Haunt [Aidan Hunter series book 2] [RE-WRITING]

Chapter 10

POV: Henry

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You've got to be kidding me.

Of all the times we could be stuck in an elevator. Fantastically inconvenient timing. I exhaled, thinking of Aidan's weird idea of using the platform. His unconventional ideas turned out to be effective in weird ways sometimes, for reasons I'd never know. I bet that jackass had reached the twentieth floor by now. If he did, I knew he'd never let me live it down.

Robert repeatedly tapped the floor button in frustration. "Damn it."

"Yeah, that's not gonna help," I said.

"We can't be stuck here," Charlie said, frustrated.

I rubbed my forehead. "I know."

"Can we call someone?" Louis asked.

Funny he said that, because my phone rang. And lo and behold, it was Aidan. Perfect timing.

I showed the caller ID to the others. "Looks like I don't have to." I answered it. "Aidan."

"Thought you guys would be here before me," he said.

"The elevator gave up on us out of the blue. We're stuck."

"Oh? Just so you know, I successfully saved Shawn from committing suicide. My so-called stupid idea worked."

There it is. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Could you just—do something about the elevator?"

He chuckled. "On my way."

I heard voices in the background. Sounded like Wayne and Bryan to me. At least, they got there before us.

Blocking the microphone with my hand, I said to the others, "He already reached there."

Robert and Louis gave expressionless stares. Charlie clenched his jaw and looked away.

Louis placed a hand over his eyes. "That smug bastard's never going to let this go."

From the other end of the phone, I heard a familiar voice. One I didn't want to recognize.

"Hello officers."

Vincent. What was he doing there? Bryan asked something—probably who Vincent was. What he was doing here.

"I'm the one who called you here," Vincent said.

Bryan said something I didn't catch. The next moment, two abrupt gunshots fired. I jumped and almost dropped the phone. People screamed, crackly through the connection, and Aidan yelled at them to get back. My pulse thudded in my throat. Adrenaline surged through my body with nowhere to go. My breath echoed in the small space.

"Aidan?" I called.

No response for a moment. Robert and Louis frowned, seeing the look on my face.

The elevator rumbled and started to ascend again. About freaking time.

"Henry, what the hell's going on?" Louis said. "Is he okay?"

I couldn't answer him. I willed the elevator to move faster, so I could get there before Vincent did something stupid. If he did, I'd kill him. My fists clenched at the through. I'd kill him in the most violent way possible. He'd wish death came earlier if he so much as touched a hair on Aidan's head.

God damn it, Aidan needed to respond right now before I lost it completely.

A thud.

Gunshot.