The Wedding Party

Part 89: A Partner

Killian's fingers danced over the keys, his eyes darting between them and the weapons locker. He could feel Miguel's gaze boring into him, but he refused to acknowledge it. Instead, he focused on finding the right key that would grant him access to the stunner.

"Killian, man, just leave it," Miguel urged, trying to reason with him. "He's not going anywhere."

"Exactly," Killian snapped, finally finding the correct key and unlocking the locker. "Brandt isn't going anywhere, but neither are we unless we do something about it." He grabbed the stunner, its sleek black design a chilling reminder of what it was capable of.

Miguel sighed, knowing that there was no dissuading Killian once his mind was set. Killian approached Brandt's cell, determination etched across his handsome features.

"Back away from the bars, Brandt," he commanded, leveling the stunner at the killer's throat.

"Or what? You'll stun me?" Brandt sneered, defiance in his eyes as he remained rooted to the spot.

"Your choice," Killian replied coldly, and without hesitation, he shot the electrical charge directly into Brandt's neck. The murderer's body twitched violently before slumping to the ground, unconscious once more. Killian breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled Rihanna Clay's lifeless body away from the cell.

Meanwhile, Preston's heart pounded in his chest as he arrived at Layne's car, only to find it empty. Panic gripped him, thoughts racing through his head about where Olive and Braeden could be.

Back at the trailer, Helena returned with Jairo and Amelia. As they entered, Amelia struck up a conversation with Killian, revealing her knowledge of radio mechanics while he examined the broken device. Jairo, exhausted from the events, drifted off to sleep, leaving Amelia to her own devices.

"Did you really think you could fix this?" she asked in a hushed tone, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Maybe," Killian murmured, focused on the radio. "It's worth a shot."

As Jairo's snores filled the room, Amelia seized the opportunity to sneak into the holding area and get a closer look at Brandt. Her morbid interest piqued as she studied him from afar, trying to understand the man who had caused them all so much pain.

Preston burst into the trailer just moments later, his face pale and his voice strained. "Olive and Braeden are gone," he announced, worry etched into every word.

"Where would they go?" Helena asked, her concern for her friends evident.

"Maybe we should've looked more into Braeden's past, after all," Jairo mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he awoke from his nap. "There were some things about his criminal record in the attic."

Suspicion gnawed at their minds, each of them grappling with the possibility that one of their own could be working against them. But for now, their priority was finding their missing friends and putting an end to the nightmare that had engulfed them all.

Helena glanced up as Amelia emerged from the holding area, her eyes wide with shock. "He wants to see you," she whispered to Helena, her voice trembling.

"Who?" Helena asked, her heart racing at the thought of facing Brandt again.

"Bo Brandt," Amelia replied, her gaze darting back toward the holding area. "I think you should talk to him."

With a heavy sigh, Helena steeled herself and stepped into the dimly lit space. She approached Brandt's cell, her hands gripping the bars for support. "Why do you want to talk to me?" she demanded, her voice steady despite her shaking nerves.

"Ah, Helena," Brandt sneered, a twisted smile curling his lips. "You're the reason I've been killing, you know."

"Me?" Helena's mind raced, trying to understand what he meant. "What are you talking about?"

"Your relationship with Cole Holmes, I saw the way you made him smile," Brandt continued, his eyes narrowing. "But I had someone else, too. Someone more loyal than Cole ever was."

As Helena struggled to process his words, Killian and Miguel were huddled over a map in the main room, tracing Braeden's past encounters with Brandt.

"Every time," Killian muttered, tapping each location where Braeden had survived a run-in with the killer. "He always makes it out."

"Maybe the head spade trap was set by someone who knows boats," Miguel suggested, trying to piece together the puzzle. "Someone like Braeden."

Jairo, now awake, chimed in. "But why would he help Brandt?"

"Maybe he was angry that Helena left ten years ago," Preston offered, his brow furrowed as he contemplated the possibility. "Could he have partnered with Brandt as some sort of twisted revenge?"

Helena, still reeling from her conversation with Brandt, tried to focus on the theories being tossed around. The thought of Braeden working with their enemy was too horrifying to consider."Can we really trust anyone anymore?" she wondered, her voice barely audible as she stared at the floor.

"Right now, we can only trust ourselves," Preston replied grimly, his eyes meeting hers. "And we need to stick together if we're going to survive this nightmare."

As they all contemplated the chilling possibility of betrayal among their ranks, the weight of their situation threatened to crush them. But in their darkest hour, they held onto one another, determined to see the light at the end of this treacherous tunnel.