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CHAPTER 3

LUKE DIDN’T REALLY get American football. Why did everything take so long? He wasn’t that keen on English football either, or soccer as everyone here called it, but at least they got on with it. The Yanks spent more time standing around than actually playing.

And there we go… Stopped again.

The cheerleaders were all right, even if they weren’t a patch on Mack, but after a while, Luke got sick of watching them shake their pompoms. A quick glance around the room showed everyone else was into the game, judging by the enthusiastic way they shouted at the screen every time one of the man-mountains moved. Or maybe the lack of enjoyment was a British thing? Like him, Emmy came from England, and Luke had caught her looking bored earlier too.

But where was she now? Her seat was empty, but he hadn’t noticed her leave. That probably answered his question—she couldn’t have found the game that fascinating if she wasn’t watching it anymore.

Still, there were worse places he could be. The dull entertainment and the relative weirdness of being at his ex’s birthday celebration were far outweighed by the fact that Mack was curled up beside him and the company of the new friends he’d made over the past few weeks.

He hadn’t been sure about coming to America with Mack so soon, but he was pleased he’d taken the plunge. It already felt like home. He was staying with Mack in her apartment at the moment, but last weekend they’d discussed buying a place together. Not right away, but soon.

As Luke mused over how much his life was changing, and for the better, Mack’s phone vibrated against his thigh. She leaned back and fished it out of her trouser pocket.

“Message?” he asked.

She nodded absently, still watching the game, but as soon as she’d read it, she sat up straight and looked around the room. Luke realised everyone else was peering at their phones too. What was going on? And why didn’t he get a message?

Luke leaned across to look at Mack’s screen as the room fell silent. Only the football commentator kept talking, although Luke couldn’t fathom what was so exciting to the man.

Code: Red. Attack imminent. Go to place of safety and await further instructions. EB.

EB. Was that Emerson Black? She had to be kidding, right?

Nate turned off the TV. “What on earth is she playing at? And more to the point, where is she? She was here five minutes ago.”

“I don’t know,” Dan said, “But she’s not often wrong, so I say we do as the message says first and discuss it afterwards.”

Everyone murmured their agreement as Nate walked to the far wall. His body shielded exactly what he did, but a few seconds later, a panel in the wall slid back to reveal a hidden corridor behind.

“What on earth is that?” Luke whispered to Mack.

“ That is what happens when a pair of paranoid billionaires with an obsession for security build a house together,” she answered, pulling him towards the opening.

Everyone piled through, and the wall closed silently behind them. Only Evan looked vaguely surprised at the developments. So the others all knew about the secret passage? Why was Luke always last to find out about everything? The partygoers filed along the dimly lit tunnel, past several doorways, and Luke’s feeling of unease grew with every step he took on the rough concrete floor.

Ahead, Nate pushed open a door to reveal a replica of the control room on the floor above. Monitors blinked into life as the systems woke up and came online.

Luke stood in one corner as the others milled around and talked quietly amongst themselves. They seemed calm, but an undercurrent of urgency lurked under the surface.

“Hey…” he tried, but nobody even looked in his direction. Even Bradley was totally focused on the cupboard he was fishing around in.

Mack and Nate sat side by side, and as their fingers skimmed over the keyboards, the bank of screens popped up images from cameras covering the grounds. North, south, east, west. Then Blackwood’s Richmond headquarters appeared, lit up in the darkness, followed by other Blackwood locations from around the world.

Luke was just about to try another question when gasps broke the near silence. One screen dissolved into static while another showed flames leaping into the night sky. What the…? That looked like an explosion. Surely this had to be some sort of joke?

“Well, colour me surprised. Emmy was right,” Dan muttered.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Emmy herself barrelled into the room via a staircase on the far side.

“What on earth…?” Nate echoed Luke’s thoughts.

“Black’s killer. He’s come anyway. I sincerely hope Seth and Mick got down below before that went up.”

She motioned to the monitor showing the guardhouse, now a shell of its former self with the fire still blazing. Wisps of smoke drifted across the picture, giving the scene an eerie feel. Sweat trickled down Luke’s back as he began to realise the seriousness of the situation. He hadn’t signed up for this.

“Do you know what else we’ve got?” Nate asked Emmy.

“They’re in the woods. Switch to thermal imaging.”

Mack hit the button to change the mode, and the cameras surrounding the house showed an ominous picture. A number of glowing forms crept slowly towards the house. Even with their blurred outlines, it was obvious they carried weapons.

“Mack, start tagging and tracking them.”

She clicked away, assigning each intruder a number. Luke hadn’t seen this side of Mack before. To him, this was the girl who cried at the end of sad movies and puked if she saw a nasty photo. But now she worked quickly and confidently, no hint of drama. At her command, the software working the cameras that covered the whole house, all the outbuildings, and parts of the grounds would now follow each person as they moved.

According to Mack’s calculations, there were fourteen bad guys roaming the estate.

Luke counted the people in the room. Discounting Jed, who still walked with a limp, and Bradley, who Luke couldn’t imagine holding a gun let alone firing one, there were eleven including himself. But he didn’t know how to shoot either. In fact, he’d always been kind of averse to the idea until he met Emmy, but right now, he was having a rethink. If he survived the battle building up outside, he’d take lessons, but for tonight they had ten. Ten people who might be useful.

He gave a nervous cough. “Is this room secure enough to keep those people out until the police arrive?”

Emmy laughed. “The police? Are you having a laugh? They’d make a complete mess of everything then bury us under paperwork. We’ll deal with it ourselves, and they can help clean up afterwards.”

Luke looked at her carefully, searching for signs she was kidding, but her expression remained determined. Was she serious? Sure, Blackwood worked in place of the police on some jobs, his sister’s kidnapping being a case in point, but this looked like a war was about to start.

“But there are more of them than us, and they’ve got machine guns.”

“And what do you think we have? Water pistols?”

Luke tried again. “Shouldn’t you play it safe?”

Emmy smiled, only there was no mirth in it, and the glint in her eyes scared him. “I prefer to play it dangerous.”

What had he got himself into?

Emmy turned her back on him and asked more questions. “How’s Riverley Hall looking? And the guesthouse? Anything at the office?”

Nate called up more locations on the monitors. “They all look clear.”

“Get the office on the phone.”

It was odd to see Emmy taking charge and ordering everyone around. Usually, she seemed quiet and almost deferential around Nate. Nobody else batted an eyelid though, which led Luke to believe she’d been in similar situations before. He didn’t know whether to be more or less worried by that.

“Do you want them to send reinforcements?” Nate asked.

“No way. If I was Black’s killer—let’s call him Blanco for today’s purposes—that’s the first thing I’d expect. Lock everyone down then have a team sneak out the back. I bet you a hundred bucks there’ll be a group of Blanco’s foot soldiers waiting somewhere around the exit to the driveway.”

Nate called headquarters and communicated the instruction, nodding as he hung up. “Done.”

Next, Emmy picked up the phone herself and dialled Blackwood in London. “I want Ryan to go to Tia Halston-Cain immediately. Get him to take her somewhere safe, and he doesn’t leave her side until this is over. Everyone else stays in lockdown.”

A lump rose in Luke’s throat. “Do you think Tia’s in danger?”

His sister had already been through a nightmare a few months back when she got abducted. He dreaded the thought of her being flung into more trouble of the sort he was living through right now.

“Just a precaution, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Luke’s heart thumped against his ribcage. Bad enough that he was stuck in this horror movie without his sister getting pulled into it as well. He sure hoped Emmy knew what she was doing.

“What’s going on outside?” she asked.

“They’re stacking up at the doors,” Nate said. “Looks like they’re about to come in.”

“Right, there’s ten of us excluding Luke, Bradley, and Jed...” she started.

Jed opened his mouth, but Emmy interrupted whatever he was about to say. “Don’t give me that, Jed. You’ve got a broken leg, so you’re not going anywhere near this one. You can’t creep quietly in a cast, and I didn’t drag your sorry butt out of Syria just for you to get shot at home.” Jed closed his mouth, but he didn’t look happy. “So, as I was saying, there’s ten of us. Mack, you’re staying here. Luke and Jed can help you. Carmen, you’re on the roof at Black’s. The rest of us split. Evan and Logan, you head for the guesthouse. Jack, you and Alex come from Black’s. Me, Nick, Nate, and Dan will head upstairs, and the team down here can direct us where to go.”

Thank goodness Mack would be staying in the relative safety of the basement. The last thing Luke wanted was for her to go out and get shot at.

“What’s Black’s?” he whispered to her. “I thought that was Emmy’s nightclub?”

“It’s also her other house. There’s a tunnel leading over there and another that goes to the guesthouse, which means we can move around without being seen. Emmy wants teams to come out of the other buildings and attack Blanco’s men from behind. Carmen will be on the roof backing them up as a sniper. It’s three hundred yards away, which is a walk in the park for Carmen.”

Luke recalled seeing another large house close by, but he’d never paid much attention to it. The roof was just visible through the trees that bordered Emmy’s lawn. That belonged to Emmy too? She had a serious problem with sharing.

Then again, did the strange setup really surprise him? He’d already worked out that she was certifiable.

Briefing over, the teams filed out, followed by a few last words from Emmy.

“Guys, if you could avoid shooting people in the back, that’d be helpful. The cops get upset about it, and I’m sick of dealing with their questions. Oh, and if we can get one or two alive that would be good.” Her eyes and her voice both hardened. “I’ve got some questions I’d like to ask.”