Knowing there’s a good chance Ben was killed because of what’s behind that door makes me queasy.
And scared.
Silas pulls off the circular mechanism that houses the digital lock and lets it hang by the red and blue wires that power it. A small keyhole is visible underneath.
“This is the backup in case the electronics fail.” Silas takes the replacement key and slips it inside. We both hold our breath when he turns it in the lock. There’s a click and then Silas turns the wheel and we hear the bolts slide back into the door.
He takes a deep breath and then pulls it open.
It’s completely empty.
Not a single thing inside.
Just as I start to say something, we both hear a noise coming from the front of the house. We barely have time to spin around before someoneenters the room in a rush. Silas pushes me behind his back, sandwiching me between him and the open safe door.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Silas yells.
My heart is racing as I peek around him and see that guy who always seems to be within a few feet of Aubrey Price. The housemate, Deacon.
“Guessing for the same reason you are,” he says.
And then I notice both of them are holding guns, pointed at each other. I had no idea Silas even had a weapon on him.
They stare at each other a long moment while I grip the back of Silas’s shirt. Finally, Silas says, “I know who you are. You keep a pretty close eye on Aubrey Price. You kill Ben for her too?”
I peek over his shoulder so I can see his reaction to that question.
He gives Silas a smirk I can’t decipher. “I could ask you the same thing since you’re the one who’s been having some trouble keeping your brother-in-law in line.”
Aubrey still believes that Ben was responsible for her parents’ deaths in some way. She can’t know it was Silas. Ben is already dead. What would happen to Silas if the real truth came out? The danger he would face was not only legal; I’m realizing it could also be life-threatening. No matter what Silas did, he’s still my brother and I don’t want him to get hurt.
It feels like we’re in a standoff that won’t end until someone gets hurt, but then suddenly Deacon lowers his hand, letting the gun hang at his side. “From that empty safe behind you, seems like we’re both too late or it was never here to begin with.”
Silas’s shoulders tense but he doesn’t lower his weapon. “Unless you tell me how you came to be here, this won’t end well for you.”
“I work for Chris Ricci. Know him?”
From the jerk of Silas’s head, it’s clear to both of us that he does.
Smiling, Deacon says, “Good,” then nods toward the front of the house. “Got one of my guys outside. If I don’t walk out of here, it won’t end well for you either. But I’m happy to talk as soon you get your gun out of my face.”
Silas hesitates a few seconds then lowers his arm. “Start talking.”
“Ben trusted the wrong guy. Hired a PI to help him get the key to that safe right there. Same guy that owes Chris a shit ton of money. So who do you think he was loyal to?”
It was clear when I was watching Ben that there was more to his plans that day than we’d anticipated. It shouldn’t be surprising to hear that Aubrey knew more than she had led me to believe, but it still knocks the wind out of me.
“That’s fair. But how in the fuck did you know we’d be here now. Today.”
He shrugs. “Let’s just say we took advantage of the access to Camille’s car when we had it.”
Silas spits out a curse and I lean close, asking him softly, “What does that mean?”
“Means they put a tracker on your car when Aubrey was driving it around.”
Deacon gives us the short version of their plan B, meaning he planned to show up here, like this, last week to surprise Ben, but obviously Ben never made it. He’s been watching my car ever since.
“Ben went to a lot of trouble to get a key for an empty safe,” Silas says.
