AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not, Karol,” she said, trying to sound feminine, hoping to lure Karol forth.
He looked at her curiously and leaned forward. He held the tablet out, his finger pointing to the flashing circle.
She tensed her stomach, lifting her legs and praying the strain didn’t show on her face.
But before she could execute the kick, he pressed and held the circle on the screen, and multiple explosions echoed through the air. It transformed the horizon into a more fiery spectacle than the Castle had, shocking the breath out of her and the strength out of her legs. They dropped to the floor with a thump.
The air seemed to shimmer, and she rolled to her back to look toward the Manor. The trees between the distant property and the Treehouse rustled, and a warm, smoky gust of air blew by her.
“Which one should we do next, hmmm?” Jackal purred, a sickening twinkle in his eyes. Before she could answer, he tapped Villa, then pressed and held it, setting off another explosion. Debris from the newest fireball filled the air, the Treehouse shaking even harder.
“What do you think? Maybe this one next?” he asked pleasantly, and she watched in horror as he tapped Topkapi and turned the dim circle to a flashing red.
Something in her gut twisted. “Let’s do the Treehouse next,” she suggested. Claire had to have noticed the explosions. Same with Eli and Spencer and Monty, if he’d made it out of the Castle.
“Oh, the poor princess,” Jackal crooned. At least she’d deflected him momentarily. “Do you miss your prince? Do you want to join him in the afterlife?”
She didn’t want to encourage the madman, but he was right about one thing. If Monty hadn’t made it, she didn’t care about her own death. What did anything matter when she’d been the one to get Monty blown up? She’d welcomed Karol back with open arms—lulled into trusting him because he supported her ideas—and exposed all of them to his madness.
I’m such a fucking idiot. But at least she could save Claire.
Jackal’s gaze on her was both loving and chilling. “Did he mean that much to you? That you want to die so quickly?” He waved the tablet. “Look at all the other projects I’ve set up. I want to watch them burn. But don’t worry. You and I will go up in flames to finish the show.”
The stench of smoke and her overwhelming emotions threatened to pull her into her own version of insanity. Gathering all her remaining strength, she yelled, “Screw your fucking work, you pussy!”
With those words, Hartley lunged, her head aiming straight for the tablet, at the wordTreehouse.
The world seemed to blur into slow motion as the cool surface of the device connected with her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for oblivion.
CHAPTER31
The whine of the golf cart’s motor echoed off the damp foliage as Montgomery tore along the asphalt cart path. They’d pass a property, and it would explode, almost as if the destruction was chasing them. He just had to hope Karol would save the Treehouse for his grand finale.
Jaw clenched, Montgomery swerved around debris that littered the cart path. He looked back to see Eli’s cart follow his maneuver. A brilliant flash lit the sky behind them, followed by a bone-rattling boom. Montgomery’s pulse jackhammered as debris rained down through the trees. The explosions were gaining on them.
“Faster, dammit!” Montgomery growled through gritted teeth, his knuckles white on the steering wheel as he mashed the accelerator. The motor paused, then the cart surged forward, bouncing over the uneven path.
He braked before the path separated into two.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” Eli asked when he pulled up alongside him.
“Just go!” Montgomery yelled over his ringing ears. “With luck, we’ll meet you outside!”
Eli held out his hand, something black in it. A gun. “At least take this. You can’t face him emptyhanded.”
Montgomery shook his head, eyes fixed on the trail and the charred treetop that marked the Treehouse. Beside it was the hulking shape of its main building, the Savannah House.
His fingers flexed, and he wished they were closing around Karol’s neck. “I’ll handle him my way. Get yourselves to safety, now!”
Before Eli could object further, Montgomery slammed the accelerator, surging ahead. He couldn’t afford hesitation or second thoughts. Hartley’s life hung in the balance.
At the fork in the path, he went right. Behind him he could hear the crunching of gravel and leaves as Eli veered left toward the front gate.
In the distance, the partially ruined Treehouse rose from the dust, a crippled giant against the brightening sky. She was so close.
Suddenly, a blinding flash silhouetted the structures ahead, accompanied by yet another deafening blast. Montgomery threw up an arm to shield his eyes from the scorching pressure wave. Chunks of smoking debris hurtled through the air, pelting the ground like meteors. Thick splinters clattered against the cart’s windscreen, a few whizzing by in fiery streaks. He brushed them off his legs and jacket before they could burn a hole in his clothes.
When he lowered his arm, the Savannah House was gone. Nausea roiled in Montgomery’s stomach. Gritting his teeth, he plunged onward, taking the golf cart off the path in the most direct route. It was a bad idea. Without warning, the small wheels of the cart dipped into a mucky depression, slamming to a halt. The cart’s back end went skyward in a gut-wrenching slam, throwing Montgomery against the windscreen. Then he fell to the ground when the cart canted sideways. He narrowly missed it landing on him.
