Damn it, no.
I closed my eyes against the sudden sting of tears. I might have been expecting it, but damn it, hearing the confirmation, knowing he’d been playing me—using me—all along hurt more than it really should have.
“Lyle Phillecky?” Kaij cast a sharp look at me—something I felt rather than saw, because I just couldn’t look at him.
“Yes.” Her tail flicked. “I’s paid to s’rug. S’othing else. S’othing to do s’ith s’rash.”
“That’s hardly true, Rebecca, when you’re the one who got hold of the helicopter’s flight plans through the friend that worked at the control tower.” A fact we actually had no proof of, but one I’m sure would be easy enough to prove. “If you think he’s not setting you up to take the fall for all these murders, you’re a fool.”
“Being an accessory to drugging and false imprisonment is a far lesser charge than being an accessory to murder, Rebecca,” Kaij added coldly. “Cooperate fully, testify against Lyle to clear Keale’s name of intent, and I’ll see you get a lenient sentence.”
She didn’t immediately say anything, but she had little in the way of options and we all knew it.
She obviously came to the same conclusion, because she reluctantly said, “S’kay.”
“Good.” He hesitated, glanced briefly at me, then added, “As a matter of interest, just what were you going to do with Harri?”
“S’old to gets rid of her.”
“Meaning kill her, or just get her out of the way?”
“Second.”
Relief swam through me. He hadn’t intended to kill me. That was something, I guess.
“Why?” Kaij asked. “What did he intend to do once she was gone?”
Rebecca shrugged. “S’idn’t say.”
The image of Lyle sitting in the darkness spouting pretty lines about justice ran through my mind, and fear crawled down my spine.
“This isn’t good,” I said softly.
“No,” Kaij agreed. “I’ll put out an APB on him.”
“I’m betting you won’t find him. Not before he does whatever it is he plans to do.”
“Any idea what that is?”
“No-” I stopped as a phone rang.
Guy pushed away from the car, walked around to the back door, retrieved the phone I’d left sitting there then tossed it over the shield. Kaij caught it one handed then gave it to me.
I hit the receive button. “Hello?”
“Harri? Daryl here.”
Oh shit. Here it comes. “What’s happened?”
“Your mad Elven uncle has just gone and purchased himself a gun.”
The fear, it seemed, had been justified. I rubbed my head wearily. “I thought you had to get a bloody license before you could purchase a gun?”
“Not on the streets, not if you know the right people. Your elf is a lawyer, and he mixes with a lot of low life’s these days.”
Like the kid who’d sold him the Prevoron. “Where is he now?”
“Driving.”
“Aimlessly? Or does he seem to have a purpose?”
“He obviously has a purpose, love, if he’s bought himself a gun. He’s currently on Punt Road.”
“Heading towards the city, or away from it?”
“Towards.”
My gut sunk. He was heading toward my father’s. With a gun. I was as sure of that as I was the fact that the sun would rise tomorrow. “You don’t have to keep following him. I know where he’s going.”
“You sure? It’s no skin off my nose to keep going.”
“Thanks, but there’s only one place he could be heading given where he currently is.”
“Well, he’s just turned onto Toorak road.”
I closed my eyes. “And in a second, he’ll turn into Rocklea Road. Don’t follow him.”
“If you’re sure.” He paused. “He just turned as predicted. You’ll keep me posted on events, won’t you?”
“I will. And thanks, Darryl.”
“Darryl?” Kaij said grimly, as I hung up. “This the same Darryl that you didn’t know how to get in contact with?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but the phone saved me the effort. I glanced down at the number, and felt sick to the core. It was Lyle.
I hit the answer button yet again, and met Kaij’s gaze as I said, as evenly as I could, “Hi, Lyle.”
Kaij immediately stepped away, dragged his cell phone out of his pocket, and began dialing. Lyle said, “I’d guess that me ringing you is something of a surprise.”
He sounded...well, normal. Just like he had, every other time that he’d rung. He did not sound like someone who’d murdered at least five people and who’d gone more than a little out of his mind. I swallowed heavily, and said, “And why would you think that?
“Because the people I hired to keep you secured until certain events were finalized have not been in contact to say that you were safely delivered,” he said. “And that no doubt means Rebecca is now in your hands, and singing her little heart out.”
“Oh god, Lyle, why?” The question was almost wrenched out of me.
“You know why.” There was no emotion in his voice, no life. “It had to be done, Harriet. They all had to pay.”
“Keale didn’t know Mona, three of those people on the helicopter didn’t know Mona, so how is it right-”
“Enough,” he said. “If you want answers, Harriet, come see me.”
A chill ran through me. He no longer wanted me out of the way. He wanted me dead. As dead as Bramwell. As dead as Gilroy.
Oh god, oh god.
“Why? It’s not like you’re going to tell me anything I can’t guess, Lyle.”
“That doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters, except justice for the dead.” He paused, then added, “And if I see or even suspect you’ve contacted the cops, your father is dead meat.”
And with that, he hung up.
“Fuck,” I said, and this time I did throw the phone. It hit the containment shield and bounced sideways, almost hitting Kaij in the shins. He bent, picked it up, and tossed it back at me.
“What’s the mad bastard done this time?” Val asked, concern in his voice.
“He’s bought a gun and he’s intending to use it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Against Gilroy? Can’t honestly say I’d be sad to see that.”
“Well, no, but as much as I hate what he represents, Gilroy doesn’t deserve to die simply because he was involved with Mona and had a less than stellar opinion about her.”
“Given he has a less than stellar opinion about the entire world, that is probably true.” A wicked smile touched his lips. “I still wouldn’t mind seeing him at least winged, darls. Both he and that bastard father of yours deserve that, at the very least, for their treatment of you.”
“Right,” Kaij said, striding towards us. His gaze, when it met mine, was resolute. “You and I will take the helicopter back to the city, and from there-”
“Lyle will kill both my brother and father if he so much as thinks there’s cops nearby.”
He crossed his arms and glared at me. “You are not going anywhere near him without a wire and some form of backup close to hand.”
“Kaij-”
“No. You either do this my way, or we simply storm the place and take him out. Your choice.”
“Taking him out isn’t going to get answers,” I snapped. “All it will get is people dead.”
“Considering we’re talking about the Phillecky clan, I personally don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
I clenched my fingers against the sharp surge of anger. “I’m a Phillecky, in case you’ve forgotten that.” I paused. “Or was I actually included in that little statement?”
“Uh, people,” Val interrupted. “Mad elf with gun, intending to kill—remember him?”
Just for a moment, I had. I cast him a somewhat shamefaced look, then took a deep breath that didn’t actually hurt for a change, and said, “Okay, we’ll do your way. Just remember to tell everyone to keep out of sight.”
“We have done this once or twice before, Harri,” he said, voice cool once more.
And I hadn’t. I swallowed heavily then said, “What about Rebecca?”
“We can’t get a big enough truck up here, but I’ve ordered reinforcements. But until they get here, Val, are you able to stick around, just in case the shield needs a boost?”
“Sure thing. Just don’t get my sister dead, or I might get a little pissed off.”
“I’ll look after her.”
Val snorted. “Like you did the last time she needed your help? That’s not a very comforting thought, you know.”
“Val,” I warned softly.
He gave me a ‘he deserves it’ sort of look, but restrained from saying anything else.
“Guy, Keale,” Kaij said, obviously deciding to ignore Val’s comments. “You able to stick around also?”
Both gave affirmatives. Maggie said, “I’ll head home. There’s nothing much I can do here that Val can’t.”
I touched her arm and gave it a squeeze, “Thanks for flying out here.”
She patted my hand. “No problems. And sorry about the way this has all turned out. I did rather like that old bastard.”
So had I. I took another deep breath, then glanced at Kaij, eyebrow raised.
“This way.” He walked to the left of the containment shield and into the trees.
Darkness enveloped us, and the only sound to be heard was the soft crunch of leaves and twigs under my feet. Kaij, like most fae, walked light.
After a while, the moonlight began to break through the canopy above us, giving the leaves a silver shimmer and glinting brightly off the knife hilt at Kaij’s waist. I wondered briefly what had happened to its mate—had he finished it? Had he given it to someone else?
