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My pulse hammered in my throat and I reached for Addison’s hand. The creature stood between us and the exit, silent and still and unfathomably menacing under the blinking cabin lights.

Addison inhaled quietly. “Got another butter knife, by chance?”

My mouth went dry, terror rattling down my spine as the wax minion’s head cocked to the side in unnatural, puppet-like motion. “Unfortunately, I think I’m fresh out of kitchenware.”

Addison swallowed, unblinking as the creature took a stilted step toward us. “That’s a shame.”

I backed up a step, and then another, and Addison followed suit.

“We should…” I sucked in a breath, swallowing my panic as the creature crept toward us. “We should–”

Then it moved, lurching into motion, tearing toward us with a piercing mechanical shriek that rattled through the cabin like a death knell.

“Run. Fucking–run!” I whirled Addison around and the two of us took off, scrambling through the narrow cabin to… Where? That thing was between us and the only exit.

There was nowhere to go.

27

Maxine

“Leah? Leah?!” I spun in circles, scanning the airstrip. Rain lashed my face and my breath came out ragged, fear clawing at my gut. “Leah, where are you?!”

The wind snatched the words from my lips and my gaze darted across the slick tarmac. The gloom of storm clouds pressed low, washing the scene in shades of grey. Panic battered at my chest. Leah was missing, and if Gregor or his wax puppets somehow got hold of her…

My stomach lurched at the thought. Then, in the corner of my eye, I spotted movement near the private jet parked across the runway. My breath caught. A stream of those wax model minions were scaling the short stairway, gliding aboard the plane, an undulating hoard of bodies.

Why would they be heading there?

Realization struck me like a lightning bolt. If the wax puppets were swarming inside the jet, that had to be where she was. Panic and fury surged in equal measure. I tipped my head back, straining to catch even a glimpse. And then I saw her,andAddison—a flash of their silhouettes against one of the cabin windows, lit by the faint glow inside.

I bolted across the rain-swept tarmac. My mind reeled with images of them pinned down by lifeless eyes and plastic smiles.Not happening.

Gregor had been seemingly swallowed in the swarm but I kept my head swiveling, on the lookout for any sign of those bloodshot eyes. A group of four wax minions noticed me, their movements stiff as they lurched off the stairs to intercept.Fine.

I snarled through clenched teeth, adrenaline spiking. For an instant, fear prickled at my skin, but I forced it aside.I’ve come too far to lose now.

I barreled into the first minion, shoulder-checking it so hard its waxy torso folded over. The second lunged for me, but I dodged and slammed a kick into its side, sending it sprawling with a wet smack. My arms ached, muscles exhausted from the earlier tussle, but sheer desperation kept me moving.

The third and fourth advanced in tandem, arms outstretched like ghoulish dolls. A growl tore from my throat as I hammered one with a hook punch, the other with a swift elbow strike that crumpled its waxen face. They went down, limbs contorting in unnatural angles, but I didn’t wait to make sure they were down for good.

I surged forward, weaving among the wax minions that closed ranks on the plane’s narrow stairway. But the swarm kept coming. Wax arms, stiff and unnerving, reached for me. I lashed out, elbowing one across the face.

Another seized my sleeve and I snarled, ripping free with a burst of speed. The battered steps became slick with rain and waxy sludge, and my boots nearly slipped out from under me.

My breath hitched as two more grappled me from behind, fingers clutching at my hair, snagging my ankles and clothes. I snarled, desperation firing my limbs, but they dragged me downa step, then two more. A roar of frustration tore from my throat and I forced my weight forward, ignoring the tearing pain in my scalp where a minion yanked a handful of my hair.

My boot collided with one minion’s chest and it folded backward, limbs tangling with another grasping creature. Freeing myself, I lunged higher, almost at the entrance.

But there was a commotion up ahead.

All of a sudden the surge of wax models swelled down the stairs, some forced right over the edge of the staircase as something battered them from above. One toppled over the metal railing with a wetsmack, another was flung through the air, crushing into the tarmac below.

I stumbled back, losing my footing, and my body tumbled down the rain-slick steps, hitting the tarmac with a bruising thud. I pressed a hand to my aching ribs, then lifted my gaze. Through the dim light I saw a figure standing in the doorway of the jet cabin.

My jaw fell open. “Jordan?”

She wore that signature smile, lips curled up in smug triumph. Sky and Hunter stepped into view behind her, supporting Addison, who had a few nasty scratches marring her face and arms but looked otherwise alive. Addison’s gaze swept the carnage, then locked on me with a tight-lipped smile of relief.