Page 32 of Pucking Possessive (Kings of Castlebrook #2)
CALLUM
W e pull up to the edge of the estate right as the last of the sun sinks behind the trees.
The mansion looms in the distance and it’s surrounded by that decaying iron fence and rot.
Hayden kills the engine of his SUV and we all step out.
I’m not happy about any of this because it could literally go any way at this point, but I do agree that we need to put an end to all of this.
I think whoever is behind this is just circling, looking for a gap where they can get to Lilac.
Not ever going to fucking happen.
All three of us guys are armed with blades, matches, handguns. There’s a trail leading up to the wrought-iron gate I wish we never climbed over that night in the first place. Twisting, narrow. Like it’s trying to warn us not to come any closer.
Too late.
We walk in silence for a few steps, but the sound of tires crunching behind us pulls my gaze to the road.
Ramsey Blackwood, never one to disappoint.
He throws his SUV in park and steps out, lifting two fingers in a lazy salute. "Miss me?"
Tristan glares at him. "You’re late."
Ramsey shrugs as he slams the door. "Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready for arson with ten minutes’ notice. My bad."
I roll my eyes, but the banter between them is familiar. That’s just how they are, and usually it’s funny. Tonight…just isn’t the night.
Hayden grins at Ramsey. "Where’s your girlfriend? Or is she with her boyfriend?" He clearly means Reese, which is the sorest of subjects for Ramsey.
That gets a reaction when nothing else would have. Ramsey lunges, but Tristan is not in the mood to deal with Hayden and Ramsey’s bromance, so he sticks out a foot to trip him. It’s his signature move on the ice, so I see it coming and yank Ramsey back by the hoodie before he eats shit.
"The fact that I’m the only one taking this seriously is terrifying," I snap, shoving Ramsey’s shoulder. He stumbles but doesn’t retaliate. Just glares, so I know he’ll get me when I least expect it.
"Cut it out. All of you. We get in, we get out, and this ends,” Tristan grits out like he wasn’t the one who tried to trip Ramsey.
Hayden lifts the trunk of the SUV and starts lining up the gasoline and tosses a container of lighter fluid to Tristan. I shake my head and start walking again, jaw tight.
We’re not here to scare whoever is behind this, we’re here to end him.
Ramsey, always one to have the last word, looks at Madi and says, "Your boyfriend’s a dick."
Madi giggles nervously, and I know she has to be tired of this shit after everything she went through before all this started up again.
Hayden corrects Ramsey with a smug grin. "Fiancé. Not boyfriend."
Tristan looks around, eyes sharp. "Are we torching the woods or just the house?"
"House," Hayden decides, nodding slowly as he surveys the area. "Might make it hard to get out if the fire spreads too fast."
The girls stick close together, hovering toward the center of the group. I note that Madi’s showing Lilac how to snap open a box cutter.
I hate that Lilac’s even holding that blade. That I’m not enough to shield her from this completely. I do agree we made the best decision. We can’t risk splitting up. We don’t know how many people might be in that house. I’d be so distracted right now worrying about Lilac.
“Are we going to sit around and fiddle with shit all day or are we going to go set a fire?” Ramsey says exasperated, but the rustle from the trees to the left steals the spotlight from him.
We all freeze for half a second and then our guns come up, safeties off.
"Come out, motherfucker," Hayden snarls. "We’re here to talk. Isn’t that what you fucking want?”
But it’s not who I’m expecting.
The moonlight leaves no doubt that I’m staring at Adam Fairbanks.
Lilac’s brother steps out of the treeline, hands raised, eyes unreadable. What the actual fuck is he doing here? He can’t be behind half of this shit, he has an alibi.
“Shoot him or no, Callum? I’m feeling a little trigger-happy and the instructions are unclear right now,” Hayden snaps, but Tristan seems to have come to the same conclusion I did that Adam isn’t behind this, so he’s not pointing his gun at him.
“Hold off,” I bark at Hayden and then look at Adam.
“You’ve got thirty seconds to explain yourself, and you better have a fucking good reason for being here,” I snap at Adam.
I can see he’s trying to get Lilac’s attention by staring at her, but she won’t look at him.
I shift on my feet and move so that she’s obstructed from his view.
Just because I don’t think he killed any of the girls on her team doesn’t mean he gets to have access to her after what he tried to facilitate.
Adam doesn’t move any closer. "I followed you to apologize. For what happened at our parents’ house and I just wanted to say goodbye to my sister."
"She’s not your sister any longer. You don’t deserve to know her, and you’re lucky I haven’t put a bullet in you already.
The only reason you’re breathing is because I don’t want her living with the fact that her future husband killed her own brother.
” I can feel my hands trembling. I want to fucking murder him right here, but I won’t do that for Lilac’s sake.
He swallows. "I’m leaving the state right after I leave here or I’m going to end up six feet under,” he says, and when Lilac doesn’t make a peep from behind me, Adam looks at me.
“The least I can do before I leave is to tell you what I know.
Our parents set up what happened that night, but something went wrong.
We were just supposed to get caught trespassing, no one was supposed to get hurt. "
Hayden’s eyes narrow, and he looks at me lifting the can of gasoline. "He’s taking too long with this little storyline, can I light him up first?"
Adam’s eyes jump between all of us, but I don’t care if he’s sorry, I just want the truth.
"What do you mean our parents orchestrated it? What are you talking about? Tell me, Adam!" Lilac sounds horrified as she peeks around from me to finally look her brother dead in the eye.
Rage pulses through every vein in my body. I want to rip his fucking head off. Want to make him bleed for ever dragging Lilac into danger. For ever letting her get hurt.
Adam rubs both hands through his hair, but he speaks to me instead of her. "Think about it. Why the fuck would I have agreed to come here the first time when that bitch Lexi suggested it? Pussy? I can get plenty of that on campus without having to scale a fucking fence, Grey."
I grit my teeth so hard my jaw feels like it’s going to crack.
He keeps going. "They told me to find a way to get Lilac into a scandal. Said if I could make her look bad enough, they could force her to marry Vincent. I didn’t want to. I did it to save my own ass. But you have to believe me…none of the murders, none of that was me. No one was supposed to die."
"You’ve never protected her," I snarl. "And I’m ashamed I ever called you my friend."
He opens his mouth to speak, but I don’t let him.
"You’ve done enough damage. Now get the fuck out of here before I take the time to bash your fucking skull in."
Lilac steps back toward Madi and Winter. I catch the motion in my periphery. She doesn’t want to distract me if shit goes sideways.
Fairbanks shifts forward. I tense up because I think I’m going to have to shoot my girl’s brother right in front of her. Tristan and Hayden lift their guns, but none of us anticipate what is about to happen.
A shot cracks from deep in the woods, and Fairbanks drops like a rag doll. A perfect hole is dead center in his forehead. He was the only one of us out in the open, not shielded by the vehicles. Lilac screams and I move so body shielding hers as I scan the treeline.