Heavy footsteps entered the room, combined with the sound of something dragging across the floor. The noise startled Molly, and she perked up. Lily pressed her face to her fur, stroking her comfortingly.
Please, please, please don’t bark.
She peered through the gap between the liquor cabinet doors. Since the two club chairs faced her, she could see Ethan clearly. He bared his teeth and fought against his bonds. Who had come in?
Arnie and the Coil came into her narrow view, dragging a limp man between them. They threw him onto the chair next to Ethan’s, and his head tipped back. Skylar.
They didn’t bother to tie him up. They probably figured there was no point, since he looked like he could barely move. His wet hair clung to his creased forehead. He clutched his abdomen and watched their kidnappers through half-lidded eyes.
Coil stalked in front of the captives before jabbing a finger in Ethan’s face. “He’ll be wanting to see you next. Don’t go anywhere.” He laughed and exited the room behind Arnie.
Once the door was shut, Molly gave the gap a quick sniff. Then she laid her head on Lily’s forearm, as though she could smell the danger had passed.
Ethan tried to look in his friend’s eyes, but he was bound too tight. “Skylar, are you okay? What did they do to you?”
Lily wasn’t even sure Skylar was conscious, but then his head lolled toward Ethan.
He groaned. “It’s better if you don’t know. I tried to tell him I had no idea where the evidence was, but he didn’t believe me.”
“Who is he?” Ethan asked. “Who’s the Phantom? Is it Judge Banks? Is that why we’re here?”
“I didn’t see,” he croaked. “I only heard his voice, and most of the time, that was from under water.”
Ethan bowed his head. “I thought … I thought I was protecting you by not telling you where the evidence was. This might have gone differently if I had. I’m sorry, buddy.”
He looked defeated by the sight of his friend. Lily hated to see him that way, because if he was losing hope, what chance did she have? She wished she knew what Piper’s plan was.
Balancing Molly in one arm, she carefully slipped her phone out of her pocket and checked the dim screen. She bypassed the notifications from her mum. There was another message from Piper.
Just hold on. Twenty minutes.
She was about to tuck her phone away when the screen’s light glinted on a crystal tumbler half-filled with amber liquid. Gold lettering on the bottle next to it caught her eye.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Whisky with no ‘e.’
She recalled their meeting at Peggy’s Pub. Skylar had ordered a scotch, and Ethan joked that it was all he drank.
Lily tried to push the memory away. It wasn’t important right now. Besides, there were a lot of liquor bottles in the cabinet. Maybe the judge liked the same drink Skylar did. Or the Phantom could have offered it to Skylar as a “last drink” before she got there. Maybe …
She watched Skylar closer. His eyes were closed, and his jaw hung loose like he’d passed out.
“What do we do?” Ethan asked.
Skylar jerked at the sound of his voice, but his hollow gaze remained fixed on the green rug. “Give in. Give them what they want. At least the end will be quick that way.”
Ethan clenched a fist. “But then he wins. Again. And it was all for nothing.”
Lily thought of all the hours he’d spent trying to solve the case, how he’d sacrificed his job, the relationships in his life. And yet, as he stared into his lap, she knew he was thinking about his father.
“Look,” Skylar said. “It probably doesn’t matter now, but in case one of us walks away from this, tell me where the evidence is. It might be our only chance to take him down.”
His head bobbed, like he didn’t have the energy to go on, but his eyes slid toward Ethan as he waited for a response.
Lily drew a sharp breath and pressed her lips together. She now knew why nothing about this situation added up: the family-friendly vibe, the proximity to neighbors who would surely hear gunfire, the letter opener sitting out, the whisky.
No, she silently begged Ethan. Don’t tell him. She thought it over and over as though he could read her mind.
But he finally nodded. “You’re right.” He raised a leg in the air. “The USB is in my sock.”
Skylar’s glazed look suddenly cleared, and the pain lines etched on his face relaxed like he’d peeled off a mask. He got to his feet and ran his hands through his damp locks. Crouching in front of Ethan, he plucked the USB out of his sock.
He clenched it in his fist. “Thank you, old friend. Now, was that so hard?”
The blood drained from Ethan's face. He gaped at Skylar as though he’d finally come to the same conclusion Lily had: he’d made a huge mistake.
Skylar wiped the blood and bruises off his face; they’d obviously been makeup. “Don’t look so shocked. You’ve seen enough sins and corruption in this world to know that no one is who they appear to be.”
“I don’t understand,” he said. “How could you work for the Phantom?”
“Work for him?” Skylar gave him a pitying look. “I am the Phantom.”
Emotions battled for control over Ethan’s handsome features: anger, disbelief, betrayal. An ache built inside Lily as she watched it play out.
“No … No,” he said finally. “What about Judge Banks?”
“That fool? The Phantom? Are you trying to insult me?” Skylar rolled down his white shirtsleeves, buttoning the cuffs. “After you wouldn’t stop badgering him, he started to believe you, and I had to pay him a visit. You don’t give up easily, do you?”
“What can I say? I’m nothing if not a man with conviction.”
Skylar laughed like they were back in the pub having a friendly dinner. “But it will all work out in the end. Banks’s position and reputation will be an asset to me. He just needs a little more convincing to join my team, so he’s taking a timeout in the basement.”
“But … you’re a lawyer. We’ve been friends for years. I went to your sister’s wedding. You were there to support me when my father died.” Ethan shook his head. “But you were the one who prevented me from being by his side.”
“It wasn’t all pretend. I was your friend. That’s why I met up with you in Shady Cove. It was a courtesy, but unfortunately, our relationship has now come to a crossroads.” He straightened his collar. “This could have been avoided if only you’d given up the evidence, if only I could have found it when I searched your hotel rooms. And instead of being here, you’d probably be off canoodling with that redhead of yours.”
The muscles in Ethan’s jaw tensed. “So then, you were following us the whole time, probably since I called and told you I had evidence.”
“You think I have that kind of time?” Skylar perched on the corner of the desk. “All those accidents had nothing to do with me. Why would I want to hurt you before I got the evidence? Oh, and I didn’t threaten your mother. That was probably her confusion. I have more class than that.”
“Class?” Anger flickered across Ethan’s face, and his nostrils flared. “I can’t believe it. This whole time, you were right under my nose.”
“Don’t feel too bad. Better men than you have tried and failed. And anytime you got close to figuring things out, I was right there to throw you off track. But somehow, you still found something to ruin my plans, and it was hiding at Julia’s all along.”
“Don’t hurt her. She doesn’t know anything. She has a kid—”
“Hurt her? Who do you think told me where your favorite camping spots were?”
Ethan inhaled sharply through his nose. “Does she know who you really are?”
“We had lots of time to get to know each other during all those late nights you spent at the office, poring over my case, obsessing over me. I’m flattered, really. But you should have been at home, paying attention to your fiancée. As your best friend, I saw it as my duty to step in.”
Ethan’s gaze grew distant, like he was imagining all those times, putting pieces together, unraveling little lies. “No. No. No.”
“You didn’t see her boy tonight, did you? He takes after me, just like I take after my father, Five Finger Freddy.”
“He was your father?” Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I was still a teenager when he went to jail. They placed me in the Witness Security Program. A new identity, a bright future ahead of me. But me and Pops kept in touch. It wasn’t long before I took over the family business.”
Ethan huffed, his defiance returning. “And you put an innocent man behind bars to cover for you.”
Skylar sneered. “Timothy Moore? That weasel. It was his little tales that put my father in jail all those years ago. A boy needs his dad, and he took mine away from me. My dream of putting him behind bars was the inspiration for my career path. I had hoped to let him rot in there, but now that I killed his brother, there’s nothing preventing him from coming forward.”
“So, you’re going to kill him. Just like you had Luke’s sister killed.”
He pulled a face like he’d forgotten to pick up milk at the store. “Oh, right, her. She was too smart for her own good. There’s a reason I’m called the Phantom. It’s because no one outside my inner circle has ever seen me. Well, and lived to tell.” Skylar held up the USB. “And now, once I destroy this, I’ll be in the clear again.”
He placed the evidence on the ground, then lifted the chair and smashed the leg down on it.
Molly’s head snapped up. Her body tensed. Her chest quivered. Lily clamped a hand over her snout. But she might as well have been trying to hold back a volcanic eruption with a kitchen sink plug.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Skylar’s head snapped toward her hiding spot. Molly continued to bark, but there was no point trying to stop the barking anymore. Ethan closed his eyes, and his chin dropped to his chest.
As Skylar stormed toward the doors, Lily shrank away. Her back connected with a shelf. A bottle of liquor came crashing down next to her. At the last second, she tucked her phone behind a bottle. The last thing she wanted was for Piper to get dragged into this too.
Skylar flung open the doors. The surprise on his face morphed into a self-congratulatory smile. The term “fish in a barrel” came to her.
He stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. A moment later, Arnie and Coil burst in. When they spotted Lily in the cabinet, they exchanged an almost fearful look, as though they’d be the ones to pay for her getting in.
Skylar reached toward her. She trembled, clutching Molly to her chest. But his hand landed on the half-empty glass of scotch. He raised it in a “cheers.” Turning back to his men, he motioned to Arnie, who handed Skylar a gun. The mob boss then waved it at Lily.
“Out, please.”
She did as he said. As she squeezed out of the cabinet, Molly sniffed the air around him and growled. Her chest rumbled beneath Lily’s hand like she had the spirit of a rottweiler.
Skylar took a sip from his glass, unbothered. He pointed to Arnie. “Pat her down.”
Hands accosted her from behind, groping and grabbing. Instinctively, she fought back, but Arnie just became rougher. After he found nothing, he pushed her into the other club chair.
She eyed Ethan. They were so close, yet they felt so far apart. He fought against the ropes binding his wrists, as though he wanted to reach out to her. She craved his touch. Instead, she settled for clinging to Molly.
Skylar reached into the cabinet again and pulled out the whisky bottle. He poured himself another drink and set the bottle on the desk. He drained the liquor in one go before aiming the gun at Ethan.
“You know, I could really use a smart guy like you on my team. It would prevent me from having to kill you.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t work for criminals.”
“Are your scruples really so important to you that you’re willing to throw your life away for them?”
Ethan sat a little straighter, his chest puffed. “My parents raised me well.”
Skylar’s arm tensed, as though bracing for the gun’s kickback, but then he pivoted and aimed it squarely on Lily’s chest. “What about hers?”
A crack fractured the quiet room.
She gasped. Her body seized, expecting an explosion of pain.
When nothing happened, she cracked open an eye. Skylar wasn’t looking at her. His attention was on the open French doors. Another gunshot cracked, and it was clear the sound had come from outside.
Lily’s chest swelled with hope. Had the police finally arrived?
Skylar snapped his fingers at his men. “Go check it out.” Once they’d left, he eyed Lily and Ethan. “It’s your lucky day. There’s no time to bury you alive. Let’s get this over with.”
“Wait!” she cried. “Please, don’t hurt the dog.”
Her plea reminded her of the cave. Molly had been the perfect distraction, giving them the chance to best the poachers. But those were just two fools who hadn’t planned on killing them. This was a crime boss they were dealing with, a clever one. Could it work again?
She set the shaking pup down on the desk. As if they were all getting along splendidly, Molly’s tail wagged as she crossed the desk to sniff out this new friend.
“What do you think? I’m some kind of monster?” Skylar picked up the dachshund with one hand. “We need a family dog. Me, Julia, and little Freddy.” He grinned at Ethan. “After all, I stole your woman, your family, your whole life. I might as well steal your dog too.”
Holding the pup in front of his face, he assessed her as she licked him on the nose. “I think this one will do nicely.”
And like the most dependable dog in the world, Molly did what she did best and chose the perfect time to relieve herself.
A stream of fluid shot out, hitting Skylar square in the face. Sputtering and coughing, he held the dog at arm’s length before plopping her onto the office chair.
He brought up his arm to wipe the dog piddle from his eyes. While he was distracted, Lily scrambled onto the desk. Her hand wrapped around the neck of the whisky bottle. Raising it high, she brought it crashing down on Skylar’s head.
A dull thud filled the room, and a sickening jolt ran up her arm. Skylar dropped to the floor.
Step Twenty-two: Be Spontaneous.