by Penelope Sky
“It’s not about her.”
“Bullshit it’s not.” He grabbed his glass and threw his head back to take a big drink before he slammed it down. “Ever since that bitch came to this camp, it’s been fucking pandemonium.”
“We needed pandemonium, Fender. We’re better than this. I’ve had to look the other way for years, and I can’t do it anymore. Just because we suffered unspeakable things doesn’t mean we have to make other people suffer unspeakable things. You need to let this go. I am still with you all the way. We can still be the biggest kingpins in France. We just have to do it without including the innocent. That’s all.”
He shook his head as he rubbed his hands together. “And I already told you why we can’t do that. If I could, don’t you think I would’ve already?”
“We can. I give you my word.”
He clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“I’m not gonna let this go, Fender. You can banish me from the camp, but I’m going to get back in here just the way I got into your cabin.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m warning you.”
“Sounds like the same thing to me.”
“Trust me, you would know if I was threatening you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t make me do it when I don’t want to do it.”
“But you do want to stop killing the girls.”
“No, I’m not talking about that.” Both of his hands tightened into fists. “I’m talking about you. If you keep opposing me, you leave me no choice. Don’t put me in that position.”
This had just taken a dark turn.
“Take the girl and go live your life. Don’t interfere with mine.”
“Fender, why won’t you even try?”
He shook his head. “Because I don’t want to take the risk. I’ll never forget how it felt to be powerless, to dig in a garbage can for food, to be at the mercy of someone bigger and stronger than me. I hate what we do to those girls as much as you do. But there is no other way. I care a lot more about my power than their lives. Yes, that means I’ll be damned, but we both know I was damned a long time ago.” He rose to his feet and left the sitting area. “I’m not having this conversation anymore. I made my choice, and you’ve clearly made yours. Come back to the camp, and I’ll do what I have to do…and I guess you’ll do what you have to do too.”
Thirty-Three
Loyalty
Fender left before sunrise.
I didn’t even know he was gone until I went to his cabin and found it vacated. Our conversation didn’t do anything other than solidify the breakdown of our relationship. Doing the right thing cost me my brother, but it wouldn’t have had to cost me anything if he’d just left the darkness and stepped into the light.
I should be angry.
But I wasn’t.
I was disappointed. Really disappointed.
I put him in a position he didn’t want to be in, but he did the exact same thing to me. He wouldn’t give any ground, when I wouldn’t stop pursuing that same ground.
I didn’t speak to Raven much because I was in such a sour mood. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, protecting strangers in the camp when I was about to lose access to it. I also had to protect my brother, because when I came back to put an end to the torture, I couldn’t just kill him. There would be no hesitation to kill the other guards, but with him, I just couldn’t do it.
Raven knew I didn’t want to talk, so she didn’t try to open me up. It was another reason why I knew she was the right woman for me. She understood exactly who I was and didn’t try to change me. If I didn’t want to talk, she let it be.
We were together almost every moment of the day, so we didn’t always have something to say. We found this comfortable silence, unspoken camaraderie, and it made me feel less alone despite the loneliness in my heart. Ever since I became an adult, it’d always been Fender and me. Without him, I wasn’t even sure who I was.
But having Raven made that a little easier.
She reminded me who I was. She reminded me what I was capable of. She reminded me what kind of man I wanted to be.
I lay in bed beside her with the moonlight coming in through the curtains over the window. Her hand was on my stomach, her cheek against my shoulder.
Without looking at me, she asked, “Are you okay?” She knew I was awake without seeing my face. She could tell just by the way I breathed.
We were supposed to leave in two days. Normally, I couldn’t wait to get out of this place, but this time, I was afraid. What would happen when I wasn’t there? People would die. Once I was free, I had to form a plan quickly because the longer I waited, the more victims would be hung on that noose. A plan had never felt impossible when Fender was my partner.
But now it was just me.
When I didn’t answer, she propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at me, her hair all over my chest and shoulder. It was so long now, getting longer and longer with every month that passed.
“My life would be so much easier if Fender would just see reason.”
She rubbed my chest then pressed a few kisses to my neck. “Maybe he will…before the end.”
“I don’t know…”
“You stood up to him and spared those three women, publicly taking away his power. He could’ve done something then, but he didn’t. I think you’re right. He’s not evil as I thought he was. So, there’s still hope…I think.”
It was our final day at the camp. At sunrise, we would leave for the last time. I knew Raven would never return because I wouldn’t bring her with me when I challenged my brother. It was too dangerous. There was too much at stake for me to risk the one thing I cared about the most.
I went to the clearing to retrieve Raven at the end of the workday, acting as her guard as if we were still in the midst of winter.
The sun was starting to fade over the horizon, tucking behind the tall trees, the clearing becoming shaded. There were long shadows across the ground, and the heat was starting to dissipate. Wordlessly, she left the table and joined me, her skin damp and shiny from the sweat. Not once did she complain about the tiring work she had to do. She did it every day just so she could sleep with me every night.
But as I turned to look at her, something happened.
One of the guards shouted. “A crew is headed this way!”
Raven’s eyebrows rose as she stopped in her tracks.
I did the same and looked over my shoulder. “A crew? What does that mean?” I turned around the other way and jogged to the front gates.
Raven was right behind me.
Eric picked up a large board and dropped it into the slot across the gate, an extra measure to keep it closed.
“What the fuck is happening?” I shouted to Nathan, who was at the top of the ladder, looking over the edge.
“There’s thirty guys on horses,” he reported. “All dressed in black. All riding this way. They’ve got guns too.”
There was no possibility it was any of our guys coming with the wagons or with a shipment. I didn’t need to look over the edge to see for myself. “Keep them out as long as you can. We’ll get the guns.” Just as I turned away, I heard guns start to fire off and bullets pierce the wooden perimeter.
Nathan jumped off the ladder and landed hard on the ground. “Oh Jesus…”
Fear struck me like an ax to the chest. It was about survival, not just for the camp, but for our souls. I turned to Alix and gave an order. “Get all the guns out of the vault. Hand them out. Now.” Alix took off at a dead run.
Another round of bullets struck the wooden fence around the camp. The only reason why I’d built it was to keep the girls in, not the enemies out. But now, I was glad I built that wall with my own hands.
“Who are they?” Raven’s frantic voice came to my ears.
“I don’t know. Stay behind me.” I went up to another guard and gave an order. “Release all the prisoners. All hands on deck.” He too
k off to get the keys.
I ran through the camp until I made it to the stables. I unlocked the doors and found a horse that was already saddled. “Here. Take her to the edge of the forest behind your old cabin.”
She took the reins. “Why?”
“Does it look like I have time to explain? Just fucking do it.” I left her side and ran back to the center of the camp.
Alix was handing out guns to the guards. When he saw me run up to him, he tossed me a rifle.
“I need a handgun too.”
Alix pulled one out of his pocket and handed it over.
I gave other orders in the camp, but as the minutes passed, it became more chaotic. We’d never practiced for this outcome because no one ever knew about our existence. I had no idea who was marching on the outside.
The front doors started to creak as our enemies continued to slam into the wood and try to break it down.
We were outnumbered two to one without the girls, and we were unprepared, but we still had to do whatever we could to hold our ground.
A hand grabbed my arm.
I looked down at Raven, who was out of breath because she’d run all the way here from the tree line. I pulled the handgun out of my back pocket and gave it to her. “Do you remember how to get to the chateau? Ride there now—as fast as you can.”
She took the gun but didn’t even look at it. “What? What about you? Aren’t you coming with me?”
“No. I have to stay here.”
“Why? You don’t owe these guys anything.”
No, I didn’t. But it still wasn’t who I was. “I can’t turn my back. This is my camp. I will fight to defend it. You have to go.”
She stepped back from me slightly, her expression hurt like I’d just slapped her with my palm. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
The doors almost burst because their force was making the hinges split off. They would be in the camp any second.
I didn’t have time for this, and the longer she argued, the angrier she made me. “I need you to go. Now. I will meet you there when I can.”
She didn’t walk away. “I’m not gonna leave you!”
I grabbed her by the arm and shoved her back, treating her like I did the first moment we met. “I told you to go! Now fucking go! I don’t have time to babysit you. You don’t even know how to use a gun. Get the fuck out of my sight so I can do what needs to be done.” As much as it pained me to possibly end things forever this way, I turned away and moved to the gate the second it opened.
The men entered on horses, shooting their guns and aiming at anybody they saw
I looked behind me to see where she was.
She was gone.
It was a short-lived battle.
Battle wasn’t even the right word for it.
More like a massacre.
The only ones who were spared were the prisoners. The crew obviously intended to use them for their own labor, so they returned them to the cabins and locked them inside.
The guards were executed.
One by one.
Men I’d known for almost a decade were killed with a bullet to the brain.
Our guns were taken from us, and we were forced to kneel on the ground in a line. Alix was on my left. Eric was on my right. Nathan was on the other side of him.
I wasn’t the kind of man to give up, but most of the guards weren’t trained for hand-to-hand combat, and they weren’t great with a gun either. With a siege like this, they were completely unprepared, and they panicked the whole time.
I was only one man, and I couldn’t do it all.
Now, I was on my knees, waiting for my execution.
A man stood in front of us, a cigar sticking out the side of his mouth. He was in black with a black leather jacket, boots covering the hem of his jeans. With his arms crossed over his chest, he stared at us. He sucked on his cigar and let the smoke dissipate from his mouth. He pulled the cigar out of his mouth to speak. “Which one of you is Magnus?”
How did they know my name?
Even though the guards hated me, they didn’t rat me out.
I had no reason to hide. “Me.” I was the one in charge, so my execution would be special.
He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. “Tell Napoleon to come over here.”
My entire body went rigid when I heard that name.
Napoleon.
There was no point in spending my last moments angry, but I was furious. I didn’t like Napoleon, warned Fender about him, and we’d only been working with him for a month… That was all it took.
He betrayed us.
He figured out where we operated. He must’ve followed Fender here and waited until he left.
I took no solace in being right.
I wished I’d been wrong.
Napoleon walked over from one of the cabins, taking his time while using his black pommeled cane. The tip dug into the soil and got dirty with every step, but one of his cronies would probably wipe it down when he was finished. For a man who needed a cane, he didn’t seem to struggle getting around, riding seven hours on horseback to get to this camp.
The cane wasn’t a crutch.
It was a distraction.
He joined our group and stood directly in front of me. I seemed to be the only person he was interested in because his eyes were reserved for me.
I held his gaze without blinking.
My back was to the rear of the camp, the forest where Raven had escaped with the horse. Her face was a blurry vision in my mind, the woman I found too late in life.
Napoleon stared for a while until a grin slowly moved on to his lips. “Looks like you were right.”
“If you see Fender before I do, tell him I said I told you so.”
He gave a slight chuckle. “You’re brave. A lot braver than I would be if I were on my knees about to be executed.”
“You’ll find out when Fender gets to you.”
“I highly doubt that. I’ve killed all of his men, taken his drugs, taken his partnerships…what’s he going to do? His own brother warned him what I was, and he didn’t listen. He’s not a smart man.”
“But he’s a vengeful one.”
“Alright.” He lifted his cane and handed it to one of his men. “I’ll pass on your message.”
The guy took the cane and handed him a revolver.
“I’ll start on the outside and work my way in.” He pointed the gun at Alix’s head.
Alix panicked. “Wait, no—”
He pulled the trigger.
Alix jolted backward and fell, dead before he hit the ground. I could feel the blood spray on my arms. I didn’t hesitate at the sound, and I didn’t feel bad listening to the gunshot that took his life.
He got what he deserved.
And I’d get what I deserved.
Napoleon pointed the gun at Nathan next.
An audible dripping sound hit my ears, and I knew he’d pissed himself.
Napoleon laughed. “At least one always pisses their pants…” He pulled the trigger, and Nathan collapsed just the way Alix had, this time falling face first.
I didn’t look.
Eric shook violently, unable to keep himself upright.
Napoleon seemed particularly unimpressed with him because he shot him with no preamble.
Now I was the only one left.
Napoleon turned to me next. “I’ll cut you a deal. Work for me, and I’ll let you live.”
I lifted my gaze and looked at him.
“Fender’s mind is clouded by money and women. Yours isn’t. And I’m sure you want nothing to do with your brother now that he didn’t listen to you.”
It didn’t matter if I was right and he was wrong. He was my brother, and nothing would ever change my loyalty. “I’d rather die.”
Napoleon stared at me for a few seconds, like my response earned respect, but also earned his anger. He lifted the gun and pressed the barrel against my forehead.
I closed my eyes.
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I knew she was there.
I knew she wouldn’t leave me.
I knew she was in the tree line and watching, her hand shaking as she held the gun I’d given her, hoping she would hit her target and save my life.
I had faith she was there, that she didn’t go to the chateau without me, that she would only go where I went.
“Ma petite amie…”
And then I heard a gunshot.
Napoleon jerked back when the bullet pierced his body.
I’d been expecting it, so I got to my feet and grabbed one of his guards, bashing his face in until he collapsed. I grabbed his gun and shot the other guard. All the men were on the ground.
The other guards across the camp started to shoot at me when they realized what had happened.
I sprinted for the tree line, knowing she was somewhere over there, somewhere past the fence. My body pushed me faster than I’d ever run, somehow escaping the hail of bullets that caused clouds to form from the ground all around me.
When I approached the fence, I saw the rope drop down.
“Here!” Her voice was loud from the other side.
I knew she was holding the rope tight on the other end, so I grabbed it and pulled myself over, scaling the eleven-foot wall in just seconds until I dropped on the other side.
The bullets were loud behind me. Breathing hard with a pounding heart, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with me. “Come on!” I got to the horse and climbed on first so I could help her up and behind me.
Her arms locked around my waist, and her chin moved to my shoulder, her heartbeat frantic against my back.
I kicked the horse and took off at a sprint.
Yells and gunshots were still loud behind us, still audible over our hard breathing and galloping hooves.
Her arms squeezed me tight like she was terrified, still traumatized by everything that had just happened. Her fingers dug into my shirt, and her breathing was loud against my ear.
I was an expert horse rider, so I held the reins with one hand and placed my other on top of hers.
And I squeezed it.
Thirty-Four
