Page 48 of Her Devil

“He’s got to be in here somewhere,” he grumbles as we case from one room to the next, turning a corner to a shotgun that takes us both out “That motherfucker!”

I barely had time to register it before we were out, only one kill each under our belts. “Well, that could have gone better.”

I used to be good at this, once upon a time.

Dex, Blaise and I spent way too many hours hiding from my father, tucked into the cubby in my bedroom playing games. It was barely big enough to squeeze two in, so how all three of us managed it, I have no idea, but we did. Often.

The nights when it was throwing it down and we didn’t want to shimmy down the trellis on the back wall to get out, or the brunch meetings that meant we had nothing more than half an hour to kill, those were the moments we legged it upstairs and shoved ourselves in that cubby out of the way.

He never bothered us whilst we were in there. A firm thump on the door and a barked order were more than enough to ensure compliance. If he was feeling particularly magnanimous, he’d send one of the girls to coax us out instead.

But that didn’t happen often.

No, nineteen times out of twenty it’d be a hard word and a snarled order that got our asses moving. But it is what it is.

I knew the second I left he’d have the two of them on some other assignment far far away from wherever the hell I was going to be. There was never any question about it. And yet, that mark.

What are they warning me of, and why?

If they’d been the ones watching, and no doubt reporting back, they’d have let me know by now. And if he believed anything they reported back, I’d be surprised, really surprised. If he was going to get them to observe, he’d have just paid the damn tuition and saved all the damn cloak-and-dagger action.

So, they aren’t the ones tailing me, not normally anyway. They’ve found a reason to get here, to issue a warning that only I would understand. And yet, it still doesn’t get me any closer.

Oliver and I die, a lot. That same wanker kills us at least twenty times and we make very little headway. Oliver does significantly better than I do, but then, considering how distracted I am, it’s hardly a surprise.

Dex and Blaise have been the devils on my shoulders for as long as I can remember. One would come up with some stupid idea, and the other would up the ante, then I’d come up with something even worse and we’d all end up in trouble. But that’s how it’s supposed to be with your blood brothers, isn’t it?

Ride or die and all that bullshit.

My father knew exactly what he was doing by separating us. He’s finally free to manipulate them into the mindless assassins he’s always wanted them to be, whilst I’m here making sure to follow in his footsteps.Just not in the debate club.

“Gentlemen, dinner will be served shortly in the dining room,” one of the cooks explains from the doorway.

“I’ll let the guys know,” I reply, dying again.

“That’s already been done, sir. The ladies will be joining you also.” He nods once before disappearing.

“Hopefully they’ll be wearing more than wet bathing suits,” Oliver comments with a groan.

“Yes,” I agree. “That would chafe like a bitch.”

The two of us burst into laughter as I die on the screen, again, choosing to wait out the rest of the round watching the kill cam.

“Well, I’d say thank you for the help—”

“Except I’m not sure I was any help at all,” I interrupt.

“The company was useful regardless,” he finishes, the sound of everyone coming in finally registering as the consoles wind down.

“It’s this way, isn’t it?” one of the girls asks, the sound of them all ambling through the house a cacophony of noise I can’t believe we drowned out with the game.

“Better go show our faces,” I say, plugging the controller in to charge.

Oliver agrees with a nod, wandering out, only to be replaced by Nick, his broad shoulders blocking the doorway. “So, what did you find?”

“What? You were right there, you saw exactly the same as I did,” I bluff.

“Yeah, but your poker face needs some work, and I wasn’t about to let that spook the girls. They were having a good time, and whoever or whatever it was isn’t anywhere to be seen now.”

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