And this right here is Faith’s way of telling me we’re not alone without her telling me we’re not alone.
She’dnevercall me by my birth name unless she’s trying to warn me of trouble.
The forced calm in her voice propels me the rest of the way. I take the stairs two at a time, leading with the pistol. Ready to put a bullet in anyone who isn’t Faith.
Everything feels claustrophobic as I inch down the dimly lit hallway toward our bedroom. I follow the glow coming from the room. Hear the hushed voices. And suddenly, it’s as if I’m in a horror movie, racing down an endless corridor because I can’t move fast enough to get to my girl.
Yet with each step, I get closer. Until I’m at the edge of the threshold, outside the door, and off to the side, where I listen. The thing is, we Unholy like to stomp around like we’re immortal, but we’re not stupid. And we’re far from invincible. We’re just the meanest dogs in the yard. But we bleed when cut, and we get scared, same as anyone else. And right now, I’m not too proud to admit I’m terrified because Faith is in there, and I’m out here, and what the fuck.
“You’re never making it out of this house alive,” Faith hisses.
A man chuckles at her threat. “Of course, I’m not.”
“Then why, Daniel? Why do this?”
Daniel-fucking-Davenport.
Okay, scratch the terrified part. In all my life, I’ve never felt this level of rage. For the fun of it, I’d kill him twice if I could.
“All that talking you did about Mayhem, and you wonder why I chose this town?”
“It was worth dying for?”
“Someone needed to try,” he whispers. “I knew the risk. He’ll make an example of me to ensure no one else breaches his precious Mayhem. But he’ll always remember me. The man who almost took it from him.”
“You’re wrong. We’ll forget you before your body is even cold.” Faith’s words may be brave, but I hear the fear in her voice. I want to rush in and put an end to this right the fuck now, but I don’t because I still don’t know what I’ll face in that room.
“Perhaps,” he concedes with a bitter laugh. “But I showed the world Mayhem can be taken if someone is brave enough to try.”
“No,” she counters. “You failed.”
“And maybe the next person will finally rip this town out from under the Unholy.” Again, he’s quiet, and in the silence, there’s a rustling before he speaks again. “I was always fond of you. I truly am sorry for what transpired between us. That…unpleasantness.”
“Which time?” she snaps.
More movement. Then laughter that doesn’t belong to Davenport. It’s too deep and rough. Too masculine. His voice is smoother and more elegant. “Both. But a message had to be sent.”
“You’re disgusting,” she spits.
Again, there’s that rough laughter. “Quiet.” Then, “Call to him again.”
“How about you go fuck yourself?” Faith grits out.
I squeeze my eyes closed as pride for her courage wars with stone-cold terror for her safety. My brain and body disconnect as emotion drives me forward. I step into the room, prepared to put a bullet in this motherfucker, but my finger freezes on the trigger, and my heart feels like it stops beating. The world around me ceases to exist, like everything fades, leaving the four of us standing in a blank space suspended in time.
Yep, four.
So here I am, with the Desert Eagle primed but useless because I can’t shoot the bastard.
Daniel Davenport looks smarmy as hell in crisp brown Dockers and a white button-down, like he’s on his way to the country club. He’s got one arm around Faith, whose wrists and ankles are bound with zip ties. The coward is holding her in front of him like a shield. In his other hand is a pistol—that he has pointed at her head.
Christ.
“The infamous Jester. You’ll forgive me if I’m not pleased to meet you.” The audacity of this prick to smirk at me. The way he has Faith makes a clean shot impossible. “Lower your weapon.”
Nah. Not when the big-ass motherfucker behind me has his Glock trained on me.
“Gotta pass on that, my dude.” I take Faith’s measure to assesses her for injuries. She looks unharmed. Scared but uninjured. “You good?”
