Chapter Twenty One
Brit
“This plan,” Fly said loudly so that everyone could hear. “Is pretty fucking epic. And really fucking risky.”
Alia hugged closer to Moth, who put his arm around her.
I was awed by their connection, even though I'd only known them a few days.
Moth, and the others, were a bunch of damaged guys who were hungry for revenge.
When I'd spent time in one of their apartments, trying to come up with a way to get to Chad, I had studied each of them.
Not one of them smiled more than once in a conversation and that was rare as it was.
“Are you sure you've thought it through?” Spider eyed his friend before looking around.
Ant stood near Audrey, who sat on a bench. The wind played with her greying hair, rustling it over her shoulders. I was on my own, standing beside them as we watched Fly, who had asked us all to meet him in the park.
He leaned on his crutches and lifted his phone. “I have a friend in media. He's a stunt man, a camera man and a newsreader.”
We all opened our ears to listen. I had to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect when Fly had bounded into my bedroom and ordered me to get up. However, it certainly wasn't this.
“What exactly can he do to help us?” Moth chewed on the corner of his thumb nail before spitting a bit out. “I don't think a documentary is going to give him the same level of pain that he deserves.”
A few of us chuckled until Fly cleared his throat loudly. “No, a-hole, I don't want to make a documentary, I want to get him off our backs.”
“Huh?” I exclaimed. “But I thought the whole point of it was to kill him? Why would we want him off our backs?”
“Your back.” Fly pointed at me. “If he isn't focused on coming after you, he'll let his guard down and we can carry out my plan.”
“Even though he knows you're with me?”
He nodded and stood taller. “My friend can do a fake news reel that can be sent out to all channels. A body has been found and no one knows who she is. He shows items of clothing belonging to her and a bracelet. An envelope was burned next to her and nothing remained inside it.”
“Chad does check the news,” I said, impressed by Fly's idea.
I never would've thought about faking my own death.
Chad may even believe that Fly had killed me in an attempt to get back at him.
That would only serve to strengthen our plan, whatever that was.
Fly had been pretty secretive with me, almost avoiding me for the last couple of days.
So, while we had tried to come up with a plan together, he'd clearly been working on one of his own.
“Then what?” Ant paced to his friend. “Brit's out of the picture and…?”
“Audrey has offered to go back.”
I gasped and put a hand over my mouth, shaking my head. “No, you can't do that!”
Ant strode back to her and also shook his head. “She's right, you can't go back. You know he doesn't like deserters.”
“Maybe not,” Audrey said, “but your uncle is one of his favorite men. He'll allow me back, even if I have to be punished. I'm prepared to be an insider for you. As long as you bring me back out when you…”
“Okay,” Fly interrupted her. “That's brings me to the next part of my plan.”
We all watched him, on the edge of our seats for what could potentially be the end of Chad and his demonic cult. My skin itched with the memories of my time growing up in that place. I had no idea about half of the atrocities that had occurred there.
“Sunday is ceremony night, without fail.” Fly smirked. “Which means Chad will have his pants around his ankles and his cock exposed for all to see.”
“Fly!” Ant snapped. “My aunt is sitting here, man.”
“Oh, don't worry.” Audrey waved a hand in dismissal. “I want to see his cock blown off.”
“Blown off?” I piped up. “How?”
Fly pretended to glare at Audrey, who held up her hands and smiled an apology. Apparently, Fly had a flare for the dramatic when he wasn't brooding over some slight or other.
“If we decide to go ahead with this, it has to be perfectly timed. No fucking around.”
“Tell us.” Moth tutted at his friend. “Before I die of dragged out-itis.”
“Fine.” Fly watched me as he was speaking, his eyebrows lifted in question.
I nodded without hesitation. He nodded back.
“The rest of us, bar Alia, sorry, darling...”
She scowled and shook her head. As much as she wanted to help, she had no idea about the compound or the danger she would be in.
“…will take out the guards, who will be distracted by Audrey.
Once they're down, we'll go to the ceremony hall and plant bombs. I remember there being an hour before the ceremony where the men have to pray and clean their bodies in order to take part. It used to be quiet when we snuck in to try and see what they were doing.”
“We were often caught because we laughed too much,” Spider said, rolling his eyes and gesturing at Moth.
“No, it was you and Fly.” Moth pointed a finger. “You could never keep a straight face, even at thirteen.”
Audrey mumbled something under her breath and we all went quiet.
“What was that?” Fly asked her.
“I said,” she started, her face amused. “You stopped wanting to be in there as soon as they started letting you in, didn't you?”
The men's faces hardened as their memories came back to them.
I went still myself, imagining what it must have been like for thirteen-year-olds to witness what those men did to my friend.
My father was the type of man who probably would've enjoyed it.
Did the bug men feel anything when they watched the violation?
“Well,” Ant said, “we didn't expect to see a repeat of what we'd already endured for hours on end. Chad would've made a fortune on the porn channels.”
They chuckled automatically between them, but my stomach rolled and I clasped a hand over my mouth, moving away to take a deep breath and try to steady the sudden wave of nausea.
I was grateful that they left me alone as they went quiet, keeping their gazes upon one another, rather than embarrassing me with their attention.
Fly hadn’t said anything about being forced to watch my father for hours on end. What sort of torture was it and why hadn’t he told me?
A soft hand landed on my shoulder and I turned to see Audrey, who wrapped me in her embrace. “They only know his abuse,” she whispered, “They can’t understand that he was once a man you loved and devoted yourself to. This is a major shock and trauma for you.”
“I’m okay.” I inhaled as I pulled away. “I just… I need to know it all.”
Closing her eyes briefly, Audrey pursed her lips. “Then you better hold yourself steady, girl. What you’re going to learn will scar you.”
Wrapping my arms around myself, I nodded. I’d already faced the truth about my best friend and what that sick man had done to her. I knew, deep down, that he probably killed her and came up with a pathetic excuse about a weak heart.
Audrey led me back to the group. Fly raised his eyebrows at me in question, only relaxing them when I gave him a nod to continue. I was glad he hadn’t come after me, all alpha and sexy.. It was better that we kept that distance between us.
“I have the clothes you escaped in, Brit,” Fly said, holding up a plastic sack. “I’m going to soak them in the stream and cover them in mud. We’ll then take photos of them for the news channels. The information will be sent out tonight.”
“Tonight?” Moth said. “And will we go to the compound tonight, too?”
Fly shook his head. “No, we wait for a few days to let him relax. I doubt he’ll come looking for me once he thinks Brit’s dead. No doubt, he’ll think I’ve done him a favor.”
“And what if you’re wrong?” I asked. “What if he decides to try and kill you in order to keep his secret or to protect himself from your revenge?”
Shrugging, Fly grinned manically. “Then, let him come.”
The others chuckled and I glanced around at them, unable to find any humor in the situation. They were different though, hardened to Chad and his cult. I didn’t blame them after what they’d been through.
“Are we all happy with the plan?” Fly lifted his leg and swung it, leaning heavily on the crutches.
How was he going to be all superhero at the compound?
He could barely walk and he certainly couldn't without crutches.
There was a chance he'd be a hindrance. Not that I would voice my concerns in front of the others.
If I knew anything about Fly and his friends, they were proud.
They wouldn't take any shit from anyone, especially me.
The others nodded their agreement, each and every one of them ready to back their friend…
and me. I was honored that they were willing to help me escape my father and take him down too.
Not that they were doing it for me, they still hated me.
Fly was doing a hell of a lot to protect me and I had to wonder why.
“Great.” Fly waved the sack in my direction and pointed to the stream. “Let's go fake a death!”