Page 61 of Madness & Mayhem

I pull the wires underneath the steering wheel, turning off the car. We found this car on the road to town. Unfortunately, we couldn’t walk the entire way to my father’s house, which meant we had to hot-wire a car.

It was easy, though I know the authorities will be called for a stolen vehicle, and I’m sure they’ll connect the dots. We only have a limited amount of time before the police are looking for us and the car.

So I parked far enough away from my father’s house, instead of being a fucking idiot and parking in the driveway.

“Can’t park too close. We’ll have to go from here on foot.” Opening up the driver’s side door, I step out into the dark. It’s got to be nearing four in the morning, only another hour or two and the sun will start to come up. Our time is limited, which means we have to move. Fast.

“How far away is it?” she whispers as she steps out of the car.

I nod my head down the long, wealthy neighborhood street. “His house is at the end of the road.”

She nods, and we hop onto the sidewalk, making our way down the street.

“Does he have any guards? A security system? Anything?” Lakyn asks after a few silent minutes.

I shake my head, pulling my mask out from the back of my pants. Lakyn does the same with hers. “My father is too cocky to have any guards. He thinks he’s too powerful and people are too worried about him. He’s an idiot. As for a security system, yes, he does, but it’s been the same code since I was a kid.”

She nods, slipping her mask over her face, our feet silent as we make our way to the end of the road. After a few minutes, we turn the corner of a large birch tree, and there sits my father’s estate.

Large, grand, surrounded by an acre of sprawling green grass. Hedges cut to perfection, the grass green without a flaw on the landscape. The large, wide steps lead up to a dark oak wooden door, but we bypass that as we head toward the backyard. The lack of neighbors for my father—with the wealthiest and largest home in the neighborhood—is something he wanted when he moved here two years. He likes to stand out. He wants to have the house that everyone ooh’d and ahh’d at.

Well, he got it. Unfortunately for him, his dream house will be short-lived. Or, well, I guess, he will be.

We walk around the exterior of the house until we make it to the backyard. The large pool expands behind a black iron gate, with unused pool chairs, couches, and tables. There’s even an outdoor kitchen, with a grill and bar area.

We bypass the area until we get to the back door. I pull on the handle, and as expected, it’s locked. I dig into my pocket, pulling out the small pins at the bottom and shove them into the lock. I jimmy them around until I can feel the latch release. Shoving the pin back into my pocket, I slide the door open, hearing the alarm beep.

I press in my date of birth and smirk when I see the device turn green.

“That easy, huh?” Lakyn mumbles beside me.

I grab my knife from the back of my pants, not saying a word as I walk through the kitchen and toward the staircase.

I can feel Lakyn’s tension build behind me, and I pause, turning toward her with narrowed eyes. Slipping the mask over my face, I tilt my head at her masked face and smile behind my mask. My hand goes out, and I brush my gloved fingers down the side of her face.

“You’re beautiful, Lakyn. And now it’s time to show me how much of the madness really consumes you.”

She reaches out, her hand going behind my neck as she pulls my head toward hers. The foreheads of our masks knock together until it’s just us, staring at each other through the eyes of our masks.

Mine.

I drop my hand to her heart, feeling her wild heartbeat underneath her sweatshirt. I memorize the beat against my palm as I step back and nod my head toward the stairs.

She nods, and we walk in that direction. Our boots paint dirty prints on the cream-colored carpet, leaving what’s bound to be more clues and evidence to bury us into the ground.

Only if we get caught.

Lakyn pulls out her knife beside me, and we walk the rest of the way up the stairs. Once we get to the landing, I nod my head to the left, and we quietly stride down the hallway and toward my father’s master bedroom.

The door is open a crack, and I press my boot against the corner of the door. It quietly rolls open, and I see his large king-size bed sitting in the middle of the room, a lump on the side underneath the covers.

And a lump on the other side as well.

Shit. He brought a whore home.

I glance over my shoulder and can see Lakyn’s eyes narrow underneath the mask. I nod toward the girl, and tap my knife against my chest as I gesture toward my dad.

Lakyn nods, stepping around me and making her way into the bedroom and to the side of the bed. I step around the other side, watching as Lakyn tiptoes her way toward the woman in the bed.