“You’ll need to put a bullet in me because I’m going to kill you.” Cardinals cold voice announces, his burning gaze not leaving Goldie, who still holds his gun up to him.
Starling chuckles and runs a finger down her hip. She practically purrs, the gun wobbling for a moment in her grip, but it’s still pointed at my body. “Your sister shouldn’t have been so observant. The little unwanted guest, but a loyal fiancée. She was going to tell him about the tablet I popped in his drink. Confrontational too, it was quite hard to strangle her.”
Cardinal shoots towards her but the gun gets pressed into the back of his neck. Breathing heavy, Goldie kicks the back of his knees and he hits the floor, his death glare never leaving Lily. I’d be withering in agony, but he doesn’t even look panicked in the slightest, just annoyed this is even happening.
Willow takes this moment to grab for Mavis’s hand, plastering herself against the armchair as Bran moves his broad shoulders to shield her too. The man might be a giant, but I can see the strain in his eyes over staying with the girls or helping his brother. Merle hasn’t moved in minutes and I can’t tell if his chest is rising. Phin is just rooted to the chair, like a pale statue, blinking a mile a minute. He looks up at his sister who seems completely at ease pointing her gun around the room, always returning to me whenever Wren makes any slight movement. She twists to point it close to Phin and Wren jerks forward.
“So what, you got your boyfriend to kill your brother. You lead Willow to the pool house to find the body and he then pretends to be a detective?”
Halting, she turns back around and points the black metal at us again. “Well done, Captain Obvious. The clue didn’t even mention anything to do with water, but you’re all just so oblivious.”
“Why kill Jay?” Bran asks, his voice cracking.
“Poor boy saw something he shouldn’t have in the wine cellar.”
Starling leans into her shoulder. “Can’t have anyone seeing me fuck my girl. He’d have told one of you and thenshewould have put it together.” he lazily points towards me.
“I’m pretty sure he saw us in your room Jimmy, so maybe he wanted some fun watching again. None of you even noticed he’d gone. I turned the music up so you couldn’t hear him scream.”
“Oh, that he did.” Starling darkly chuckles and kisses the side of her face. They’re distracted for the briefest second that they don’t notice Phoenix shifting his arms back and forth behind them. Goldie is transfixed on watching them kiss. I bet it gets him off.
Squeezing Wren's arm in hopes he can see what I’m seeing. “If you wanted to frame me for murder, why attack me?” I say, hoping I can keep her talking and focused on me whilst he continues to untie himself.
“I actually tried to drug you with the wine, but your new hopeless lover distracted you from having any. Phoenix swiped the rest of the bottle and passed out in my room.” Lifting her finger, she points over my shoulder. “He distracts you too much, Rob. I told you to stay the fuck away from him. You never listen so really, drowning you instead of letting you rot in prison meant you’d finally take my advice.”
I silently shake my head and clench my teeth from screaming she’s insane, but I really see she truly believes my death would be my own fault for defying her. When we were younger, if someone didn’t let her play with their doll, she’d break the entire dollhouse. That’s how Lil played, always ahead of her opposition and had to always raise the bar. You pinch, she punches. You whisper you don’t like her outfit, she flirts with your boyfriend and fucks him over the hood of your car.
Phin’s shoulders strain before falling still and I wonder if that means he’s managed to loosen the ties. I think Wren has caught on, because he squeezes my waist and starts to chuckle casually like we’re not at gunpoint.
“So what, in love with me are you? Jealous I went for your bestie and not you? I still didn’t bite and chose someone else?Is this really what it’s all about?” I look up to see that gorgeous feline smirk, his eyes twinkling as he goads her. He’s a really good actor and Starling practically growls, taking the gun from Lily.
“She doesn't need someone like you! I’m her guy! She’s mine.”
The moment he steps away from her side just a fraction, Phin launches himself out of the chair and grabs for the back of Lily’s legs. Wren pulls me by the hold he’s had on my waist and lifts me like I weigh nothing, nearly throwing me over to where the girls and Bran are in the chairs. Both their bodies drop to the floor in a heap of limbs, the siblings clashing against one another but even on drugs, Phin is bigger and stronger.
The gun in Starling's hand points down at the two, but he pulls it away because if he fires, he might hit her. She snarls and bucks under her brother's weight.
The moment Wren has let go of me, he turns to barrel into Starling and I’m pulled into the group of women by Bran.
“We’ve got to get out of here now!” Willow hisses over the shouting in the room.
I momentarily forgot about the other weapon-wielding criminal in the room, until I hear the sound of cracking and a blood-curdling scream follows. Goldie flies back into the wall by the door, dropping to the floor like dead weight. Collecting his gun from the floor, Cardinal stands and points it at Starling who is pressed against the table by Wren. My heart flutters that he’s fine, but I’m also really scared that he’s trying to take hold of the gun from both of their raised hands. The pause in Cardy raising the gun gives him time to crush his wrist. Crying in pain, Starling drops the black metal and thank the gods it doesn’t go off.
“You should have vetted your guests. I’ve known how to fight since before I could ride a bike.” Cardinal flicks and pulls back the mechanism on the gun in one swift motion, wrapping his finger around the trigger and his other hand bracketing hiswrist so expertly, it causes Starling to freeze. It causes us all to freeze, especially when he darkly rumbles something in another language and spits at his feet.
Who the hell is this man?
Phin and Lily are still struggling on the floor, but she gets the upper hand as he flings her to the side, to where the second gun lays. Her hands swipe out and before anyone can react, she smashes the cold metal against his temple.
“Phin!” I scream, the noise reverberating around the room and I twist my wrist out of Willow's grasp to get to him.
“Roo, no!” Wren shouts and I realise my fuck-up too late, when in a panic he releases Starling and rushes to get to me. He makes it two steps before an arm circles around his neck and drags him to the floor, his muscles bulging as he tries to claw at his arms and he pushes the edge of his palm into his jaw. They both start to struggle against one another and I want to scream for someone to make it stop, seeing as Cardinal now has one of the guns.
Cold metal kisses the side of my face.
Shouting and crying erupts around the room as she painfully grabs my arm, making me stand. Everyone stills, apart from Wren who struggles against Starling like a wild animal. He’s barely able to keep his grip around his neck.
“Where the fuck did you even get a gun?” Phin demands, but his sister just kicks him in the ribs causing him to wheeze.
