He won’t need help, though.
Not here.
First off, the guy is already dead.
Secondly—
“Fuck,” Koyn barks out.
I leave Dragon to his mutilation of the corpse, turning my attention to Prez. His features are hard as he listens on the other line.
Pushing past Katana, I stand beside Koyn, frowning at him. While he listens to the person on the other end of the cheap burner phone, his fingers are flying over the screen of his own phone. The hairs on my neck stand up.
This isn’t good.
Bile creeps up my throat. Whatever he has to say, I know I’m not going to like it. I’ve never seen Koyn look so…furious? Disgusted? Distraught?
“No,” Koyn snarls into the burner phone. “Not just no, but fuck no.”
He ends the call, tossing the phone onto the couch. I gnaw on my bottom lip, waiting for him to spill the beans. His fingers spear into his dark hair and he tugs at the ends as he paces the small living room.
“What did he want?” I croak out.
Koyn’s glare lands on me. “To speak to Dragon.”
The sick, wet ripping sounds of flesh being torn apart halt almost instantly. A deafening silence falls over the entire trailer. Then, creaking footsteps thud our way until Dragon appears, blood splattered and green eyes glowing with rage.
“Who was it?” Dragon demands.
“I’ve got Bermuda trying to track the call.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Dragon whips his head my way. “Who was it?”
I frown. “Him.”
His jaw clenches. “Who, Baby Prospect?”
The phone rings again before we can answer. Both Dragon and Koyn dive for it at once. Though Koyn is bigger and terrifying, Dragon is fucking crazy. They scuffle, crashing into furniture as they fight for the phone. Dragon elbows Koyn in the throat before snagging the phone and swiping it to answer.
He doesn’t speak, just breathes heavily, letting the other person on the line know he’s there. Whatever is said on the other line has Dragon swallowing hard. For a second, he looks like a scared little teenage boy, not the man he is.
We didn’t get the monster.
No, the monster, it seems has been two steps ahead of us all along.
Dragon
“Recognize my voice, Caught?”
I do. I fucking do.
The man I killed—who I thought was Night Giant—was nothing more than a lookalike. Not the real thing. A fraud.
“Hiding is a real bitch move,” I growl. “Where are you, big guy? I’m coming for you.”
His deep, mocking chuckle makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. “That’s no way to speak to your master, Caught.”
“You’re nothing but a target to me. Dead fucking meat just like your piece of shit stand-in.”
“So eager to take my place that brother of mine. The bikers you paid to watch me never noticed when we switched places right under their noses at the little grocery store. Ahh, my brother always was eager to please me. He’ll be missed.”
“Did you fuck him too?”
“Oh, Caught. If you were here right now, I’d punish you for your filthy mouth.”
“I’m coming for you, motherfucker.”
It isn’t until Cove takes my bloodied hand in his that I realize I’m trembling. Having his touch grounds me. Brings me focus. Swallowing down the fear Night Giant always seems to instill in me, I wait to hear what he wants.
He definitely wants something.
My gut tells me that something is me.
“I don’t need you anymore,” Night Giant rumbles. “You see, I found something better.”
“Better than me?” I taunt. “I thought I was your favorite.”
“You were. But then you bulked up and got tattoos. You’re no longer the boy you once were.”
Sick fuck.
“If you tell me where you’re at,” I snarl, “I’ll make your death quick like your fat-ass brother.”
Night Giant laughs again, dark and demonic. “I told you, Caught, you’ve been replaced by a newer model.”
Something shuffles and Night Giant orders someone to speak.
“H-Hello?” The soft voice is barely a whisper. Terrified and confused.
“Tell me where you’re at,” I command to the teenage boy on the other end of the line. “I’ll come for you and kill that bastard.”
“I-I don’t know.” His voice cracks. “I’m scared.”
The never-ending inferno of rage inside me for Night Giant seems to go nuclear. I can’t believe this shit is happening again. To some poor kid. It’s so fucked up.
“Listen, kid, I’m doing what I can. What’s your name?”
“M-Mitch.”
I freeze, a wave of shock sending ice through my veins. “Mitch?”
There’s a scuffle and then Night Giant’s laughter rumbles through the phone. “See, Chase, I got a newer model. Your brother says hello.”
A blood-curdling scream echoes through the phone before the line goes dead. I stagger back, my knees threatening to buckle beneath me as the phone drops to the dirty carpet.
No.
This can’t be.
Not my youngest brother, Mitch.
Impossible.
“How?” I croak out, mostly talking to myself despite Koyn barking out questions of his own. “How? How? How?”
This time, I do fall to my knees. Hard enough the entire trailer trembles. Cove kneels in front of me, cupping my cheeks with his soft hands. His blue eyes are narrowed with concern.