Chapter Twenty Four
“I told you,” Fly said, his face stony. “You're staying here. I can’t risk him getting you.”
Wringing my hands together, I clung to the door of the van, stopping Fly from closing it.
Ant was in the driver's seat and the other two were in the back, hidden from view.
I'd been arguing with Fly since he'd announced they were leaving and that I had to stay behind.
I had been under the impression that I was going, because he'd promised me that I could play a hand in ending Chad. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
“You can't take this away from me.” My skin was hot and my neck flushed.
Anger burned my insides and I had to clench my free hand into a fist to stop myself from lashing out.
“She’s right man,” Moth said from the back.
I wanted to smile at him, to hug him, but instead I stared at Fly. I understood that he wanted to protect me and taking me to the place I was most in danger could be classed as doing just the opposite, but I trusted the guys. They would all have my back.
“Fly.” I stared at him. “I will go and get in an Uber if you don't let me come with you.”
Huffing in frustration, he glared at me, his teeth bared. “Fine!”
Throwing open the door, he climbed out and threw his arm out, sarcastically indicating that I get in the van.
“Thank you!” Smiling, I poked him on the nose before climbing onto the double seat.
Fly climbed in behind me, moaning under his breath about women and how frustrating they were when you were just trying to protect them.
“Chad is mine,” I muttered back.
He glared before rolling his eyes. “I think a lot of people here would disagree with that.”
“Yeah.” Ant glanced at me sideways as he started to drive away from their home. “You were treated pretty well most of the time you were there. We’ve had a score to settle for a very long time.”
They had a point there. Although my father had treated me horrendously since I'd kidnapped Fly, he had spared me a lot of what he was forcing on many of the members of The Reason. Maybe I should let them take control.
The van went silent as everyone succumbed to their thoughts. I could only imagine the number of times they had dreamed of killing Chad. They’d probably planned it meticulously, right down to what they would say to him before his final breath. It would be extremely satisfying to witness it.
“Audrey!” I blurted “I completely forgot she was going back. Do you think my father will have accepted her? I know she was going to use my death as an excuse. Is there any way for her to contact you?”
Ant shook his head, a pained expression crossing his face. “We just have to hope that it worked.”
“And that he didn’t hurt her for leaving.” Fly widened his eyes at Ant when his friend hissed in his direction. “What? He’s a sick cunt.”
“My uncle would’ve protected her.” Ant stared straight ahead as we drove through the night, saying goodbye to the lights of town and out into the countryside.
It would take a couple of hours to get to the compound, and the whole time, my stomach would knot with nerves. I reached for Fly, who held my hand tightly, almost bruising it. I liked it though, it showed that he was holding onto me, instead of pushing me away.
“We haven’t got much time until we're there,” Ant announced after a while. “We better go over the plan.”
Fly jolted from his thoughts, blinking at me before giving me a small smile. The realization that I was by his side sent a small thrill through me. None of the men smiled often so his reaction to me warmed my chest.
“Okay,” Fly sat forward and picked up a pile of paper. “Here's a map of the compound to remind you where we're going.” He handed a couple of sheets to the guys in the back, who had been chattering the whole way.
I held out my hand, frowning when Fly shook his head sternly. “I may have let you come, but firstly, you don't need a map, you know perfectly well where everything is and secondly, you're staying in the van. I won't argue with you on this.”
Inhaling sharply, I gritted my teeth but stayed quiet. I wanted to respect his authority; he was the one who had rescued me and plotted to kill my father for ten years since their escape.
“Oh,” Ant said in a sing song voice, “Don't you love a bit of authority? Fly, I like the new you. Your usually laid-back demeanor has been rocked by the lovely Brit.”
“Fuck off.” Fly's bark echoed as they all laughed, clearly amused by his mood.
I stayed quiet, not quite understanding the dynamics of the group enough to say anything or to defend my man. Shit, it felt good to have a man, even if we were on the way to commit murder.
His confession on the bridge, about ending his life with his friends, scared the shit out of me.
However, I'd not lived properly before and never imagined being in love with an outsider.
I was liberated, free. And if that meant I only had a brief time with Fly - ouch, the idea of losing him was slowly growing into something more worrying - I had to accept that. Life was too short.
“Moving on.” Fly waved the map as he glared at Ant.
“We enter by the woods to the side of the entrance.
There's cameras everywhere so we have to be quick.
The men will be getting ready for the ceremony, which means there'll be no one watching the security for around twenty minutes.
Audrey said that there's usually two security guards at the front at all times, even when there's a ceremony.
Those are the two we need to take down. Once that's done, we'll put their coats and hats on.”
“Who's we?” I asked, mesmerized by Fly's concentration.
“Ant and Moth.” He glanced down at his knee. “I'm not fast enough right now.”
Swallowing, I nodded, not wanting to make a big deal of his injury. I hadn't known him without it, not really, so I was excited to see who he was when he could do everything he wanted.
“Once they're done, Spider and I will follow behind with the bombs.”
A hand went to my mouth to stifle a gasp. I'd forgotten about the bombs, even though they'd clearly mentioned it at the park. I'd been so wrapped up in my own emotions and feelings for Fly, I hadn't thought of the consequences of setting off explosives.
“So, your plan is to plant them around the ceremony room?” I asked, squeezing Fly's hand. “And do they have timers?”
Shaking his head, Fly looked down at me. “No, sweetheart, we have a detonator. Once they're laid, we'll get out of there and hide in the woods while the men congregate. Once they're inside, we'll set off the detonators. It won't be pretty.”
“And kill everyone inside?” I clenched my free hand around my thigh. “But what about the woman in there?”
Fly dropped his gaze and cleared his throat, not answering me as I glanced at Ant.
“Collateral damage,” Spider muttered. “It's regrettable.”
“Regrettable?” I blurted. “Seriously?”
I looked at Fly, who was studying the map as if he didn't care. Of course he didn't care, he was hyper focused on the job, which was to end Chad.
“Have you thought about what might happen when the key players in The Reason are dead?” I asked, taking my hand from Fly, who frowned at me. “What if someone just as evil takes over?”
Fly glanced at Ant, who smiled sadly at me. “Audrey has been working to uncover the cult for a while. Once the main men are gone, the police will swoop in and dismantle the whole place.”
I looked between the pair of them, trying not to get angry. I understood that they had one goal and they would stop at nothing to achieve it. However, there were innocent people in that place. I wasn't sure if I was okay with killing them.
“I hope you're right,” I said quietly, staring at the dark road ahead as we draw ever closer to the compound.
Fly had ordered me to stay in the van, away from the compound. However, I couldn't let the woman, who was about to be violated, die along with the evil men who had forced her there. It would weigh too heavily on my mind.
The rest of the journey was silent as we thought about what was coming and what it meant for every single one of us. It may have been years since I'd last seen the guys at the compound, but now I knew what they'd faced there, I was an ally. One who would stop at nothing to end Chad's reign.
“The compound entrance is just up here,” Fly said, “Pull over into this layby.”
Ant did as he was told, shutting off the engine right away.
I had rarely been out of the compound and seeing it, through the trees, in the dark, made me feel all sorts of things.
I'd lived my whole life there and never doubted its existence or the morality of the whole place.
I'd really had my eyes opened on the day my father had locked me in with Fly.
And slowly, the shutters had come off, revealing the evil lurking inside someone I'd imagined as holy. Someone I'd loved.
“Okay, we've cut it a bit fine, so we've got to go right away.” Fly looked around. “Is everyone ready?”
He refused to meet my gaze until everyone had answered. When our eyes locked, my heart melted. There was a slight vulnerability that hovered in him, one that spoke to me. I was so scared at what might happen to him if their plan didn't work out, but I had to trust that it would.
The others clambered out of the van, going to the back to sort their gear. Fly leaned closer, his whole energy oozing sexiness, despite the seriousness of what was about to go down.
“And I'll see you in a while,” he said, his voice low.
He came close, catching my lower lip in his teeth and pulling gently before letting go.
His mouth descended on mine and his arms came around me, his hand digging into the back of my hair.
I clung to him as sparks shot throughout my body.
We'd confessed our love that morning, but we hadn't had time to have sex, to really feel one another.
I'd wanted to, but Fly had been too busy, getting the equipment ready.
They'd had hardly any sleep between them.
When Fly released my mouth and buried his face in my neck, I forgot everything and focused on him kissing my jaw. When his mouth came close to my ear, my pussy tensed and my arms tightened around him.
“When this is done,” he whispered harshly into my ear. “I'm going to fuck you so hard; you'll be branded as mine.”
My eyes drifted closed and I melted against him, clinging to him until he pulled away. Cupping my face, he kissed me once more before climbing out of the van.
“We'll be back soon.” He puckered his lips, blowing me an air kiss.
I hugged myself and sat back, smiling at him until he closed the door and disappeared around the back.
He would grab his crutches and backpack, ready to carry out his master plan.
And I had to just wait. I had to sit in a cold van and listen for an explosion, worrying whether they got out first… or even whether they got in.
Watching their backs as they walked down the road, in a line of four, I fought the lump that rose in my throat.
I had no idea that they'd been through so much when I was a teen girl at the compound.
And even though Fly was using crutches, he was one of the strongest men I'd ever known, if not the strongest. They all were.
They deserved the vengeance they were about to unleash.
But…
I kept thinking of the women in the compound. What if Audrey’s husband hadn't been kind? Would Chad allow her to return so easily? And if she couldn't distract the guards, would the bugs get caught?
As the men approached the high fence, Fly looked over his shoulder, giving me a little wave. I waved back, even though he wouldn't have been able to see me. And just like that, as they all went over - Fly with some help from his friends - I was alone.
And all I could think about was the woman, lying on the table, about to be raped by Chad.
Not only would she be violated, she would probably lose her life too.
How could I be such a hypocrite? I hated Chad for harming others and now, I was sitting in a van, waiting for the bombs that would kill an innocent woman.
I couldn't do it.
Palms sweaty and my heart beating rapidly, I climbed out of the van and closed the door behind me. I didn't have too long to get inside and find the woman who was about to be destroyed in more ways than one. I had to save her, even if it meant risking my own life.