Page 83 of The Attercop

“What’s so funny?” The Attercop screamed.

“I just realised who you are! Chipping, isn’t it? Tyler Chipping?”

“Finally!” Tyler crowed.

“I do remember you! I remember that on a cold winter night, you attacked Charlie outside of our office. And I also remember that he kicked your ass.”

Tyler slammed his hands down on the table and yelled, “He didn’t play fair. He kneed me in the balls. That’s breaking the rules!”

“So, none of this is about me,” Declan said. “It’s all about being angry with Charlie. Is that why you’ve done all of this?”

Tyler grinned. “Oh, no. It’s about something much deeper than that. Look around. Do you recognise this place?”

Declan twisted his head sideways. “It’s not the basement where you tasered me, but…”

“Looks familiar, doesn’t it?”

Declan concentrated, then it came to him. Hehadbeen here before—a little over a year ago. He’d been beaten up outside this place when he was trying to find Ian Mann. Then he’d burst into this very room to save a teenager from being killed by a guy associated with—Monarch!

“This is the basement of the abandoned Monarch Bakery building,” Declan said. “Why bring me here?”

Tyler smiled. “Because Mother said it would be poetic justice.”

“Your mother? Who is your mother?”

Before The Attercop had a chance to answer, the sliding door at the end of the room opened and Jules led a handcuffed Charlie into the space. “Oh, boy,” she said. “Already naked. I guess you couldn’t wait for us to get here before you started.”

Declan kept his head craned to look at Charlie, who had started to cry.

“Thank god you’re alive,” Charlie choked out.

“Not for long,” Tyler said. He strutted over to Charlie and tousled his hair. “How touching to see the ill-fated lovers reunited. Julie, close the door and let’s get on with this.”

Tyler took hold of Charlie and sat him in a chair facing Declan.

Charlie stared at Tyler. “It doesn’t surprise me that it’s you. I mean, you’re pretty clever, aren’t you?”

Declan frowned.What’s he up to?

Charlie continued. “In fact, I’m quite impressed with how elaborate your scheme to capture us was.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Tyler said.

Charlie shrugged. “Maybe not all of it, but I do know that you broke into Michael Colton’s office. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Tyler smirked. “She thought I was a new client, but really, I just wanted to scope out the place to figure out the best way to break in. I needed Declan’s files so I could learn all of his little secrets.”

He walked around behind Charlie.

Click-click-click-click.

Keep him talking,Declan thought.

“I do have one question about the break-in, though,” Charlie said.

“And what’s that, boy wonder?”

“How did you figure out who Declan’s therapist was? It’s not exactly common knowledge.”