Page 47 of Kings & Chaos

Fuck me, I did not need another mysterious package after tonight.

“Let me see it,” I said when the garage doors closed behind us.

“No way, tiger.” Oscar was already starting for the house. “We need to make sure it’s safe first.”

My protest died on my lips when I realized what he was saying. My stalker might have sent me something dangerous. A bomb or some kind of poison or something else designed to keep me from looking for Emma.

We got into the kitchen and Oscar set the package gingerly on the island.

Neo stared at his phone.

“Are you going to put this on social media?” I asked. “Because I’d kind of like to know what’s in the package with my name on it.”

“And I’d kind of like to know how some motherfucker got onto the property to leave it,” Neo said. “I’m accessing the security camera for the front of the house.”

“Good idea,” Rock said. “Seeing the drop might give us a clue what’s in it too.”

Because if it was a bomb, presumably whoever dropped it would have done so carefully.

Great.

“Let me see,” I said, coming around to stand next to Neo so I could see his phone.

I was almost surprised when he didn’t shove me away, but he was too focused on the black-and-white image on his phone.

Rock and Oscar crowded in behind me, and we all watched as the front of the house came into view. A clock showed the time at the top of the screen.

8 p.m.

9 p.m.

10 p.m.

Nothing, just the front of the house, illuminated by the lights that had been expertly installed to highlight the house’s modern architecture.

And then, at 11:03 p.m., the floodlights came on.

“Wait!”

Neo paused the video. “I know what I’m doing.”

The floodlights were attached to sensors and only came on if something came within a certain radius of the house. Usually it was deer, and once, a bear, but this time there was no deer, no bear.

Neo slowed the video down and I held my breath, waiting as the time ticked by more slowly.

11:03… 11:04… 11:05 p.m.

Someone moved into the camera’s frame, a shadow dressed in black and wearing a ski mask like the one worn by the man who’d chased me through the woods and by Dean Giordana and the other man who’d planned to bury me at the cabin.

“Definitely a dude,” Rock said.

The figure was tall and broad-shouldered, and he approached the porch without even a look around.

“He knew we weren’t home,” Drago said.

“Yep.” Neo’s voice was tight.

We watched as the man walked onto the modern porch. He bent to leave the package by the door, then took out his phone. A flash of light flared onscreen.

---