story and told me of the Dragon’s Ruin. It was easy to rock up one day and persuade Slade that I was everything he was looking for. Man, that guy is perfect in every way, but so damn thick it was easy. I just needed to give him a reason to go along with my plan, and shooting Billy was the perfect one.”

She laughs as I struggle to free myself and carries on dancing around the room with her can of destruction.

“You see, killing Billy was easy, I just walked into his office and fired my gun. Everyone was out, and those that were left, were so far inside shit in the bar, they never suspected a thing. Silencers are good for that. Top tip.”

She grabs another can, and the stench is making me feel even more nauseous as she continues to pour it at my feet like a river that’s burst its banks.

“Well, Billy had a few last breaths inside him and after I told him Ryder King said hi, I knew he would warn the others. I just had enough time to head out before the others returned and lucky me, it all went according to plan. Billy never knew my name, so I knew I was safe from that and Slade fell right into my trap as Billy played his part magnificently.”

She giggles and crouches down before me and cocks her head to one side and I take a deep breath. Now is not the time to panic because that will get me nowhere.

“So, you see, I get the money, Slade gets his revenge, and my employer gets the Reapers off his back. Everyone’s a winner except you it seems, oh and those men you claim to love so much. A fitting end to a bunch of assassins who were taken down by their one weakness, family loyalty. Yes, I know they will send their best soldiers because when it concerns family, Reapers protect their own. The Dragons are chasing a false trail and I will be long gone before they even know what’s happening.”

She carries on and I note her stealing looks at the watch on her wrist as she empties the cans, giving me a chance to work the ties that grip my wrists. I make my body relax and focus because I know if I stand any chance of stopping this, I must free myself. So, as Avery carries out her deadly plan, I set to work.

Chapter 37

Sawyer

Slade’s up to something. I know my brother and he’s on edge. It could be the destination we’re heading. After all, he’s just found out his father married behind his back. I’m not sure how to play this, so I keep it inside as we head to the Coyote bar.

When I called Rose and told her we were coming, I warned her to get as far away from this situation as she can but now I’m having second thoughts. Maybe we should have come clean a while back. I’m not even sure why we kept it a secret, probably to shield Rose while she’s grieving. Then again, we’re all grieving and I’m coming to the conclusion it doesn’t help keeping things hidden.

We pull up outside and the place is busy as usual. Loud music pours from the windows and there are motorbikes littering the car park along with cars and trucks. Slade looks as if he means business and I worry what that could mean and Axel just seems weary; come to think of it he has for some time.

As we head inside, I see Skye look up and I see the resignation on her face. She knew this was coming. I suppose we all did, and as silence falls around us, I can tell that even her customers are wary and know something is going down.

As we approach the bar, I push forward and smile. “Hey, baby, we’re here to see Rose.”

Skye looks worried. “She’s not here.”

Slade pushes past me and snarls, “Then where is she?”

Skye fixes a look on her face that makes me smile inside because she is no pushover and runs this bar like a vigilante when provoked. Her eyes flash as she faces Slade down and hisses, “I told you, she’s not here and if you can’t be civil, you can get the hell out of my bar.”

She stands with her hands on her hips and fixes him with a hard expression, and I laugh to myself when I see the surprise in Slade’s eyes. Unlike him, he backs down a little and switches his approach. “I’m sorry, darlin’. Maybe I should ask again. Please can you tell us when Rose will be back?”

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