Chapter 23
Channing
My limbs felt like they were made of soggy pasta, and my head felt like it was full of cotton candy. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I was no longer alone with the creepy doll and my attacker. I didn’t see Win, so much as I sensed him. A lot of the panic and fear that rose to the surface once some of my awareness came back online was tempered by the feel of powerful arms holding me and the steady heartbeat underneath my ear. I sensed Win was tense and angry and was trying to unwind his words in my fuzzy brain. It sounded like he was carrying on a conversation with his dead brother. Which was concerning, but not as much as the gunshot echoing through the halls of the massive estate. I’d lived in the city long enough to be intimately familiar with the noise.
I attempted to warn Win that his rescue was about to go tits up when I heard him ask, “Where did you get that gun, Mother?”
Colette laughed like Win just told the best joke in the world. I never thought the woman had a sense of humor — and I was right.
“If you were more invested in the legacy that comes with your last name, you would know this pistol has been handed down to every generation of Hallidays since the nineteen-twenties. It was a gift to your grandparents from the Winchester heiress before she died. It’s where your father came up with your name.”
Win’s dissatisfaction rumbled from his chest. “Isn’t the Winchester heiress the woman who lost most of her family and built a never-ending mansion out of guilt because she was compelled by all the souls lost to her family’s firearms?” Even through the fog filtering around my brain, I could hear the irony in his question.
I wiggled my fingers and got the faintest response. Whatever anesthetic my captor pumped into my veins was slowly starting to dissipate. I needed to be mobile so Win didn’t have to fight two-on-one. Without the gun pointed at him, he could take them. With the weapon in play, the other side had a distinct advantage.
“There isn’t time for a history lesson, Winchester. You’ve made quite a mess of everything, haven’t you?” Colette sounded as arrogant and unfeeling as always. It seemed holding her beloved heir at gunpoint barely fazed her.
“I heard the gunshot, Mother. Who did you shoot at?” Win’s voice was strained, and I realized he was trying to buy time. Rocco was undoubtedly close behind. He was waiting for the rescuer to be rescued. “I know there’s no chance you’ll pull that trigger while you’re facing me. If you do, you risk losing everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
My head lolled to the side, and I saw Colette pat the thin shoulder of the man who dragged me into the bedroom.
“I’ve always had two sons. Of course, I wanted you to be obedient and marry someone suitable. I wanted you to give me a high-quality grandchild who would eventually take your place. But you’ve always been difficult and stubborn, and Winnie takes after her mother far too much for my liking. Your brother is much easier to deal with. Why do you think I’ve been taking care of him all this time? It was out of necessity.” She walked fully into the room and pushed the silent man behind her who was still staring at me obsessively. “If you anticipate your security team riding bravely to your rescue, I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I ran into Rocco. He’s currently incapacitated and won’t be able to save you or alert the rest of the team that there’s a problem.”
My skin prickled like a thousand needles were stabbing me at once. Colette was evil. It was still shocking to hear just how conniving and vile she could be. Could you even be called a mother if you were only keeping your child alive for spare parts? How could Colette see her own flesh and blood as nothing more than a tool for breeding? It was disgusting on so many levels.
I moved my head and caught Win’s eye. He hugged me closer and nodded when I mouthed, “That’s Archie?” I was baffled. How had he survived the fire when my sister didn’t?
“Mother.” Win paused, took a deep breath, and changed how he addressed the deranged woman holding him at gunpoint. “Colette. How do you think you’re going to explain this? Bodies keep adding up where you’re involved. And even the Hallidays don’t have the power to bring back the dead. People are going to ask questions about the fire. When they do, all the skeletons in this manor are going to fall out, one after the other.”
I tugged on Win’s sleeve and tried to get him to look at the oxygen tank by the bed. When I was on the floor, I’d been tangled in the cannula tubing. If the canister was open, there was no telling how long it’d been leaking into the room. If Colette fired the antique pistol, there was a chance the entire room would blow up. I gained enough feeling in my hands that I could worriedly clutch the hem of Win’s sleeves. I was nervous. We needed to find a way out of this room, this house of insanity, in a hurry.
“No one bothers to look below the surface when the right people and enough money are involved. It’s no secret Ms. Harvey hates our family. It’s not a reach for people to believe she married you to seek revenge. Once she integrated into your life, she concocted a murder-suicide plot that sadly ended both of your lives. Your head of security tried to intervene. He died a hero, trying to protect the CEO of Halliday Inc. I’ll have my hand-picked replacement fill in for you until your brother provides me with a suitable heir.” The smile that crossed the older woman’s face was Machiavellian. She spoke of murder as if it was nothing more than the price of doing business. “No one outside the house has to know that Archie survived the fire. This family has a history of bastard children appearing out of the blue. As long as I recognize the progeny as my grandchild, the rest of the world will be none the wiser.”
Win scoffed. “Let me guess. You promised to make Conrad the interim CEO while this madness plays out. That’s why he agreed to be your lackey for so long.”
“He follows directions well. It’s a shame his family isn’t more noteworthy. He could achieve great things with the proper motivation and backing.” She gave Win a disgusted look. “I don’t understand why I was cursed with such disobedient children.”
“Maybe because you tried to murder their father because he dared to love someone who wasn’t you.” Win’s words were as frosty as the Arctic.
It sounded like Colette had everything perfectly planned. Win was shaking where he held me, and the man whom he identified as his brother seemed frozen in place. Archie’s injuries were pretty horrific. However, when his eyes caught mine, I could tell the damage done to the inside was worse. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to rise from the dead and realize you lost everyone you loved. I wondered if Archie would be so compliant if he comprehended that his own mother made him like this.
I tried to motion with my eyes that Win should put me down to fully confront his mother. The situation was getting more dangerous the longer the two bitterly argued. If flammable gas was leaking into the air, and so much as a tiny spark ignited, all of us were doomed to be caught in a fiery inferno — and there’d be more deaths attributed to the cursed Halliday manor.
Win gave me a squeeze to stay still and ignored my silent pleas. He turned his attention to his younger brother and asked, “Archie, do you remember what happened the night of the fire?”
The other man tilted his head as if trying to process the question. Colette reached out and grabbed the arm of her youngest. “Go to the nursery and wait for your daughter. Mom will make everything better. Remember who took care of you when no one else was there?”
“No one was there. No one knew you survived the fire, Archie. She’s the person who hurt you. She killed your wife.”
I was stunned. I always knew Colette had a hand in orchestrating my sister’s death, but what Win just said made it sound like she outright murdered Willow. There was never an accident. It was a manufactured tragedy. Willow had been a scapegoat all along. When I got full feeling back in my limbs, I was going to tear Colette Halliday to pieces. Well, I’d seek vengeance if I survived the impending explosion.
“My wife?” The muffled words were hard to understand. The shaky finger pointed in my direction was much easier to decipher. “Willow.”
I tried to get Win to put me down once again, but his attention was fully on his brother.
“This isn’t Willow. This is Channing. Willow is gone because Mom killed her. She started the fire but only saved you. Remember, Archie?”
“Enough!” Colette barked the word and marched threateningly toward Win. It seemed surreal this was playing out in one of the most well-known colonial estates in the country. The lifestyle of the rich and famous was supposed to be above something as mundane as murder. Though, it made sense that the more you had, the more you were likely to lose. And the less ethical and rational you became to keep it all.
Win reluctantly set me down so I wasn’t an easy target pinned to his chest. My knees were too gooey to hold my weight. I slumped to the floor and noticed I was right next to the fireplace. Silently, I started to feel around for a ledge, thinking there might be another hidden entrance in the hearth. We had to get out of the room, and going through Colette and her gun didn’t seem like an option. The woman had our demise perfectly planned. We couldn’t out-calculate her. And while Win could definitely overpower her, the space was small enough that there was a real danger of a wayward shot hitting either me or his brother. Plus, Win wasn’t exactly familiar with brute force. His life up to this point was too soft. If we managed to survive this, I was going to nag him to learn how to hold his own in a bare-knuckle fight. It was a useless skill for a billionaire, but any man as annoying as Win Halliday should possess it.
Without warning, Archie moved. He grabbed his mother from behind, his thin hands clamping down on her arms to reach for the gun.
“Fire. Hot. Burning. Willow sleeping. Why won’t she wake up? Where’s Winnie?” The questions were garbled, and his lifeless eyes suddenly glowed with vengeance. “She wanted to leave. You wouldn’t let her!”
“Let go of me! Be a good boy, Archie.” The gun swung wildly as the two wrestled.
While they were distracted, I grabbed Win’s hand and pulled with my limited strength. “Open this passageway! Hurry!” I pointed to the oxygen canister. “If that’s open, and the gun goes off, we’re all going to die.”
He was much faster on the uptake than I would be. He dropped and helped me lift the heavy marble hearth. It opened easily, indicating frequent use. Colette screamed like a banshee and demanded her younger son let her go. Archie couldn’t put up a lengthy battle. That’s why he had to incapacitate me with the same drugs his mother used to keep him docile. No wonder he was haunting his childhood home in the dark. He wasn’t a ghost. He was searching for one.
“I’ll kill what’s left of your family, Archie! Behave! Why are you stupid boys always messing up my plans? This family would be nothing without me.”
As soon as the gap in the floor was visible, Win shoved my sluggish body into the dark hole. I reached out to clutch his arm, trying to pull him down with me. His stormy eyes locked on mine with regret, and the line of his mouth was ferociously grim.
“I can’t leave my brother behind again. Get somewhere safe and wait for me.” He squeezed my hand and tried to straighten up. I kept my tight grip on him.
“Now is not the time for you to be a hero. One wrong move and no one is making it out of this fucking cursed house.”
He kissed my fingers and pried them off his arm. “I missed every other time I should’ve been the hero, Channing. I can’t let my little brother down.” I argued as he started to close the hidden entrance, but he ignored my pleas and muttered, “Maybe the best thing is for the Halliday name to go away for good. Winnie has always been more of a Harvey, anyway.”
I wanted to scream and climb out of the security of the subterranean stairway, but the drug still coursing through my veins slowed my actions. I tried to crawl toward him. It didn’t do any good. Win seemed determined to lock me away from the massacre unfolding a few feet away.
Suddenly, a new voice joined the fray. I wasn’t familiar enough with Win’s assistant to recognize him by sound alone. It wasn’t until Win called Conrad’s name and told him to put down yet another gun that I realized the situation had taken another turn for the worse. I attempted to crawl to the top of the stairs, but it was slow going.
“Conrad, this room is filled with flammable gas. If anyone fires a weapon, we’re all going to die.” I heard him exhale a long, slow breath. “While my mother and I might deserve such an ending, my younger brother doesn’t. He’s had half his life stolen from him. He’s not well. You need to let him go.”
“I don’t need to do anything. I’ve got a gun I took from Rocco. Serves him right for always thinking he was better than me. I swear, rich people are so incompetent. You all think you’re untouchable. The truth is, you’re all so fucking fragile. The minute something doesn’t go the way you want, you’re ready to burn the world to the ground rather than think of a compromising solution. I’ve had enough of the entitled bullshit to last a lifetime.”
By the time I managed to peek over the lip of the opening, the dynamic in the room had changed drastically. Win’s mother was now pointing her gun at his assistant, screaming that he was messing up her plan. If there were extra bullets at the scene, a murder-suicide would be a harder sell. Win stashed his younger brother protectively behind his body. There was still a weapon directed at the center of Win’s chest, but the threat had changed.
Even though I was bitter about the abduction, I stuck out my hand and grabbed the bottom of Archie’s sweatpants. I tugged until the incoherent young man responded. Fortunately, he was familiar with the secret passageways, so getting him to duck down into the safety underneath the toxic manor went smoother than any part of the rescue mission thus far.
Colette was arguing with the man she’d hired to subvert most of Win’s life. They were screaming about who was responsible for all of the Halliday’s great achievements, forgetting that the Halliday who actually put in the work was directly in the line of fire. Once Archie was fully out of sight. I whisper-yelled that it was time to retreat, but Win refused to acknowledge me.
“Didn’t you just tell me you would never be a CEO, Conrad? Haven’t you been planning to take my spot since my mother first approached you?” Win shook his head, but finally stepped backward, closer to the opening. He was too far away from me to grab without exposing myself. I made a mental note to chew him up one side and down the other for being so unnecessarily heroic. I understood the man had regrets about the way he’d lived his life until now, but catching a bullet wasn’t the correct way to make amends.
“You never should’ve been in charge of Halliday Inc. You think it’s a burden. You treat the company as if it’s boring and redundant when it’s the lifeline for so many. It’s not your dream; it’s worthless to you. You aspired to be a musician and you’ve been crying about your mommy making you give up the violin for years. You’re pathetic, Win. You’ve never appreciated anything you have. Colette should’ve taken you out instead of your father. At least he showed up and played his part without complaint.”
I gasped. I’d never expected to find out Colette was behind multiple murders when I went adventuring under this cursed house. Marrying Win was bringing me truths that I never would’ve imagined were possible.
Lady Halliday was a killer.
“Enough.” Colette whipped around and pointed her gun back at her son.
Win stood still, just out of reach.
Desperate, I looked down at the pitiful youngest Halliday and asked, “Do you want your brother to die?”
The hollow eyes seemed to flicker with some form of recognition.
“Your mother is going to kill him. Just like she killed your wife and your father. And once she’s done with Win, she’ll go after your daughter.” I had no clue if Archie understood a word I said, but he cocked his head and watched me closely. Instead of looking terrifying, he looked lost and alone. “He would’ve saved you, Archie. If he knew what was happening to you, he would’ve been there for you. Your mom kept it secret. He’s willing to die for you right now to make up for everything he missed. Do you want to let your mother keep taking your family away from you?”
“Willow?”
I screamed in terrified frustration, “I’m not Willow! But I know my sister would want you to help me save Win. Do you understand?”
It was unclear if he processed what I was saying, but the next second, there was a massive bang and the world started to burn. I was pushed violently down the darkened stairs as Archie suddenly burst out of the entrance. I rolled head over heels all the way to the clearing that sounded close to the sea. I was weak, and the impact on my head was too much for my recovering body. A faint shadow moved on the outskirts of my vision. I couldn’t tell if it was Archie, Win, or someone wielding a gun.
My last thought before I lost consciousness for the second time that day was that I had a hand in the fall of the Hallidays.
Willow would be proud.