Page 16

Chapter sixteen

Colt

I fly down the stairs, checking the windows, none are broken, and every door is locked. Satisfied the building is secure, I head straight for the office. Sliding into my leather chair, I click my screen to life. My fingers work skillfully to pull the security camera footage from the perimeters of the store. Four main camera views in separate windows, watching the time stamps from twenty minutes ago.

There’s movement in the back alley. The guy from earlier is pacing around with the tape still over his lips. I make note of the timestamp and fast-forward. A car turns down the alley, in the lower right corner of my screen. Slowing the footage, I watch as the rear window rolls down, revealing a shadowed figure in a baseball cap with a bandana tied over his nose. His eyes are barely visible, but I know right away this has nothing to do with the bar, and everything to do with Uncle Ricky. A second later, the gunshot erupts from the car, and it speeds off down the alley. No plates. Fuck. I pound my fist into the desk.

Behind me, Maddox yelps. She must have come looking for me. How long have I been gone? A glance down at the glowing time on the screen—twenty minutes. Shit. I didn’t even realize it.

“Maddox.” I jump up. “I’m sorry this took me so long. Everything’s going to be okay. I just need to call my uncle.” She nods, her eyes locked on my screen, and I realize she must have seen the video replay. “Hey, darling, do me a favor. You saw nothing, okay? And for that to be true, I need you to go back upstairs and wait for me. I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t say a word as she turns and walks out. My hand trembles as I pull out my phone to call Uncle Ricky. He answers on the second ring.

“Colt. It’s pretty late. Is everything okay?” His voice is immediately concerned.

“No. We have a situation.” I emphasize the word.

“Don’t say anything else. Stay where you are. We’ll talk when I get there. Fifteen minutes. Do you need anything?”

A coded question—what kind of crew does he need? “Yeah. I need tools.” Extra men. “Plumbing supplies.” Body cleanup. “And anything else you can think of.”

“Done. Shut the water off,” Uncle Ricky replies, then hangs up.

I turn back to the computer and shut down the entire security system. A few minutes later, the city goes dark. Power outage. Uncle Ricky is on the move. He probably blew the grid so they can sneak in undetected—clean up the body, wipe any trace. Hacking into the power company’s records to extend the blackout, erasing all user data from that timestamp, making sure nothing leads back to us. Maddox screams from upstairs and I take off running. “Stay where you are! I’m coming, Maddox!” I yell, hoping she hears me.

I flick on my phone’s flashlight as I take the stairs two at a time. At the top, I catch my breath and scan the room. My girl is behind the bar, gripping a knife we use for cutting fruit. I breathe a sigh of relief and smile, running my fingers through my hair.

“Maddox. It’s only a power outage. Everything’s fine.” I step closer, my hand gently resting on her shoulder. “Come downstairs, my uncle will be here soon. Let’s wait together. Are you okay?”

Her hand shakes as she lays the knife down and takes a few steps back.

“I’m alright,” she says, but I can’t tell if she’s trying to convince me or herself.

“Come here, Maddox.” I step closer, meeting her halfway, pulling her into my arms. “I’m so sorry I sent you away.” Her entire body trembles as I hold her to my chest, stroking her hair. I plant a kiss on top of her head and whisper, “I’ve got you.”

She shoves away from me, whipping at tears rolling down her round cheeks. “What’s going on? Is that guy–”

I cut her off. “You saw nothing. You know nothing. My uncle will be here any minute. Come on.”

I offer her my hand. She stares at it for a minute, struggling to decide whether or not to accept it. When she finally places her hand in mine, I pull her gently, leading her downstairs to the office. Uncle Ricky is not going to be happy about this.

Back in the office, I offer Maddox my chair and stand behind her. “Once my uncle arrives, don’t ask questions. Don’t tell him anything. And do exactly as he says.”

She stiffens. “How can I do what he says if he asks me a question? You aren’t making sense.” Her voice rises, panic creeping in.

“Shrug. But remember—you saw nothing, and you know nothing. Maddox, this is important. Whatever you think happened, let it go. We can talk about it later, I promise. Just not in front of Uncle Ricky. Do you understand? “ I place my hands on her shoulders, and she shudders beneath my touch. “I need you to promise me, darling.”

My heart shrivels up. I’ve already lost her. She’ll never be able to look past this. I blew it. Those men in the alley must have thought it was me or Aidan. It’s the only thing that makes sense—the only reason they’d take a shot at the bar like that. I don’t have time to dwell on the loss because a pounding knock rattles the back door.

“Stay here,” I say, “But first, promise me.”

“I promise,” she whispers.

“Thank you.”

At the door, I shout. “Who’s there?”

“Plumbing,” my uncle’s voice responds.

I unlock it, stepping aside and he waves his crew past me.

“Is that?” he asks, nodding to the alley.

“Yes. That’s where the water’s leaking.” I reply. Then, lowering my voice, “Uncle, before we get started, there’s something I need to tell you.”

His expression sharpens. “What is it?”

“The mess out there—that guy. I tossed him out during the event. He was aggressively pursuing one of the women at the event.”

My uncle glares, silently shooting disapproving daggers at me as we linger in the hallway. “Anything else I should know?”

“Earlier tonight I threatened him. Erase the entire night after four P.M.” I suggest.

“Are we finished now?” he asks, annoyance coating each word.

“One more thing… I’m not alone.”