by Shade Owens
“With the severity of this situation, Miss Brone, we shouldn’t even be discussing in the millions.”
I stared at him. “Then what should we be discussing?”
“What I propose on going after is in the billions.”
Biggie spat out what appeared to be part of a muffin—where the hell had she gotten a muffin? When I eyeballed it, she shrugged, and with her mouth still half-full, said, “What? They’re offerin’ some food upstairs. And what’s this about billions o’ dollars?”
A few other curious women leaned in closer, wanting to hear what Giles and I were discussing.
My eyes rolled toward the ceiling again. “There’s an upstairs?”
Biggie nodded and shoved the rest of her muffin into her mouth.
“Look,” I said, “I just wanna go home. I don’t know anything about legal stuff, okay?”
“You don’t have to understand it, Miss Brone. All you have to do is agree not to accept the settlement and allow me to do my job.”
I didn’t know what to say. There was so much running in my mind.
I felt Ellie’s eyes on me, so I turned to her.
“If he says he can get more, Brone, you should listen to him.”
“I need a unanimous vote on this one, Miss Brone. And from what I am told, you’re in charge of these women. Everyone has to agree to take this to trial.”
“Trial? Are you sure we’ll even win?” I asked. “And a unanimous vote? What about the other islands?”
Giles leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and without blinking, said, “Don’t worry about the other islands—every single one is being addressed individually. And I’m the best there is, Miss Brone. While the battle may be long, you have my word that you and your women will be walking out of that courtroom with at least five million dollars.”
Everyone’s eyes bulged, and Ellie dug her nails into my thigh.
Coin gasped. “F-f-five—”
“Million…” Rocket whispered.
Biggie’s lips stretched into a massive grin. “I could buy myself a mansion wit dat kinda money.”
“Or a bunch of cars!” Hammer said.
Whispers broke out throughout the entire helicopter as word spread. I reached for Ellie’s hand, and only then did I realize we’d already started flying. I’d been so caught up in my conversation with Giles that I hadn’t even felt the aircraft rise. Out through the small window next to her shoulder was Kormace Island—small and alone, with nothing but ocean water surrounding it.
Would I miss it? Would it become a distant memory, or would it haunt me every night? Money would never fix what I’d lived through, but it would certainly help my people get back on their feet. I turned to the others, who stared at me with open mouths and eyes shining with excitement.
“This isn’t merely about the money,” Giles said. “Think about everyone involved in setting up these penal islands. They need to be held accountable for the lives they’ve ruined. And so does every person involved in the Game of Death.”
Giles was right.
Countless people had known about the islands, and yet no one had done anything to stop it.
The road ahead wouldn’t be easy; it would take a long time to adjust to living in the real world and to heal from our trauma. The legal process would probably also be tiring, but I owed it to my people to fight for our rights.
And what mattered most of all was that we had each other. I stared at my friends, feeling full of love despite their dirty faces, their matted hair, their torn skin, and their unsightly scars.
With Ellie’s warm hand in mine, I kissed her cheek, and then Robin’s fuzzy head. While the idea of financial freedom was attractive, what I wanted most of all was for justice to be served, and that was precisely what Giles was offering.
Breathing out through my nostrils, I smiled up at my friends—at my family.
“You guys up for the fight?”
To my surprise, everyone inside the aircraft stood up, and Giles’ head turned from side to side, almost as if he was confused. Even several of the soldiers stepped forward, hands hovering over their rifles.
But my women didn’t want to fight—at least, not in the physical sense.
Their eyes, full of fiery hunger as I’d once seen before, lingered on me as if I were the only person standing in the helicopter. With bowed heads, they created fists with tucked thumbs—a gesture that had once been reserved for Rainer—and slammed them into their chests.
Smiling, I turned to Giles. “We aren’t the type to go down without a fight. Let’s do this.”
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