The Gilded Cage

by Lauren Smith

  “I love you.” She whispered the three words, hoping he would know how important it was that she tell him how she felt. If this was the end…if this was her only chance, she had to make sure he knew.

  He didn’t say anything, but the flash of pain in his eyes made her heart burn.

  “Get them outside, now,” Brant ordered.

  Fenn and Emery were shoved out of sight. Hayden looked between Hans and their guard, wondering what was going to happen. She could sense a change in the air, almost like an electric charge. The guard turned to stare at her, a slow evil grin twisting his lips.

  His mistake.

  Chapter 27

  Fenn held his breath, absorbing Hayden’s words as he was hauled out of the house and marched around to the side yard. Two SUVs were parked side by side there. He was only half paying attention, a potentially fatal mistake he knew, but Hayden’s words kept replaying in his mind.

  She loves me. He wasn’t just an itch she wanted to scratch; the passion between them had strengthened into something greater, more powerful, like an iron brand molded in a forge, then cooled in water, becoming unbreakable, leaving a permanent mark on the skin, on the soul.

  Love. Hell, now that she’d told him, he would never let her go. Assuming they survived this—which at the moment was a very big “if”—he’d move to Long Island if that’s what she wanted. He’d even wear designer suits like Emery and attend board meetings. He’d do anything for her, if only they’d make it through this. And they were going to, by God. Fury roiled through him with the force of a violent storm and he was ready to unleash it all. He realized suddenly that he and his brother could coordinate an attack easily since they could connect their thoughts.

  The man ahead of them opened the driver’s side door and climbed in to start the engine.

  Shots exploded inside the house, and Fenn jerked away from Brant. Adrenaline spiked through Fenn and he felt the echoing rush through the bond with his twin.

  “Hayden!” He could see her, Hans, and the guard struggling through the broken windows.

  “Take them down!” Brant shouted at his remaining guard as he leapt behind the shelter of the SUV and opened fire on the house. “I want them dead before we leave here.”

  Emery launched himself at the man in the driver’s seat and forcibly dragged him out of the car before he could get to his gun.

  “Save Hans and Hayden, Fenn! I’ve got this bastard.” Emery huffed as he punched the man on the ground and kept him pinned down. The impact of fist upon flesh was a sickening sound, and Fenn was relieved it was his brother delivering the blows.

  The man twisted Emery’s injured arm and he howled. Agonizing pain echoed in Fenn’s own body and he instinctively clutched his own arm as he ran for the house.

  Hans had somehow tackled the other man and was laying into him. Fenn started toward Hayden, but she screamed and pointed at a flash of silver, a knife, a moment before it sank into Hans’s side.

  “Fuck!” Hans hissed. The guard beneath him jerked and they rolled until Hans was pinned down. “Get her out of here!”

  “Hayden, get outside now,” Fenn barked before he launched himself at the man on top of Hans. He couldn’t afford to look back and check on her, even though everything inside of him demanded he do so. He collided with the guard’s body, and they crashed into the wall next to Hans. Pain shattered him, starting at his shoulder and exploding outward from that point of contact. The other man was worse off. He was down, apparently out cold.

  “Leave him,” Hans growled as he struggled to stand. Blood leaked between his fingers as he hunched over.

  “Hans.” Fenn got to his feet on shaking legs.

  Gunshots ricocheted off the walls, but the sound came from outside…where Hayden was. Fenn ran to the door and his heart stilled.

  Emery was clutching his shoulder, fresh blood trailing down his sleeve. One of the two SUVs was gone. Emery leaned against the remaining vehicle.

  “Where’s Hayden?” Fenn demanded, his frantic heart racing because he knew the answer.

  His twin raised a bloody hand and pointed toward a distant cloud of dust on the road.

  “Brant shot me and then took her.”

  Hans appeared right behind him and smacked a set of keys into Fenn’s hand.

  “I sure hope you can drive,” Hans muttered as he jogged to the SUV.

  The three of them climbed in, and Fenn slammed the keys into the ignition. The SUV’s tires squealed and sputtered on the slick grass as he peeled out from the building. Fenn pressed the gas pedal all the way down until he felt carpet. Only then did he glance at his brother. Emery’s face was pale and his lips were parted as he breathed. Blood pooled at his waist, where his arm continued to bleed. His other hand held the gun and he lowered the front passenger window. Wind roared past.

  “Keep it as steady as you can!” he called out to Fenn over the deafening sound.

  “Got it!” he shouted back.

  The black blur ahead of them got bigger and clearer through the dust cloud on the road as they gained ground.

  They swept past a mountain of smoked wreckage on the side of the road: Wes’s Range Rover. Black smoke curled up into the sky like something out of a Viking funeral rite. Fenn could only wonder for a few seconds why the vehicle was on the side of the road, closer to the woods, than on the road itself.

  “Godspeed, Wes.” The pain in his chest doubled along with his fear for Hayden. Brant wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. He knew how much she mattered to Fenn.

  “How are you doing back there, Hans?” Fenn called out over his shoulder.

  “I’m bleeding like a stuck pig. How d’you think I’m doing?” The gruff snort made both Fenn and Emery laugh. Damn gallows humor.

  “In other words, he’s fine.” Emery leaned a little out of the window. “I’m going to blow out his tires. You ready, Fenn?”

  “Yeah.” Fenn gripped the steering wheel tightly as they pulled up behind Brant.

  Emery set his sights and fired.

  Two shots—

  An explosion of tires and dust—

  The car ahead served to the left and then back to the right as Brant apparently attempted to control the SUV, but then he overcorrected and the vehicle rolled left. Fenn sucked in a breath and the world seemed to grind to a halt as he watched the metal beast tumble over and over again, until it came to a stop on its side.

  Hayden was inside…He jolted back to himself but it was too late; he reacted too slowly.

  Shit, shit, shit! “We’re too close!” Fenn shouted, and he pumped the brakes, but it was no use. Their vehicle screeched into a skid and metal screamed as it smashed into the first SUV. His muscles tensed and he clenched his teeth just as they impacted. A cloud of white exploded in front of his eyes and then everything went dark.

  * * *

  White steam and black smoke wove haunting patterns in front of Fenn’s eyes as he came to. Their SUV was crunched against the other one like a smashed tin can. They were still upright, but they had T-boned the undercarriage of the first vehicle. Neither Hans nor Emery were conscious. For several long seconds he just stared at the metal carnage, uncomprehending. Then, as some of the smoke cleared, he saw a feminine hand stretch out past one of the tires, the elegant fingers slightly curved in toward the palm.

  Hayden…The name came slowly but when it registered, his entire body flooded with more adrenaline. His hands fumbled with the seat belt, blood sticking to the plastic and making it slippery. He gasped and groaned in frustration until the belt clicked open, then stumbled from the car, wincing as his re-injured ankle protested the movement. He reached out to brace himself against the first vehicle, but the contact singed his hand.

  Fenn rounded the tail of the car and halted when he saw Hayden. Her legs were pinned underneath the roof of the car. She must have been thrown out of a window before it rolled that last time to its side and landed on her. He gripped the roof, trying to lift it, but he couldn’t. Tears of frustration rolled d
own his face, mixing with sweat as he strained.

  “Here, let me help.” Emery’s hoarse voice cut in as he appeared at Fenn’s side. They stood side by side and braced their legs, growling as they fought to raise the vehicle up even a few inches.

  “Got it!” Emery gasped. “Grab her, quick!”

  Fenn let go of the roof of the SUV and grabbed Hayden’s arms, yanking her hard and fast, getting her clear of the vehicle. A split second after she was free, Emery cursed and the SUV slammed back to the ground, Emery with it, landing on his ass and sucking in heavy breaths.

  “Fuck,” he said. “Never thought I’d be able to say I lifted a damn car.” He started to laugh, but then stopped.

  Fenn was barely paying attention; everything inside him was focused on Hayden. She wasn’t conscious and that scared the shit out of him.

  “Come on, honey, please,” he begged. “Wake up.” He couldn’t think past the panic. If he lost her…if he lost her…The soul-sucking sense of despair so deep within him threatened to choke him. Emery’s hands shook him gently.

  “Breath, Fenn. For fuck’s sake, breathe,” Emery snapped, the harsh tone shaking Fenn out of his anxiety attack.

  “She’s not waking up,” Fenn said and met his twin’s concerned stare.

  “It might be because she hit her head. We don’t know. Just stay calm.”

  A low chuckle disrupted the wild flurry of thoughts in his head. Brant, in his bloody and torn business suit, aimed a gun at them. A feverish look made his eyes abnormally bright.

  “I guess I’ll stage a different sort of accident. Never let it be said I can’t improvise.”

  Fenn clutched Hayden in his arms, protecting her, but knowing they wouldn’t escape Brant, not this time.

  “Don’t do this, Brant. You want the company? Fine. I’ll give it over to you first thing tomorrow. I’ll gift you all my stock. Just let us go. ” Emery’s tone was smooth, soft, almost friendly.

  Brant snarled. “No! It’s too late for that. You’ll turn me over to the police in minutes. I’m not stupid. But that was always your mistake. You thought I couldn’t do your job. Well, I can, and much better than you. I always had the board on my side. They thought you were a horrible disappointment. I imagine they won’t be that sad to learn of your untimely demise.” He emphasized the words by jabbing his gun in the air toward Emery.

  Emery slowly stood up and stepped to the left, hands half raised in surrender as he blocked Hayden and Fenn from the immediate line of fire.

  “How noble. You want to save your brother and his woman. Doesn’t matter, though. I have enough bullets to finish you all off.” Brant laughed hysterically and cocked his gun.

  Fenn nearly jerked when something cold and metallic was pressed into his hand. His fingers curled around it, meeting Hayden’s slender fingers. A gun. She was awake and arming him with a weapon. What a woman! He wanted to look down and see if she was truly okay, but he dared not. He kept calm, had to. He’d get one chance to draw and take Brant out. He focused on Emery, on that invisible string that bound their hearts and minds together.

  The number three flashed across his mind and the direction to the right. He prayed his twin would sense what he meant to do.

  The sense of resolve and hope flashed back to him. His brother always trusted him. Even after all these years apart. Love blossomed in his chest and he knew he could do this, he could save them all.

  “I’m done, Emery; done with your games, the power plays. It’s over. You are over.” Brant started to pull the trigger, but Emery dodged to the right. Fenn jerked his hand up and fired.

  Three shots in rapid succession. Deafening sounds that made his ears almost bleed from the sound.

  Brant made a choked noise of surprise and crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. Blood bubbled over his white shirt where the bullets had torn through his fancy suit. Emery walked over on shaking legs and kicked Brant’s gun out of reach. Fenn watched, unable to speak. He had killed a man, taken his own cousin’s life. The crimson blood, a blood he shared with this man, was seeping into the grass, dark and thick as molasses. He swallowed hard but couldn’t turn away. A hollowness filled him, suffocating him.

  “Brant,” Emery spoke, gentle and quiet as he knelt down. “I’m sorry.”

  The dying man sputtered out a laugh, blood staining his teeth.

  “You…you were never left alone…dad died…I had…no one.” A wretched cough tore up any further words he might have uttered.

  Emery gripped their cousin’s hand. “You left me alone the day I lost Fenn. You always had us both, but you threw us away. You tried to break us when we only ever wanted to love you.”

  “No—” Brant’s eyes widened as he tried to protest, but the sound ended on a gurgle. His body convulsed, and then he went still. His eyes staring sightlessly above him, clouding with death.

  Fenn stared at the body for a long moment, and the years of solitude his cousin had forced upon him because of greed threatened to crush him. All he and Emery had lost was because that man had missed his father and felt entitled to money? What a goddamned fool Brant had been.

  Emery brushed his fingers over the dead man’s eyes, closing them.

  It’s done. We’re free.

  The thought came to both Fenn and Emery at the same time, in that secret shared mental pathway.

  Fenn glanced down, letting go of the gun as he reached for Hayden’s hand. Her fingers laced through his, and she gave him a little squeeze. Her eyes were half-closed and her breaths were shallow. But she was alive.

  Sirens screamed in the distance, and he could only sit there and watch the scene unfold as he held on to the one person that was most precious to him besides his twin. In a daze, he watched Emery pull Hans from the SUV. The man was bleeding, but seemed conscious and alert. The bodyguard had nine lives, Fenn was sure of that. He glanced down at Hayden again.

  “Hold on, honey. Everything is going to be fine.” He brushed her beautiful hair back from her face.

  “My brother,” she whispered brokenly. “He’s dead.” Her fingers clenched tighter around his hand and tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked his trousers.

  Emery, who was helping Hans out of their car, suddenly stilled and then shouted.

  “You lucky son of a gun!” Emery laughed and moved, allowing Fenn to see a figure running toward them.

  No. It couldn’t be…

  “Wes?” he breathed the name.

  “I know.” Hayden sniffed and choked back a sob. “He’s gone.”

  “No…he’s not.” Fenn carefully laid her down on the ground and pointed. She turned her head in the direction of her brother, who was running toward them.

  “Hayden? Are you okay?” Wes didn’t wait for her to reply, he just wrapped his arms around her where she lay and hugged her carefully.

  “I’m okay,” she laughed, then winced and let her head drop back onto the ground. “I think a car landed on me. Doesn’t hurt much, though.” She wiggled her legs, then winced.

  Fenn knew she was trying to joke, but he wanted her to lie still until the EMTs could get a look at her.

  “We thought he’d killed you,” Emery explained as he walked up to them. “Andrews planted a car bomb in your Rover. We heard it go off.”

  Wes shook his head. Grime and ash marred his face and darkened his hair. He wiped his coat sleeve across his cheeks.

  “I didn’t go far from the house. I was just going to conceal the Rover and sneak back on foot. But I had to call Royce to have him get the police. I parked the car close and walked off a ways past the woods, where there’s this little hill overlooking the beach. I knew I’d actually get a better signal over there than on this road. I couldn’t drive the car through the underbrush, so I just walked. Royce and I were coordinating a police response, giving them directions and the next thing I knew, my car was blown to hell and the force of the blast threw me to the ground. I was out for a few minutes.”

  “That’s some serious luck,” Fenn s
aid. He still couldn’t believe he was looking at his friend and that Wes was alive. They were all alive.

  “Wes, oh my God.” Hayden covered her mouth and wiped new tears from her eyes. Wes hugged her again.

  “Shh…it’s okay. We’re all fine. Aren’t we?” He looked directly at Fenn and he could sense that the question was meant for him, too. A surge of new warmth filled him. He was a boy again.

  The flames of the campfire danced and sparks shot up and out from the burning logs. A ramshackle tent offered shelter for him, Royce, Emery and Wes. Each of them clutched a flashlight and were aiming the beams upward, creating ghoulish looks on their faces. They whispered scary ghost stories. Bags of half-eaten trail mix lay next to their fresh cola bottles. A pirate’s hoard of treasures, they’d called it earlier. Their sleeping bags were lined two-by-two and the summer air was thick and muggy. Frogs called out from distant ponds, their throaty tunes a background noise of innocence and endless nights full of dreams.

  “We are young. We live forever.” They all chanted and knocked their bottles together. The chant burned into them, carved into their souls. In that moment, everything about life was completely perfect.

  “We are friends, always and forever.” The whisper was shared and carried upon the summer breeze to lands far and away, but it was a vow, one they would all keep. They would stand by each other, always and forever.

  Fenn’s throat burned as he met Wes’s gaze and nodded. A promise—no, the vow of their boyhood friendship—still stood fast and strong. Emery joined their group as the ambulance and three police cars pulled off the road to the wreck site.

  “I guess I’ll handle this.” Emery sighed and spun around to walk back to the policemen.

  A tall, dark-haired man emerged out of one of the police cars, and he clasped Emery’s hand fiercely before looking over at Fenn and the Thornes.

  “Royce,” Wes whispered to Fenn. He didn’t have to, though. Fenn would have known Royce anywhere.

  He sent the other man a smile and a nod. The responding grin on his friend’s face was an unexpected reward.