Carl threw himself to the ground and belly crawled towards the sounds of feet on the path below them. Kade shoved the papers back in his trousers and crawled after him to peer over the hill to see who was coming towards them.
His cousin was silent beside him as he tried to see over the lowest bushes. He growled in frustration, and Kade crawled silently towards the most exposed section.
He lifted his head and shoulders slightly, his heart crashing against his ribs as he counted the number approaching. Below them, four men on horseback were heading in the direction of the camp Carl had found, one with a dark cloak covering his head.
He watched them for a while, cold realisation dawning as he spotted their weapons strapped to their sides, gold edging the rider with his face covered. A cold chill to crept down his spine.
There were few that would ride this late at night, and no one could afford what must be guards. There was no doubt in his mind who had contacted Jax: all the pieces were falling into place.
When his breathing had returned to normal, he rose to his feet. Carl sprang upwards, his face just visible in the dark. “What you’d see?”
Kade’s jaw clenched. “A priest. And considering he’s from the North, I think we just found our man.”
Chapter Ten
A ball of guilt building along with her nerves, Hadley walked along the pathway, her breath coming in rapidly as she assessed Thomas beside her.
As she knew they would be, his footsteps were eager, and she fought to keep pace with him, reminding her of all the times she’d followed him around only to have him leave her, laughing as he ran off with his friends.
He was cruel. She knew it now. He always had been. But he was still her brother, and she needed to give him a chance. This plan was the best she could come up with. Whether it worked would be up to the allies she’d formed in the week spent in Ramshead.
Her heart was beating too fast as she prepared to face the man responsible for supplying Thomas’s employers with the drugs. Her thoughts tumbled around in her mind along with her doubts.
It had seemed like a good idea when she’d discussed it with Amy and Justine, then again with Gerty and Terry. But now that night was approaching, and she was all alone with the brother who’d abandoned her, who still considered her nothing more than a pest, Hadley’s own warning to Kade to not take risks was taunting her.
One crazy idea of finding retribution, and she’d thrown caution to the wind, acting on impulse, just like she had when she’d decided kissing Kade in Cester’s kitchen was a good idea.
She scolded herself as a branch scraped against her trouser leg. What was she trying to prove? And to whom?
Kade would likely be furious she was here attempting such a bold plan. But I can’t rely on him for everything.
Hadley blew out a breath and eased out from the cover of the pathway. The light from the shack flickered through the trees. Smoke billowed from the crooked chimney, and pale light came from inside.
Thomas stilled beside her and grasped her arm, his bony fingers pinching into her skin. “We get what I need then we’ll go home.”
Hadley nodded. Tears stung her eyes at the ease with which he could lie to her. Thomas released her and jerked his head towards the shack. “Come on then.”
Hadley took a steadying breath before following in his footsteps. Thomas slunk to the front door and knocked lightly.
Footsteps came from inside before the door opened, and an old man peered through the crack. His eyes narrowed as he scanned Thomas. “You? What do you want? Chris dumped you in this backwater, eh?”
Thomas gulped. “I need a measure.”
Geoff’s gaze shifted to her, and a shallow smile lit his face. “Hello there, step closer so I can see you.”
Thomas grabbed her and pulled her forward, closer to the old man. “This is Hadley. She has money.”
Geoff stepped backwards, opening the door wider allowing them both inside. Thomas began to fidget, his body twitching as Geoff’s eyes roamed over her. “You want a measure, too?”
Hadley shook her head. “Just for him.”
Geoff shrugged and gestured to a couple of beaten up chairs. “Have a seat.”
Thomas shook his head, almost bouncing on his toes in his anticipation. “When is Chris coming by again?”
Geoff eyed her for a long moment, his skin hanging in folds off his skeletal chin. “In another week; you planning on crawling back to him? He’s not in the habit of charity, boy; neither am I. Coin?”
He’s not even bothering to pretend we’re going home.
The old man extended his hand, and Hadley’s fingers shook as she dipped them into her pocket and pulled out what she hoped was enough.
Geoff snatched the coin she offered, and with a leery smile, turned on his heel towards a table with hundreds of pouches lined up.
Thomas grabbed her arm, his grip painful. “Where’d you get all this from anyway?”
Hadley pulled back, but he held fast, squeezing even harder. Her heart thrashed in her chest at the wild look in his eyes. “What is it exactly that Stormer pays you for?”
She sucked in a breath of air through her teeth. Hot fury flooding her body. She yanked her arm from his grip. “How dare you! Kade is a good man. And even if he wasn’t? How dare you criticise me! You were prepared to let Flynn do what he wanted.”
Thomas shrank back from her. His mouth hung open at her boldness. Hadley’s hands shook with the injustice. He was judging her? For something she’d narrowly avoided when so many girls hadn’t?
Her voice rose in anger. “How did you think I would survive? Did you even stop to wonder what might happen to me? To our cottage? I waited for you, Thomas. For two weeks I hid from Flynn—"
Geoff’s voice surprised her, drawing her back into reality. “Take it and get out; I’m not interested in family squabbles.”
Thomas’s hands were shaking as he took the pouch from Geoff. He didn’t meet her eye again as they moved out of the shack and into the night.
Shadowy figures crept towards them. As torches made of fire were held aloft, Hadley turned to her startled brother. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “I would never have left you behind. No matter what. Because you are my family. And you were all I had left of Mum and Dad.”
He gawked at her, then at the people just visible in the flames, and his eyes widened. “What are you doing? Hads, don’t overreact. I got to get back to Chris, and to the camp. You don’t understand, I don’t have anything else to live for.”
Hadley’s chin wobbled as he stared into her eyes, pity mixing with resolve. “I stayed alive to find you. You were enough for me to live for, but I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry Tom, I really am.”
She backed away, towards the nearest torchbearer, her eyes blurring with tears as Thomas followed her, eyes wild in the firelight.
Amy’s red hair was illuminated as bright as the flames as she took her place beside Hadley, making sure her voice was clear in the still night. “He sold it to me, and the men who took Thomas and Luke will be back here in a week.”
Two men rushed forwards, grabbing Thomas by the arm and dragging him out of harm’s way despite his growing protestations. Another two men entered the shack and pulled an irate Geoff out.
Justine wound her arm around her shoulders and spoke from the shadows of the gathered villagers. “We ‘ad a meetin.’ It seems it’s time you cleared out of Ramshead.”
Geoff pulled himself a little straighter, his eyes drifting to the darkened faces surrounding his home. “Hypocrites, every last one of ye.”
One of the farmers who’d helped with Thomas stepped forward. “Maybe, but we’ve had enough; we ignored this for too long. Count ye’self favoured by the gods we ain't burning it with ye inside.”
Thomas let out a shriek as someone hurled a torch through the doorway. Flames began to lick the inside of the shack. Amy grasped Hadley’s hand, and as the shack began to burn along with the supply of opium, Hadley allowed Amy to
pull her away and leave the townsfolk to deal with Geoff and a hysterical Thomas.
There was no way Thomas would ever forgive her for what she’d done. He’d most likely leave the moment he had the chance.
But as she caught sight of him struggling against two men spewing vile words from his mouth, she knew. She knew Thomas wasn’t the answer to her longing for security. He never had been. He was fighting too many of his own battles to even see she needed him.
If anything, Hadley was beginning to realise that she was stronger than her brother. And with or without Kade Dawson at her side, she would survive.
Kade kept his eyes on the four men as they entered the campsite. From the ridge where he and Carl had positioned themselves with bows at their feet, it was plain to see in the flickering firelight at the centre of the camp that the new arrivals were guests of honour. Chris and Moss’s posture, even at a distance, gave their fear away.
When the four men had been shown to larger tents, Kade glanced sidelong to Carl, crouched beside him. “You ready to make a move?”
Carl nodded, face grim in the moonlight. “I’d be happy to kill them if that’s what you’re asking?”
Kade shook his head. “Not what I was asking.”
Carl shrugged, leaving Kade with the distinct impression he should be careful where his cousin was concerned. “Let’s just play it cool and see if we can get him to talk, eh?”
Carl rolled his eyes. “You’re getting to be a real drag, you know that? We can end this here and now if we just take him out.”
Kade worked his jaw as he considered. “We’re not here for that. We’re here to find out and report back to Cester.”
Carl eased to his feet. “And you think Cester won’t be pleased if we stop whoever is doing this? You saw the drugs, and you can see how many are here; someone is funding all this. A couple easy kills, and it all ends.”
Kade stared up at his cousin before rising to own feet, resignation settling in. “Alright, but we need to make sure the priest down there is the top of the food chain, alright? We don’t act until we know for sure he hired Jax.”
Carl’s teeth gleamed as he grinned. “Thought you were goin’ soft there for a minute, cuz.”
Kade chuckled and cocked his head in the direction of the tents. “We just need to sneak in and have a nice little chat.”
Carl nodded slowly, his eyes straying to the tents sprawled out, eerily quiet given the number of men inside. “What about them?”
Kade’s stomach twisted at the idea of fighting more boys who could barely stand let alone fight. He eyed the camp once more before answering. “If we take out the priest, and they can’t get their supply, in a half a day we’ll have a riot on our hands.”
Carl shook him off. “No, we sodding won’t. Because we won’t be here. We kill who we have to and go back to pick up Hadley and return to the Retreat.”
Kade gawked at him, heat pulsing through his veins. “There are hundreds down there; you saw Thomas and Luke. They’ll tear each other apart when they realise their supply is gone.”
Carl’s lips curled. “That’s not my problem. And it shouldn’t be yours either.”
Kade took a step backwards, preparing to argue his point. “You’d leave your countrymen out here?”
Carl snorted. “Are you kidding me, man? I don’t know them. And I don’t owe them anything.”
Kade swallowed thickly and forced his voice to stay calm. “It could have been us down there.”
Carl’s expression lightened slightly, his posture softening as he shook his head. “We weren’t stupid enough to get caught like this; they brought it on themselves.”
Kade’s jaw worked as he held Carl’s unrelenting gaze. Even in the moonlight, his cousin’s eyes were hard.
Bitterness crept into his tone as Carl swept an arm gesturing to the tents. “They’re not our responsibility. The gods kick you in the guts if you aren’t strong enough. Better they fend for themselves than be handed everything. We worked for what we have.”
Kade’s shoulders drooped as Carl continued talking. “Take a look around. There must be at least a couple hundred down there. We have no way of taking them anywhere. No horses, no food. Nothing.
“The smart ones, the strong ones? They’ll survive, and if they crush the weaker, that’s not on us. But right now, we have a chance to get the information to Cester, and we can stop whoever is doing this from taking any more, and we get to go home. We can’t do any more than that.”
Kade nodded slowly, despair wrapping around his chest and squeezing as he accepted Carl’s words. There was no way he could help them now. Going in now could end badly for them if they got in the way.
It would take an army of volunteers to contain them. The irony stung at him as he considered his best candidates for such an operation. The followers of The Ancient would probably volunteer. It was almost a mandate they helped those in need.
Kade slapped him on his shoulder. “Why don’t we take the night off? They won’t be going anywhere in the next few hours. I still want to check out these papers, eh? Maybe we go in when we’re rested?”
Carl grinned. “I could use a drink, cuz.”
Kade shook his head as they strolled back to their horses. “When couldn’t you?”
A yell came from below them, and they both dropped, eyes on the campsite below them. Kade’s blood heated as he tried to make out what was happening. “Did they see us?” Carl whispered.
Kade didn’t reply for a long moment, following the guards as they stood outside the tent.
A horse coming in fast drew his eyes away, and his heart began to thump in his chest as the muscled rider was illuminated with firelight. “Taggart is here,” he whispered.
Carl cocked his head, his features barely visible. “That’s too much of a coincidence,”
Kade nodded, his chin in the dirt as he watched Taggart dismount and stalk towards the tent. He barked at the guards outside before disappearing inside the tent. “Either we got incredibly lucky, or he tracked us here.”
Carl huffed a breath. “He tracked us. You turned his light out and stole his papers.”
Kade squinted at him. “Now? You choose to bring that up now?”
Carl shrugged awkwardly. “Kind of an amateurish mistake for someone who’s going to be my captain.”
Kade cocked an eyebrow. This was not the time to be discussing who was in charge. It certainly wasn’t the time to allow Carl’s overinflated self-worth to take control.
His breath was barely above a whispered hiss when he replied. “Fine; I’m an idiot, and you should be captain and not me. If we make it out of here, I’ll be sure to let Cester know I don’t want the job.”
Carl was silent before his arm raised a little, and he pointed to the tent. “I say we take out the guards; then see what we can find out before we knock a few heads together.”
Kade flinched at the wording, prompting a reminder he still wasn’t healed—not to mention his promise to Hadley to consider. “There are two guards outside, and two inside. Add in Taggart and the priest, that’s suicide.”
Carl exhaled slowly before he grinned. “Nah, cuz. Remember that move we pulled just outside of Lazen last spring?”
Kade’s lip curled at the memory as Carl rose to his feet, picked up his bow and plucked an arrow from his quiver. “Two will be dead by the time we get down there. If the other two come out, we pick them off at a run.”
He grabbed his bow and gave his cousin a brief nod before reaching for his own quiver of arrows. “On three then. I’m left, you’re right.”
Carl grinned even wider. “Feels good to be working together again, don’t it?”
Kade nocked an arrow and aimed, using the firelight to find his mark. He drew the arrow back and counted down, preparing to run. “Three, two, one.”
Both arrows released simultaneously and hit their marks, and the guards dropped silently.
Kade hit the embankment at a cautious jog, his bow in his hand as he
struggled to keep sight of the tent. His breathing became ragged as he crossed the distance, heart thumping in time with the pounding of his and Carl’s footsteps.
When no one came out from the tent, they drew alongside and took shuddering breaths. Communicating with hand signals they’d developed in Amaria, Kade eased towards the front of the tent, and Carl crept towards the other side.
Voices came from inside as they readied themselves. Carl moved swiftly, taking the front, ducking through the tent opening with Kade entering from the other side, heart slamming about as he scanned the tent and made his move to complement Carl’s attack.
The guards barely had time to draw swords before Carl’s knife slammed into one’s chest. Kade’s own dispatched the guard closest to him.
Taggart launched himself at Carl, who blocked the first punch, then landed his own. Kade grabbed the cowering priest and held a blade to his neck.
The man froze as the cold steel touched his neck. Kade yanked him backwards, holding him across the chest to secure him, his voice a low growl as Taggart made a move for his dagger. “Back up, Taggart.”
Taggart glanced at him before sending a sneer at a huffing Carl. He raised his hands and backed away, his eyes narrowing. “You are out of your depth, Stormer; you have no idea what you are messing with.”
Kade cocked his head and forced ice into his voice. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Taggart laughed before he took a seat, posture relaxed as he shrugged. “I think you’ve figured most of it out. Perhaps I underestimated you both, or is it that your captain who underestimated you?”
Carl growled as he stepped away. His eyes still on Taggart as he spoke. “Start talking.”
Taggart folded his arms across his chest, his eyes on Kade as he smiled. “How much do you even know about your captain?”
A shiver ran down Kade’s spine at the taunt in Taggart’s eyes. He was baiting him, testing him out. But if there was someone else who could answer the questions he had about Cester, then this might be the only opportunity to do so. “He’s keeping secrets.”
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