Monsters' Gift (Crude Hill High #2) - Sam Crescent Page 0,42

upstairs, clearing through the door. As I did, a blade was embedded into my shoulder as I was stabbed from behind. I growled out at the instant hit of pain, but I was used to feeling something like it.

Spinning around, I lashed out as Caleb came through the door. I turned and kicked it closed as Caleb took over, hitting our assailant. The man was big, strong, and knew how to fight.

I couldn’t reach for the knife in my back. Instead, I grabbed the plank of wood and used it to slam across his head.

He turned toward me just as Caleb had gotten some rope. We all liked to carry certain tools. Mine was always a blade, while Caleb seemed to prefer rope. Caleb wrapped the thick knot around the man’s throat.

I grabbed my knife from my back pocket and began to use it, slicing at him until finally, he didn’t take another breath and slumped. We let him fall to the ground.

We were both panting.

My hands shook a little from the rush of adrenaline, but I brought up the schedule on my phone.

“Kyle,” I said. “He’s the one who was supposed to be here.”

I struggled to get my breath, but as I turned to the kitchen, a smell I hadn’t noticed before lingered.

Stepping inside, I walked toward the pantry and opened the door. Sure enough, there was Kyle, dead. His throat slit. A lifeless corpse.

“We need to get back to Emily,” he said.

I couldn’t agree more.

****

Gael

I was hurt. It stung like a son of a bitch, but I looked a lot more alive than my attacker. Going to the hotel rooms Drake had told us about, we’d discovered the men were indeed assassins. None I recognized, which meant they were old school, like our parents. I didn’t like not knowing my attackers.

“You could always get Emily to come and stitch me up?” I asked as Vadik began sanitizing the needle. I loved my best friends, all of them, but I didn’t want any of them coming at me with a needle, not today. I wanted to look all pretty for my woman.

Of course, the large gash on my right side would complain. The guy had nicked me with his blade as I’d strangled the life out of him. I’d taken that same blade and plunged it in his neck. I was pissed off that I’d been too distracted, and now look at me. I was a mess. I still wanted to be pretty for my woman.

“I’m not bringing Emily down here to see you like this. She’d freak out.” Just as Vadik was getting ready to sew me up, complete with a nice large bottle of vodka for company, his cell phone rang. I took a nice big swallow of the liquid, but it was nasty stuff. I’d never been much of a vodka drinker myself.

“Fuck, you’re sure?” Vadik stepped away from me. “You’re okay.” He looked at me and I raised a brow. “We’ve got a stab wound of our own. Get here soon.”

He hung up his cell phone.

“Do I want to know?” I asked.

“I don’t know what’s going to annoy you more. This”—he plunged the needle into my flesh and began his ministrations of sewing me up. What fun.

“What’s the that?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“Or that our fathers have all escaped. Someone is helping them, and Kyle was found dead in a kitchen pantry.”

“Fuck!” I tensed up.

“You can’t do anything. River and Caleb are on their way.”

“Which one got stabbed?”

“River. He was coming out of the basement when they were attacked. He took a blade to a shoulder.”

“Fuck. Careful,” I said.

“You’re such a baby.”

“Oh, bullshit.” I took one last swallow of vodka. With our fathers now out and hiding, I didn’t want to be drinking on the job. I was going to be needed to keep Emily safe.

Vadik worked quickly, swiftly, and was putting the finishing touch, complete with a bandage, when River and Caleb came in.

River had already removed his jacket and shirt. Blood dripped from the wound, but it didn’t look nasty. Vadik swiped the vodka bottle, handing it to River, who shook his head.

“No, stitch me up,” he said.

“You don’t have to be a hero.”

“I’m not drinking. Not with them out on the loose. Fix me now.”

Caleb grabbed the bottle, took a swig, and launched it into the fire. “Fucking pieces of shit.”

“So, do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked.

“We believe when Caleb was there last, the camera was hidden