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Although it’s impossible to tell, I would swear the man underneath the mask is smirking. “Too bad, son. Haven’t you heard the old saying? Always shoot them in the head.”

The room erupts into motion. The hulking muscleman who went for the camera equipment comes up on Aiden’s blind side, swinging a baseball bat. He hits Aiden in the bad leg, and Aiden’s shot lodges in the ceiling. The guy slams theinto Aiden’s bad leg a second time and my cousin goes down.

My heart shoots straight up into my throat at his scream. Like a wounded animal.

“Broken bones,” Mask calls out above the noise. “And you do recognize the baseball bat, don’t you, beautiful? You used it on my men the night we came for you.”

Gilli screeches like a banshee. She contorts against the binds and falls off the couch on her side to inch forward. It’s only Aiden’s name, a constant stream of panicked sound as she pushes herself across the floor to get to him.

He’s ashen and unmoving, curled up on his side with his hands above his head to protect his skull as they bring the bat down again and again.

But the damage has already been done. His knee is shattered again, I’m sure of it.

“Leave him alone!” I yell.

Gilli is still trying to get to Aiden. With no one holding me down, I roll to my side and curl up, gritting my teeth, and by the grace of god, I manage to get to my feet.

The guy who’d been watching me moves to grab up the rifle and trains it on Aiden. Between him and the bat dude, they have him surrounded.

“Any more heroics?” Mask wants to know.

“Stop!” I hop and throw myself forward straight into the line of fire. “Take me.”

“Son, we’re not trying to bruise you any more than necessary. We’ve alreadygotyou.”

The hired muscle doesn’t care, though. He flips the rifle around and slams the butt of it across my face hard enough to send me careening into the countertop. I hit somewhere near my kidney, my throat aflame with bile.

We aren’t going to make it out of this alive. All our careful planning, the wasted time thinking Gillian was out of her mind, it brought us to this point.

There’s no way to blame her for this. She’d tried to warnus and we hadn’t heeded her. And when she left the cabin on her own, they were waiting for her.

“Aiden,” I grunt out. “Hold on. Just hold on, buddy, please.”

He’s silent, which worries me more than if he’d kept wailing in pain. Silence means he’s passed out, or worse.

But no, I glance over and note the same protective glint in his eyes. He wants to do anything it takes to save her. We both do.

Pride swells my chest. This fucking guy won’t quit no matter what.

Then the faith I’d managed to collect over the last twenty-four hours takes a hike. We thought it was three of us against one faceless enemy.

We were fools. We should have paid closer attention to Gilli when she said the dude stalking her was seriously bad news. We should have gone to the cops right away.

Once again, theshouldsof life got in my head, but right now they won’t make a shit of difference.

“I think,” Mask says slowly, “it’s time for a very important lesson on the pitfalls of playing hero. It never ends the way you think it will. Television has spoiled you boys to the reality of the world and the harsher truth of your situation.”

“Wait.” My teeth feel loose from the hit and I run my tongue over them, tasting blood. “Wait a minute.”

The dude slams the rifle into my stomach like he knows where to hit for maximum pain, and he’s right. I curl to avoid his next hit and meet Aiden’s gaze. He’s awake, barely, his mouth slightly open and his eyes glassy.

Think fast.

“I’ll do it,” I call out as loudly as possible. “I’ll do your fucking show for you right now. I’ll do it gladly if you leave him alone.”

Mask tilts his head as if considering.

“You’re already setting up for a video in the cabin. Right?” I’m scrambling, but now I’ve caught his interest.