“The breach?”
“Adien watched the surveillance footage. Evilin used a hidden access panel in the studio’s window frame. It was an old feature, installed by the previous owner, never put on the new security schematics. That oversight has been corrected. Craigston and Benji are doing a full sweep of the compound for any other legacy vulnerabilities. It won’t happen again.”
My jaw tightens. An oversight. An oversight almost cost me everything. “I want to amp up security. No expense spared. I want it all.”
“They’re already on it,” Alrik confirms.
I pour a cup of coffee, the hot liquid doing nothing to warm the ice in my veins. “And King?”
A grim smile touches Alrik’s lips. “Gavin has him. He’s ready for you. Our intel picked him up trying to flee the state. Pathetic.”
“Excellent. Stay here with her. No one, and I mean no one, gets into this suite.” The thought of leaving her alone, even for an hour, has me seeing red.
“I thought you’d want to see this.” He holds out the rolled up paper for me to take. Snapping the rubber band, the paper falls open and there it is on the front page.
Second Wife of the Late Albert Blanc Found Dead
Friday morning police were called to the scene after a hysterical bystander found a discarded body on the side of the road. Through facial recognition scans and dental records, the body has been identified as Evilin Blanc, 54 years old.
The circumstances surrounding her death are unclear, and the police department refuses to address the rumors that a murderer is living among us. The last remaining Blanc is still missing, but no information has been brought forward regarding her whereabouts.
If you have any information concerning either of these incidents, please call 1-907-232-7777.
A chuckle booms from my chest after I finish reading the article. “I take it I have Gavin to thank for this?” I wave the newspaper.
“He was more than happy to help. Especially after everything that happened,” Alrik winces at his reference to what happened to Wynter. I force out a deep breath, calming the anger that resurfaces when I think of what Evilin did.
I pull up to the frozen pond and jump out of my truck. It didn’t take me long to throw on some clothes and get over here. My fingers have been itching to get dirty. I walk toward Gavin and the body he has slumped over a bench.
“This didn’t take you long,” I praise him, looking at my next victim. "Efficient, as always."
“The fucker made it too easy,” he shrugs, stepping away so I can get my hands on him. I pull the sack from his bloodied head then throw it to the side.
“The infamous King I keep hearing about,” I begin. His furious bloodshot eyes snap to mine but once he sees my face, he tenses.
“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kaden Prince, and your worst fucking nightmare,” I threaten. His arms and legs are bound and his mouth is gagged with a bloody cloth. I pull out a small green tablet, knowing he will recognize it instantly. He stills, watching my every move.
“You’ve been a bad boy, King,” I tsk. “You messed with the wrong man, and now it’s time to pay for your sins.” I throw the pill behind me as I lean over him.
“Poison is too good of a death for you,” I sneer. I grasp his bound arms and pull him onto the iced pond. Even with his struggling, I’m larger and more powerful, barely breaking a sweat as I haul his body along. I drop him with a thud and pull out my knife.
“I want to watch you suffer,” I smile wickedly down at him. Tearing the tape from his mouth, he lets out a strangled scream. Unfortunately for him, no one will be able to hear him.Pity.
I press the cold steel of my blade against his throat, just enough to draw a bead of blood. His eyes, already wide with terror, bulge further.
"Who else?" I demand, my voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Who else did Evilin have working for her? Who else knew about the poison? Who else was involved in any part of this?"
He shakes his head frantically, trying to speak, but only gurgles.
I apply a fraction more pressure, the tiny cut widening. "Don't lie to me. My network is vast. I know everything. I just want tohear it from you. Give me names, locations, anything. Make your last moments useful."
He whimpers, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the blood. He tries to form words, his eyes darting around, desperate. Finally, he chokes out a name, a location, a desperate plea.
I nod slowly, absorbing the information. "Good boy," I say, a chilling calm in my voice. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Gavin slides up beside me and begins drilling into the thick ice. King’s eyes widen when he realizes his fate. Once the hum of the drill stops, I look back to see a hole large enough to dump this sick fuck into.
I drag him closer, tossing his feet into the frigid water but his cries fall on deaf ears. I slice the ropes that bound his hands and let them fall to the side. He looks up at me with questions before he’s trying to get away.
