Jericho shook his head, blowing out a breath through his nose. “Because this isn’t just a rental, it’s a safe house. The extra locks on the door? And look at the windows. They don’t open. They’re one solid pane. They’re probably bulletproof,” Jericho said, expression grim.
“Then why rent it out?” Nico asked, shaking his head.
It dawned on Mal then. “They don’t. The lock box is probably just a decoy so the neighbors don’t get too nosy about why thehouse is empty for long periods of time or why the ‘renters’ keep changing,” he explained.
Nico’s face fell. “So, how do we get inside?”
Jericho took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “Well, we wait for Jason to let us in.”
“We’re going to ambush him?” Nico asked.
“If we want to get inside, it’s our only option,” Jericho said.
They fell silent, catching glimpses of Amy as she moved about the kitchen, still cooking. Another ten minutes dripped by before headlights turned down the street.
Mal looked at Jericho. “Adam and August?”
Jericho shook his head. “No, not yet. They got held up. They’re almost here.”
It had to be Jason. There was something peculiar about the purr of the engine as it prowled its way down the street. When it turned into the drive, Mal saw why. It was a sports car. Cherry red. Brand new. The kind that most people only dreamed of owning.
Nico’s eyes went wide. “That’s a Bugatti Chiron. Isn’t it, Coe?”
Jericho snorted. “Yeah,” he said. “What a fucking tool this guy is. That’s not a car meant to be driven down the street. If the Red Lotus Clan owns that, it’s a three million dollar investment. Bet they don’t know he’s using it as a toy.”
“What’s the plan?” Mal asked.
Jericho pulled his gun. Mal and Nico did the same.
“I go one way, you two go the other. The moment he gets that door open, we rush him,” he said. “We have to catch him off-guard if we want this to work. Get him to the ground and subdue him. Don’t hesitate.”
They were forced to wait another three excruciatingly long minutes as Jason took his time exiting the car. When he finally emerged, Mal’s lip curled in disgust. He was carrying flowers.Of course, he was. He was playing out some fantasy in his head, recreating whatever sick home life he’d had when his father was still alive. It was…twisted.
Once Jason was on the porch, they took their positions on either side of the house, Jericho going to the left and Mal and Nico to the right. Mal rolled his eyes as Jason fumbled with the locks, totally oblivious to their presence. This might actually end up being too easy. Idiot.
Adrenaline pumped through Mal’s veins, his breaths coming fast enough to leave a metallic taste in his mouth. For as long as it took Jason to get the door open, what happened next took place at warp speed.
The moment they heard the door finally swing open, the three rushed him. Somehow, Nico beat both Mal and Jericho to the target, bowling him over as planned, crushing the flowers beneath him.
For a split second, time seemed to stop as Jason likely tried to understand what just happened. Then chaos erupted. He somehow managed to displace Nico enough to get onto his back. Mal lunged towards him, but Jason kicked him hard in the stomach with the leg that wasn’t pinned under Nico, knocking him into Jericho, taking them down like bowling pins. By the time they were both on their feet, Jason and Nico were grappling with the gun.
Mal was about to jump in when a voice screamed, “Don’t!”
Mal looked up, shock rocketing through him as he saw Amy standing there pointing a gun at them with trembling hands. “Don’t kill him,” she begged.
What? What was she talking about? Did she somehow already have Stockholm Syndrome? Was she drugged? Confused? Had they somehow gotten this all wrong? Had Casey been wrong? No. There was no way. They’d read her diary.
Nico grunted as Jason jerked beneath him, looking down at him with what looked like surprise, then disgust. Jericho ignored Amy, keeping his gun on Jason. “Don’t fucking move or I will kill you.”
“P-Please…don’t,” Amy begged, pulling their focus. “I’m begging you.”
Nico rolled off Jason onto his back with a groan. Mal gasped, his eyes going wide, blood blooming across Nico’s shirt right over his abdomen. That was when he saw the knife in Jason’s hand and the shit-eating grin on his face.
“Nico?” Mal cried. “Nico!”
Jericho stared at the red stain growing over Nico for a few seconds before his face contorted and he lost it, bringing his boot down on Jason’s face with enough force to cause a sickening crunch as the bones gave way. Jason cried out, but Jericho was unfazed.
Amy rushed forward, gripping Jericho’s arm, trying to pull him off. She was no match for him strength-wise, and her shaky hands proved she’d never have the balls to pull the trigger on that gun.
