Page 59 of Unchained

Memories streaked through his brain, rapidly filling in the blanks in his mind. Conrad.

Conrad’s eyes bulged. His bare chest glistened under the light from his bedside lamp. Tousled, graying brown hair sat on his head. His familiar brown eyes bore into Brooks, pummeling him with images: Conrad at his parents’ kitchen table, laughing with Brooks’s dad. Sitting in a large auditorium listening to Lionsgate’s teachings. Conrad on stage, welcoming Brooks to the Lionsgate family.

Then the heat of fire on Brooks’s face as he raced into his burning childhood home. Being shocked with a stun gun. Fading in and out of sleep as he was laid on the floor of a utility van. Conrad’s face smiling down at him from the passenger’s seat before he blacked out.

Brooks lifted the mask. He needed Conrad to know who was ending his life.

Fury faded to terror on Conrad’s face. His skin was the shade of milk. “Brooks?”

“You sonofabitch!” Brooks aimed and fired.

Crack!

Conrad jerked, his hand clutching his heart. Blood splattered from the man’s chest and leaked through his fingers to stain the bedding.

A woman’s screams permeated the air. The blankets flung from the bed, revealing a half-naked woman.

Shit.

CHAPTER 19

Cam went to the kitchen. Her slightly damp feet slapped the hardwood floors. After watching a TV show, she’d soaked in a long hot bath. No matter how hard Cam tried to push him out of her mind, Brooks bounced around in there like a ping-pong ball. Then there was the ping-pong ball of worry about her mom. She needed to keep it together and not lose her mind. She’d find an old movie, have a drink, and dig into the junk food Lexi and Nash had had the foresight to buy them.

She pulled a bottle of pinot grigio out of the fridge. Then she retrieved a wineglass from the cabinet and filled it slightly more than she normally would.

As she took a sip her gaze caught her cell phone on the counter. It lit up—a text message. Her stomach squeezed around the acidic fluid in her gut. She grabbed her phone so fast that wine sloshed over her fingers. She swiped open the screen and read the message.

Hey, Tess and I are going to come by for a drink to keep you company until the guys get home. Be there soon!

A smile touched Cam’s lips, and the gravity pulling down the pit of her stomach released itself. Just Lexi. She moved her thumbs over the screen.

Sounds great. See you soon.

A drink with Brooks’s sister would help keep her mind off what he was doing. Her brain couldn’t get off him anyway, so at least she could talk about him, learn a few things, and hopefully forget he was out killing someone right now. She took a long sip and glanced at the clock on the microwave. Lexi had sent the message twenty-five minutes ago. She’ll be here any minute. Maybe she’d order a pizza. Picking up her phone, she searched for pizza places nearby.

Ding-dong!

That was fast. After setting her wineglass on the counter, she wound through the kitchen and advanced on the front door. At least now she could ask Lexi what the best pizza place was. Unlocking the door, she yanked it open. “Hey—”

Two men rushed her. She screamed and stumbled backward into the house as a gloved hand crushed against her face. Rough fingers bit into her flesh. Bursts of fear exploded in front of her eyes, distorting her vision. Sheer terror swelled in her lungs, the tissue threatening to burst. Black ski masks covered the men’s faces.

They’d found them.

And now they were going to kill her.

* * *

Stunned, Brooks stared at the woman clutching the white sheet to her chest. He blinked twice. He’d been so focused on Conrad he hadn’t fucking seen that the lump Conrad was shielding in the bed was a person.

She covered her eyes with her hands. “I didn’t see anything, I swear! Please don’t kill me. I have a little boy at home.”

Damn, damn, damn. He yanked his ski mask back over his face.

Nash crossed the room, his mask still concealing his identity, and pointed his gun at the woman’s head. “Scream again and you’re dead.”

“I won’t. I swear!” Her voice rose in terror.

Brooks snapped into action, shutting the bedroom door. He lifted his wrist to the mic. “We’ve got a problem. Conrad’s dead, but there’s a woman in his room.”

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