EVIL VILLAIN (The Royal Court #3) - Rebel Hart Page 0,96

Cobalt to be handed over to Connor's thugs and carry out his plan. My heart was pounding as we watched Brayden approach the front door, and next to me, Kyle was up on his tiptoes, ready to pounce if need be.

“Okay,” Nathan whispered. “Once they’re through that first door, we can sneak along the building and follow them in. Deon and I will slip in and call if we need help.”

“You're not going in there without us,” Nikita said. “Cherri and I will be right behind you.”

Both Cherri and Nikita had a burning look of determination on their faces, and I knew it would be fruitless to argue. Nathan must have seen it too, because he simply watched Nikita for a moment and then let out a sigh of defeat.

“Fine. The four of us are going in with Brayden. The rest of you should man any possible exit you can see. If you spy Connor making a run for it, call for Anisa and Cobalt.”

Everyone nodded and not a moment later, a buzzer pierced the night silence. The men dragged Brayden in faux restraints through the door, sticking a pipe in the door jamb as they entered. Nathan, Nikita, Cherri and I left the treeline of the forest behind, slipped up to the side of the building, and slid along the popcorn walls until we were at the door. Nathan held it open and we slipped inside, leaving the pipe in the door jamb, just in case.

“Well, well, look what we have here,” an evil voice that sent a chill down my spine began. “If it isn’t Brayden? You disappeared after you failed me.”

We snuck to the corner and peered around, and there he was—the devil himself. Connor looked worse for wear, no longer a silver fox, now a sickly thin man with greasy, wispy gray hair and sunken eyes. He still looked as smug as I remembered, but it looked out of place on him now, like a little boy wearing a hat that was too big.

“I did what you told me to,” Brayden said. “It’s these idiots that fumbled.”

“Well, all three of you have been missing in action, so I’ll ask plainly, where have you been?”

Then it went silent. Call it intuition or having dealt with my fair share of shady people lately, but I knew something was off. We couldn't hear anything, but Connor was intently staring at his men as though they were giving a soliloquy.

That was when it hit me.

At the road show I went to with Felicity, those people seemed to have the ability to communicate silently as well. Exactly as Jaxon had feared, the men were turning on us.

“Go around,” I whispered to Nathan, then I charged around the corner and out into the clear view of Connor.

“Oh. You figured you’d turn on me, Brayden, is that it? You think Deon alone can stop me?” Connor asked.

“He's not alone,” one of the goons said. “This whole thing is a setup.”

I took a few steps forward, but Connor pulled out a gun and pointed it at Brayden. “Ah, ah, ah. Why don't you stop right there? Unless you want me to—”

A gunshot cracked into the room, piercing the leg of one of thugs, sending him clattering to the ground. I looked over my shoulder, but no one was there, and that was when I realized the shot had actually come from Brayden. His restraints were applied in such a way that he still had total mobility, and he was able to pull his gun out and shoot. He quickly turned on the other guy, but he'd already let go and was ducking for cover.

Connor fired, but Brayden managed to duck out of the way. Exactly as we expected he might, Connor turned and started to run towards a door near the back, but the second he opened it, he came face to face with the barrel of Nathan’s gun. Nathan backed Connor back into the room with Nikita behind him, who then blocked the door.

Brayden passed me, saying, “I'll guard the front,” and crossed paths with Cherri walking in, her gun drawn as well.

“It’s the end of the line, Connor,” Cherri said.

“Isn't this cute?” Connor said. “A double date? You were just going to storm in here and the power of love was going to help you defeat me?”

Resounding clicks pierced the sky, as several men appeared as if from nowhere, all with guns cocked and aimed at us. Behind me, Cherri yelped as