Page 114 of Hard Heart

“Okay. I meant it when I said you need to watch your back—whoever is responsible for this, they’re organised, they have resources, and they’re well-trained. They’ve tried to take out Jessalyn and Levi, and trying again would be too obvious, so there’s a good chance you’re their next target. Justin’s too visible.”

A chill ran through me, and suddenly, I was freaking happy to have three leather-clad bikers at my side, arguing whether ketchup or barbecue sauce was the appropriate condiment for home fries.

“What do I do?” I whispered.

“Meet me at Blackstone House tomorrow. I take it you have access?”

“Yes.”

“Whatever the truth is, we’re getting closer. That’s why they’re panicking.”

“How are we getting closer? I’ve spent what feels like forever watching that video, and there’s nothing on there.”

“Not quite true. We want to do an experiment.”

My stomach flipped. They’d found something? “An experiment?”

“Tomorrow at Blackstone House, ten a.m. Are you in?”

If I drove through the evening, I could make it, and what better way to spend a Sunday than by returning to the scene of my first panic attack?

“I’m in.”

I rolled into the driveway of Blackstone House at a quarter to ten. Raelene wasn’t happy about the plan because it was her daughter’s birthday and she was having to wrangle a dozen six-year-olds at Chuck E. Cheese, which she said was less fun than writing an appellate petition, and two bikers from the Diamondback Devils were eating pizza slices in the car park and trying not to get arrested. So, it was down to me to supervise the Blackstone House “experiment,” and I was under strict instructions not to “let that crazy bitch do anything stupid.”

Fat chance of that.

I pulled to a stop beside two black SUVs, and my biker escort drew up behind me. Heidi half climbed, half fell off Jester’s motorcycle and walked stiffly across the yard to stretch her legs. Well, she’d wanted to ride on the beast. She’d bought a leather jacket and everything.

Wait a second… Was the front door open?

The anger came flooding back, and I jumped out of the car as Jerry Knight exited the house.

“Did you just break into Levi’s home?”

“No, I have a key. I used to live here, remember?”

“The crucial part being ‘used to.’”

“Someone should have changed the locks.”

“Would that have made a difference?”

She shrugged and offered a half smile. “Asking you to meet us here was more of a courtesy. Who’s that?”

“My roommate.”

“This isn’t a sorority party.”

“She’s been helping with research, and she wanted to ride on a motorcycle. Get over it.”

Jerry glanced around. “I guess if there’s a sniper waiting to pick us off, an extra target wouldn’t hurt.”

My chest tightened. “You think…you think there could be a sniper?”

“Honestly? No. The elevation isn’t good, and the hedge is overgrown. But those are the kind of people we’re dealing with.” She gestured to the house. “After you.”

I gave a growl of frustration and walked past her. “Who else is here? Who else is comfortable with illegal entry?” There were two vehicles, so she hadn’t come alone. “Ari? Dawson?”