Page 55 of Deadfall

“This is North’s daughter?” Brooks exclaimed. “I thought—”

Mahoney glared at Brooks, apparently he’d had enough. “I don’t pay you to think, Brooks,” he snapped. “Shut the fuck up.”

He turned back with a sick smirk. “Yes. Unfortunately, very much so.”

My breath caught in my throat and it took everything I had to get myself back under control. Sacha’s words brushed like a ghost against my mind, a reminder to not forget my training.

The moment you panic, is the moment you lose.

Ice swept in and calmed the panic, the action like muscle memory. I glared at Mahoney, my emotions once more under my control. Mahoney’s gloved finger brushed down my scar and I yanked my head away. His rough whisper of a laugh drifted over me. He gripped my chin and leaned down closer with a cruel smile.

“I wonder how much you’re worth to him?” Mahoney gloated inches away from my face. “His money? His empire? His life?”

I scowled. “He–he thinks I’m dead.” I hated that it came out like a question.

A slow predatory smile slipped across Mahoney’s features as his eyes glowed with mirth.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

He took one last puff from his cigar and brought it close to my face. The smoke overwhelmed my senses and my eyes watered. The end glowed and the heat warmed my cheek.

“Your father has been a thorn in my fucking side for too long. He thinks he has control—that he can manipulate me. But, he’ll soon learn how delusional that notion is.”

He ground his words out through clenched teeth and he tightened his grip on my jaw. His breath hit my skin and smelled of smoke. I went to jerk away, but Brooks yanked my wrists above my head.

“And you’re going to be the catalyst, my dear.” Mahoney pressed the ember against the underside of my arm. I growled as the fire seared and burned, but otherwise stayed silent. Mahoney tossed the dead cigar away and patted my cheek roughly.

“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and tell me all your secrets.”

He stepped back with a motion to Brooks who came forward with a syringe. I kicked out at him, but the chain had lifted me onto my toes, and I didn’t have enough leverage to touch him. When the bite of the needle came, the warmth of the drug quickly spread through my veins.

“See you on the other side, Hurricane,” Brooks chuckled.

28

EMERSYN

I sat at the kitchen table as the cabin materialized in washes of detail around me. My heart lurched as Sacha appeared on the other side. He pushed a wrapped box across the table to me. I already knew what it was because I’d lived this before.

I was in a memory.

Before I could react, my past self took over. I tore off the wrapping. It was a new scope for my rifle. I grinned up at Sacha in delight—just like I had that day.

“You should take it out tomorrow,” Sacha said.

“Alone?”

Sacha nodded. “You’re eighteen now. You can do whatever you want.”

I scoffed and raised my eyebrows at him. “Like that matters. Unless you’re kicking me out?”

That brought a small twitch to his lips and he shook his head.

“You’ll know when the time is right.”

I finished switching out the scope on my rifle and ran a hand over it.

“Thank you, Sacha,” I said. “For everything—”