But the night didn’t wear clothes that rustled. The night didn’t breathe. My non-sanctuary had been invaded.
“Did you know her?” I asked the man sitting behind me. It could only be Trent. Any other guard would have sounded the alarm right away. “Did you know my mum?”
“I met her.”
“Tell me something bad about her.”
“Why would you want that?”
“Because no one ever talks about the bad things after you die, but that doesn’t make them go away. Will you tell me something bad about my dead mum?”
“How would I know?”
“Tell me, and I’ll tell you something about her that you’ll like.”
“All right. Your mum was a snob.”
I smiled. “There’s a story there.”
“No story. Alice brought me to the farm so I could audition for Emily’s little troupe of thieves.”
“I take it she didn’t want you.”
“She had no use for my skills. That’s how she put it. And then she changed the subject and acted like I wasn’t in the room.”
“And that hurt your feelings?”
He didn’t answer me with more than a grunt, but I could practically hear his internal grumbling.
“And now shall I tell you something you’ll like? My mum liked to keep secrets from everybody. And Alice? She likes to make empty threats.”
“Why would I like that?”
“It means your secrets die with Alice. She doesn’t know how to hurt you from beyond the grave. She’s all threat, no bite.”
“How do you know her threats are empty?”
I glanced around us and stood up. “She’s not nearly as clever as she thinks she is.”
That made Trent grin. He stood as well. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I’m not going with Alice to America and neither are my brothers.”
I could see he didn’t believe me, but still he said, “I can’t give you my help.”
“I’d like to have it. I don’t need it.”
He studied my face and I stared back. He could believe me or not, but in the end I was leaving with or without him. And if he took her side, he might become a casualty of Alice’s hubris. I didn’t want that, but I wouldn’t let it change my plans, either.
“I’m not sure I’m willing to risk it on your say alone,” he said.
I nodded and stared at the front gate of the farm. If I just started to run, how far could I make it before one of them caught up to me? Would I even make it out onto the road? It was a nice fantasy, but Trent placed himself in my way before I could take even a step.
“What are you planning?”
He couldn’t have expected an answer to that, so I left him to drown in his silent expectation and turned back toward the barn. I thought he might follow me, or try to force it out of me, but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t speak again until I’d reached the doorway of the barn. And then I heard him say, “You can’t beat all of us.”
I grinned as I snuck inside. He was right, but then, I wouldn’t need to.
Chapter 9
After Alice came to fetch my brothers for breakfast the next morning, I didn’t see any of them for the next twenty-four hours. It was just long enough to let the doubts creep in, that maybe Alice had let me overhear her timeline on purpose, that maybe they had already left for the States without me. But then Trent came in directing men carrying boxes, and as the towers of Alice’s belongings grew higher, I knew that they were still packing. At least for now.
I thought about sneaking out, just to check on the boys and Olivia, to make sure they were packed and ready, to tell them what I had planned. But Trent never seemed to leave the barn anymore. It was like now that he knew I had a plan to escape, he’d decided to keep an eye on me. Sadly for him, my plan involved very little stealth. His presence wasn’t going to stop anything.
But I had to have perfect timing.
Which was why I waited to act until days later, when I overheard a guard tell Trent that Alice had left the farm to run an errand. And then I waited about as long as I thought it might take to drive to the churchyard and open the hiding spot where Alice’s money was once kept. And right about the time I estimated Alice would be realizing all her money was gone, I walked up behind Lucas and leaned against the bars directly to his left.
“Do you want to know a secret?”
Lucas jumped at the sound of my voice, then glared at me over his shoulder. “Go back to your cot.”
“I can, but then you’ll fall for Alice’s tricks, and I just think it’s so unfair.”
“What’re you on about?”
I leaned in closer to his ear, and he leaned back toward the bars, which goes to show that some men learn nothing from their mistakes. Still, as tempting as it was to yank him back into a chokehold again, I had more important moves to make in today’s game. “You aren’t getting paid today, because Alice doesn’t have any money.”
Lucas turned to stare at me. “You’re lying.”
I shrugged. “Am I? I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
In my periphery, I saw Trent glance our way and start to step toward us, but then another guard came up to him with a question.
Lucas tried to play off what I’d said. But I could see he was riled up on the inside. “You’re lying. Why’d you think I’d fall for that?”
“I’ll tell you what. If I’m lying, then Alice will come back from her errand with a smile on her face and money in envelopes for each of you. If I’m telling the truth, she’ll come back scowling and probably try to blame me for her money being gone.”
“Why would she blame you?”
I sighed. “It’s one of her oldest tricks. She makes all these promises to the men who follow her, and when it’s time to pay, she acts like she was the victim of a theft and tries to turn her men on the supposed thief while she gets away.”
“But you’ve been in this cage. We’ve all seen you trapped in here. How could she blame you?”
“I know. It makes no sense. But she’s always so convincing. It’s not like this is the first time she’s done it.”
Lucas still looked at me with a scrunched-up, skeptical expression that made me think maybe I hadn’t convinced him. But almost as soon as I’d wandered back to my cot, he ran over and started whispering to the men who stood by the door. I grinned. My pawn was in play.
After a bit, Lucas came back to stand guard near the gate of my cell. I could tell he was trying to act like nothing had changed, but every time a car drove up, he craned his neck to see who’d come up the drive.
“You starting trouble?” Trent asked, walking up to my cell. His expression was a lot more serious than his tone. If I went by face alone, I’d have thought I was about to be punished.
“I gave you the chance to be on the right side of today.”
He wasn’t the easiest man to read, but he seemed to exchange his anger for a bit of fear, or maybe I just assumed that was the case when he asked, “What have you done?”
I stared up at the rafters. “What could I possibly do under your perpetual watch?”
“Plenty,” was his only reply. And then he stepped away, but not too far, I noticed.
I pulled out my already packed bag and placed it next to the cot for easy access.
Not ten minutes later I heard a car pull up and knew Alice had arrived at the farm. I didn’t need to see her to know she was frowning when she entered the barn; I only needed to watch the panic set in on Lucas’s face as he realized he wasn’t going to be paid. For just a minute I felt a little bad for the men who’d followed Alice. But then I remembered that they’d held a teenage girl prisoner in a horse barn for nearly five months’ time.
“WHERE IS IT?!” Alice roared the question as she stomped into the barn.
I pretended to study my nails, which were in desperate need of a manicure. Thankfully, my life in dirt was almost over.
“What have you done with it?”
I looked up with my best surprised expression. “What are you talking about?”
She looked around and lowered her voice, like she’d just realized we had an audience. But it was too late. Almost all the guards had come to the barn for their payday, and all their attention was fully focused on what was about to transpire.
“You know very well what I’m talking about. What have you done with my money?”
“What money?” I asked. “You’ve never had any money.” I glanced at Lucas with a shrug, which set him off. He immediately ran over to confer with a handful of the other guards.
“You took it! I know you did. You’re the only other person who knew where it was.”
I stood and slid my hands up to my hips. “And how would I do that? I’ve been locked in here. You locked me in here. How in the world would I ever have access to your money? Stop lying, Aunt Alice. It doesn’t suit you.”
One of the larger guards rambled toward us. “Oy! Do you really not have the money to pay us?”
Alice narrowed her eyes at me and started stomping for my gate. “Oh, I’ll get it. She’ll tell me where it is if I have to beat it out of her.”
It was perfect, really. I’d thought for a minute that I’d pulled the trigger too soon, and I’d have to crawl out of my prison all on my own. But here was Alice, opening the gate for me, like she was in on the plan. I slung the strap of my bag over my head and across my chest, so that by the time she’d unlocked the gate, I was ready to leave. I only had to stir the pot once more, and then walk out the door to meet Olivia and the boys at the car while all of Alice’s men demanded answers of her. But then Alice rushed in and slapped me across the face. The rest of the barn fell silent, but Alice did not.
“You’ll tell me now, little girl! Give me my mon—”
I punched her to shut her up, and when she swung to punch me back, I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her, hiking it up until she cried out in pain. A few of the guards started for the gate, but Lucas held up a hand, stopping them. I pushed Alice up against the bars and spoke slowly into her ear so she could hear me clearly.
“Later, when you realize how badly you’ve lost to me, think about how merciful I’m being to you right now by not tearing you apart in front of your men. But I warn you. If you survive today, never, ever come and find me again. I won’t be this kind twice.”
I pushed off of her and rushed toward the gate, like I was trying to escape her next blow, not that I expected her to do more than stand there, scared of what she’d insisted I become. “Stop trying to blame me for your scheming, Aunt Alice. Just own up to what you did.”
The questions started as I reached the opening.
“You never had the money you promised us?”
“Is she telling the truth?”
“No!” Alice cried. “That girl’s lying to you. She knew where I kept my stash and somehow—”
Lucas didn’t even let her finish, playing his part as if I’d scripted it. “She’s done this before! She’s been tricking us all along.”
Before I could step outside my cell, I was stopped by a blond guard who looked like he could have been Alice’s brother. “Look me in the eye. She really never had the money?”
I shrugged. “You all knew what kind of person she was. Did you think she’d suddenly stop conning people just because it was you?”
Alice started screaming her answers back, that she had millions but it was all stolen. That she knew I was somehow involved. That they should demand answers from me. That they needed to stop me before I got away. But they didn’t believe her, not with Lucas shouting, “That’s exactly what she said you’d say!”
I smiled back at Alice right as I took my first step of freedom, just in time to see her lunging at me. She was on my back before I could react, and then we were both on the ground outside the cell, her fingers twisting into my hair to yank it back. She leaned close to say, “You don’t leave until I say—”
And I slammed the back of my head into her nose as hard as I could. It worked to get her off me, but two of her men responded on instinct, rushing toward us. I barely had time to rise from the floor and fix my stance before the first one reached me. I kicked him solidly in the left knee, dropping him to the floor, and then spun toward the blond guard who’d been at the door earlier. He didn’t seem interested in getting involved, especially once I grabbed a wooden handle from a box to his right, hoping for a weapon with heft. Sadly, it was only the broken shop-broom handle I’d used in my test with Trent.
It would have to be enough. The second of Alice’s men grabbed me before I could spin all the way around, but he couldn’t get a proper hold because of my bag, so I was able to shove my broom handle between his legs and up until he was groaning and rolling around on the ground.
“Don’t let her leave!” Alice shouted. Her face was a mess of blood and dirt from our scuffle, but she was still kicking and writhing to get free of the three men who had her pinned up against the bars. “Idiots!”
That left the two men I’d dropped to the ground, the two door guards who’d backed off from all the drama, and three others, who were moving toward her, not me. So I started for the barn doors, but there was still one impediment to my escape: Trent, who stood directly in my path.
“I can’t let you leave,” he said.
I tried skirting around him, but I only made it two steps before Trent’s hand was on my arm. I swung around, pulling free as I moved, then shoved him back.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Where’s the money?”
In every plan I’d made to get us off that bloody farm, I’d thought that I might have to fight Trent to get away, but I’d secretly hoped he’d finally come to his senses and at the very least look the other way. I hadn’t expected this.
“I thought you weren’t in it for the money? Or was that all a lie?”
“Tell me where you put it.”
“And what? You’ll let me go?”
He started to advance and I ducked under his arm, moving closer to the doors in the process.
“Here’s a secret: I don’t need to tell you anything to leave here.”
We faced one another like we were back in training, ready to block each other’s blows. But before either of us could make an attack, Alice screamed and we both turned. I couldn’t see her anymore through the crowd of men, but I could hear the soft whining of her pleading and the guards’ growling replies growing louder as she denied everything. I’d expected they’d be distracted enough to let me escape—I hadn’t thought they’d actually hurt her.
For the smallest of moments I let my mind trail through ideas of how to help her without losing my advantage to escape, but then I saw Trent take a step forward and realized he was going to do that for me. So I took a step back. Trent swung his attention toward me. It was such a pathetic scene, really. The two people who probably hated Alice the most trying to decide whether to come to her rescue.
“You have to stop this,” he said.
“I won’t.”
Alice cried out again and Trent flinched.
I took another step back. “You have a choice. You can stop me or save Alice.”
She shouted again, promising to get their money, begging for them not to hurt her. And Trent kept looking between me and the men like he couldn’t make up his mind.
“What have you done?” he asked, all concern but no movement.
“This is what I had to do to escape without your help.”
I turned away then and started walking for the farmhouse. Olivia and the boys were already waiting on the drive, motioning for me to hurry. I reached them just as another air-rending scream erupted from the barn behind us, followed by a loud bang. We all jumped, and I pulled Michael behind me. A gun. I recognized the sound, though I’d only heard it two other times in my life. Not even the corrupted police in my father’s group of friends carried guns. But we were in the countryside, where shotguns were considered farming tools. Our escape sud
denly felt more perilous.
I waited to make sure that shot hadn’t been directed toward us. When I was sure we weren’t the target, I turned back to my brothers’ worried faces. “Quickly now,” I said, and pushed on their shoulders. We all started running toward the gate.
I looked back once, just long enough to see Trent at the door of the barn, with a dark smear across his green jacket. Then I passed a tree that blocked off my line of sight, and thankfully his sight line to us as well. But the smear—had it looked wet? Blood was my first thought, but I didn’t know what it was, I reminded myself. I couldn’t see clearly from where we were. And it didn’t matter anymore, because I couldn’t let anything stop us from escaping.
An out-of-breath Liv, holding Michael’s hand, fell back to jog beside me. “I’ve got a car waiting at the gate of the next farm to take us to the station.”
I smiled and took Michael’s other hand. “Well done. Let’s move faster now.”
Chapter 10
When the hired car dropped us at Eastbourne Station, everything felt familiar. Well, half-familiar. I’d done this before, sent my brothers off with a woman whom I thought I could trust, while I stayed behind. Eastbourne even had a window panel ceiling, though nothing as grand as London’s Victoria Station. My brothers still seemed scared. Freddie was mad at me for not going with them; Seanie was just angry. Only Michael smiled, but that was hardly a comfort.
I helped Olivia settle the boys into the frontmost compartment of the train and then stood in the aisle, staring at them. My train didn’t leave for another hour, but these boys—I wouldn’t see them for weeks. Maybe months. I missed them already.
“These are your papers,” Olivia said, pointing to the manila envelope that was poking out of the bag of money and other necessities she’d gathered for me. “Passport under your new name, American dollars and Icelandic króna for your trip.”
I was distracted when I said, “Yes, thank you.” And then I was a bit heartsick when I crouched down to face my brothers. “Be good for Olivia. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise you’ll love the new school.”
Final Fall Page 6
