AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Charleigh
“Come on,” I say, helping Charleigh to her feet.
Evie takes her sister’s other side and, avoiding her sore shoulder, steadies her. The adrenaline flood driving her earlier may have ceased, but she is still shaking.
“Where… where did the truck driver go?” she asks, craning her neck. “Isn’t he responsible? Aren’t they arresting him?”
“They took him to the station, sweetie. Are you sure you can walk? I can get someone to pick us up,” I say.
Myself, I plan to get to the station as quickly as I can. I have some questions of my own for the man.
Charleigh shakes out her neck. “Let’s walk. It will be good to catch our breath.”
She’s right, especially since I have some questions and want these two as my captive audience.
“Evie, what happened? How is it that Stacey was… in the car, and you were sitting there on the sidewalk?” I ask.
She looks afraid, but Charleigh pulls her close.
“Tell the truth, Evie. Tell Kir exactly what happened.”
She looks nervous, as she should. She blew off her sister’s instructions to stay put and went and left the club like the punk teenager that she is. Good thing she’s not my sister. I’d be dragging her by the ear at this moment. Then I’d lock her in a room until she learned her lesson. But this is Charleigh’s rodeo, and I have to let her run with it.
“I... well, Char told me I couldn’t go with Stacey. I ran after her anyway when no one was around. The club is so boring and creepy with those men and that gross old lady. So, I was running to catch up at the red light. And then it happened,” she says.
I stop walking, so they do too.
“Wait a minute. Stacey didn’t run a red light? Then how did the truck hit her?” I ask.
Evie shakes her headno, and now looks more afraid than ever. “She was stopped at the light. I was catching up to her and she saw me in the rear-view mirror. She waved at me like she was going to wait, and the next second the truck plowed into her. Like he lost control or something. Right in front of me.” She dissolves into sobs. “It was… so horrible.”
Jesus Christ. It was intentional. I knew it when I recognized the driver. He lied about Stacey going through the light. What if my accident with Clara had been planned, as well? All these years, I thought it was plain rotten luck.
But if someone was out to kill me, they’re now aiming for Niko? Or was it Charleigh who was the target?
The mood back at the club is solemn. We had Dominika ask the guests to leave for the day so we could make arrangements for our deceased employee. We locked the front doors for safety reasons and the security team checked every nook and cranny of our other cars. We also sent all staff at the compound back to their own cottages while sweeps were made of the main house as well as anyplace where a weapon or explosive device could be hidden.
This debacle caught us unaware. Completely. There could easily be others.
Charleigh and Evie are in one of the club bedrooms trying to relax, while my brothers and I pace Vadik’s office.
Well,I’mpacing. Vadik is sitting at Papa’s desk looking like he might explode, and the more serene Niko has his eyes closed like he’s meditating.
I knew he was into that shit, even though he denies it.
Weirdo.
“How in the fuck did this happen?” Vadik demands of no one in particular.
We’re all wondering the same goddamn thing.
“This is what I think,” I start, then take a pause before saying the heavy words I am about to. It’s all too similar to what happened to Clara and me. And then there’s that fucker of a truck driver. I’m heading to the station in a minute to get my hands on him. One call to a friend there, and they agreed to keep him until I arrived.
I continue. “The explosive was planted, who knows when. But it would only detonate when hit by the big rig. It wasn’t a huge explosive, but big enough to kill the people in the front seat and start a fire to hide most if not all of the evidence,” I explain. Then I told them about the call from Dimitri, taunting me, and really, all of us.
Niko’s gaze snapped in my direction. “Holy fuck. Do you think…” He trails off.
“Yeah. I do, Niko,” I say.
