The towel nearly slips loose as he takes the stairs two at a time.
Knox rushes in the bedroom and yanks the nightstand drawer open. His hand closes around the handgun inside. He pulls it free and spins toward the hallway.
Two figures stand in the doorway.
They wear black from head to toe, gloves, fitted clothing, and skull masks that conceal their faces completely.
They had not been there a second ago.
“Who the fuck—”
One of them steps forward.
The other stays slightly behind, watching.
Knox lifts the gun and pulls the trigger.
Click.
Nothing.
He pulls it again.
Click.
His stomach twists.
The first figure raises a hand calmly and opens their palm.
A single bullet drops to the floor.
Then another.
And another.
One by one, they fall from their fingers and tap softly against the wood.
Knox’s breath catches.
The first figure reaches up and pulls the mask down.
For a moment, his brain refuses to process what he is seeing.
A face he recognizes from the manor.
Brooke.
His eyes snap to the second figure.
The mask comes off more slowly this time.
Seth.
Knox’s stomach drops as if the floor has vanished beneath him.
And for the first time, he was afraid.
Chapter 37
