Chapter 57 #2
I glance up at my friends and see the same grim understanding on their faces that I have.
In the distance, the battle rages on. People shout and scream alongside the cracking of gunshots, unaware that the leaders of the gangs are either dead or unconscious.
We should move towards them, to put a stop to the fighting, but none of us move.
At this moment, Ollie is more important.
There’s no way I’m letting her feel guilty or horrified over what she did to that psychopathic bastard to survive. He deserved to die, and the savage part of me is glad that she made him suffer.
Theo is the one who comes to the rescue, as usual. “Can you repeat that, please?” he asks, leaning closer to her while cupping the side of his ear as if he’s trying to hear her better. “I think I misunderstood what you just said because it sounds like you just admitted that I was right.”
She glares daggers at him, some of the desolation gone from her expression. “Fuck off, Theo. You heard me just fine.”
He chuckles, but the sound is strained. “I know, but I want to savour you saying I’m right. Who knows when I’ll get the chance again.”
Ollie shakes her head and huffs out a small, fragile laugh. Alex breathes out a small sigh of relief beside me, a sound I echo. Her eyes are still haunted, and there’s an invisible weight on her shoulders, but I’ll take any ounce of joy we can get from her.
“Come on, princess. Let’s get you standing.” I shift until I’m crouched behind her, supporting her back while Theo and Alex move to her sides. Together, we help her stand.
Ollie curses as her trembling legs try to buckle beneath her, and she sways, but we keep her steady.
“This is worse than a hangover,” she mutters, her knuckles white as she holds onto Theo and Alex for dear life.
None of us release her until she’s stable and stopped swaying. Even then we hover, none of us wanting to go far, just in case.
Ollie sees this and waves us off. “I’m fine. The world has stopped spinning.”
Reluctantly, I step back from her and glance around, noting that Tobias and Rachel have drifted closer.
Tobias still holds onto Harlow, the dog whimpering quietly and straining to go to her owner, while his other hand is clamped on top of a fluttering Ketchup on his shoulder.
Anthony and Colin have moved over to where Elsa and Mark are.
Colin has his foot on Mark’s prone body with a look of pure hatred in his eyes while Anthony guards Elsa with a stony expression.
“Are you alright, Liv?” Tobias asks, his voice tight with worry as his eyes zero in on the bruises around her neck.
Ollie turns to her brother and nods. “Yeah, just a little sore. Nothing that some painkillers and rest won’t fix. Are you?” Her eyes scan over him, looking for any kind of injury.
“I’m fine. Can I let Harlow and Ketchup go now? They’re desperate to make sure you’re okay.”
Harlow whines loudly and Ketchup squawks.
Ollie’s expression softens, and she gingerly crouches with her arms open. “Let them go.”
Tobias does, and the dog launches herself towards her owner with a high-pitched yelp while Ketchup flutters over to perch on her shoulder.
Alex, Theo and I tense as Harlow nears her, all three of us preparing to catch Ollie if the dog pushes her over.
But she eases up at the last second to stop in front of her owner, stubby tail wagging so hard her entire backside wiggles with it.
Ollie grins and wraps one arm around her while the other strokes Ketchup. “I missed you, too,” she murmurs as she clutches the wriggling creatures against her.
While she’s reunited with her animals, I stride over to Anthony and Colin.
“What’s the status at the gate?” I ask Anthony in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the others.
I want to ask about what happened for them both to end up in front of the hidden exit with Anthony being held at knifepoint, but now isn’t the time.
“Better than expected. We’re holding them back, but we’re running low on supplies.” He glances at the body of Luke still lying in the dirt and then at Mark. “With these two out of the picture, it should send the bastards running.”
Colin nods. “Especially if you show Mark. He’s the one running the show, although Luke always liked to think he did.” His gaze flicks to Luke and shudders. “Thank God he’s dead.”
I grunt in agreement. “Alright. If you two want to grab Mark and Elsa and take them to the gate. I’ll follow with Luke.” The sooner we show them off, the sooner we can end this fight.
Colin removes his foot from Mark as Anthony crouches down and throws the unconscious man over his shoulder. With him secured, Colin takes over guarding Elsa, who still looks shell-shocked, and herds her towards the gate with Anthony trailing after him.
I turn my attention back to the other group.
Rachel is hugging Ollie, tears shining in both their eyes as they whisper to one another.
Theo and Alex hover behind Ollie, waiting to catch her at a moment’s notice if needed.
Tobias stands to the side, his expression affectionate, if a little worried, as he watches his sister.
I stride over to them just as Ollie pulls away from Rachel. “We should get moving. Luke needs to be displayed so we can end this shit.”
Alex stops Ollie from turning her head towards the psycho’s corpse at the mention of his name. “You did what you had to,” he murmurs before pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “And that monster deserves none of your guilt.”
Everyone makes noises of agreement.
Ollie just sighs and nods. I know she understands even if she doesn’t agree, at least not yet.
I crouch to pick Luke’s ruined corpse from the ground and grunt as fire sears across my side from my healing ribs. Fuck. The fight plus everything else has done a number on me. I grit my teeth and go to try again, but a hand on my shoulder stops me.
“Let me do it,” Alex says before he bends down, grabs the corpse and throws it over his shoulder like it weighs nothing. Blood and gore arcs outwards, splattering him, the ground and several other corpses. Alex grimaces but doesn’t complain.
Sighing, I turn to the group. “You four stay here and guard the exit, just in case. No heroics from any of you.” I pointedly look at Ollie, who huffs and rolls her eyes.
A part of me relaxes at her usual bratty attitude.
“Alex and I will come back after the gangs have turned tail to help close it up, and you two—” I point at Ollie and Theo “—can get looked at by the medical staff.”
Theo offers me a lazy salute, which I scowl at, but no one argues with my orders. Good. One less thing to worry about.
I walk up to Ollie and cup the side of her face. “I’ll see you after everything is done,” I tell her before leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips, savouring how soft they feel against mine.
She sighs against my lips.
We almost lost her, and while I want to profess my love to her, right here, right now, I don’t. Now isn’t the time.
I reluctantly end the kiss. “Be a good girl for me and behave.”
The corner of her lips twitch into an impish smile. “I’ll think about it.”
“Brat,” I say affectionately before turning away from her to face Alex. “Ready?”
He nods curtly, his clothes soaked red from Luke’s mangled body. “Let’s get this over with.”
Sounds good to me.
It takes us five minutes to get to the gate, another five to drag Luke’s body up and into the watchtower, but seconds for our enemies to understand what’s happening.
It’s almost comical how quickly the mood on their side of the wall changes from greedy and eager to horror.
As soon as we reveal his corpse, the brutal way he died, as well as Mark’s unconscious body and a trembling Elsa at our side, most of them do exactly what I expect them to.
They run.
It’s hesitant at first. One or two men melt into the trees, never to be seen again, but that trickle soon turns into a flood.
They scramble away from the walls, eyes wide and panicked shouts ringing out for the retreat.
We watch them flee like rats from a sinking ship and kill those who linger or try to fight back until the last one is gone.
Elated shouts and laughter ring out from everyone standing at the wall as the realisation of what just happened sinks in.
We won. We defeated our enemies and protected Haven.
All I feel is relief and bone-deep exhaustion.
“Come on,” Alex says, patting my shoulder. “Let’s get back to our girl. Anthony can sort everything here.”
Our girl. It’s such a simple statement, but it feels so right. Ollie is ours and we’re hers and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do to change that.