Chapter Twenty Seven
Fly
The front door was right in front of us, calling us to it.
The bombs were in place, the timing on point.
Once we were outside, we just had to hide in the trees and watch the perverts go to their doom.
Once it was done, we would be free from the tyranny of Chad and The Reason would come crashing down.
And Brit would have her vengeance.
The pattering of footsteps caught our attention and we turned in unison to see a crying girl in a white dress. She didn't even stop to look at us, instead bolting into the kitchen, and hopefully, away from danger.
“That's the…” Something was off.
My senses were on high alert and I turned back to my brothers.
“You go,” I said, handing Moth my backpack. “I'll catch up.”
“No!”
They tried to grab me, frowning when I swung out of their grip.
“Something's wrong. I just…” I held up my hands when they approached me. “I just have a feeling. Go and wait for me. I'll be back before it's time.”
Turning, I held up my crutch and ran. I wasn't sure what was propelling me to where the girl had come from, but I just knew I had to check it out. No one had ever defied Chad when it came to the ceremonies. Why had she run away? And how had she escaped?
I could hear a commotion as I approached the door down the corridor. Something was being thrown around, followed by a grunt. I crept closer to the door, which was left wide open. As soon as I saw what was happening inside, hot blood pumped through my veins.
Flying into the room, I gave an agonizing primal roar. A sound I had never made before. A red mist descended over my eyes as I grabbed Chad, who had just punched my woman in the face.
Blood splattered onto the carpet as she dropped, landing in a heap with a groan.
Fury overtook and I didn't even see Chad as I punched him in the face, cracking bone and sending his blood flying over the white wall.
My breathing was harsh, my focus so on him, I didn't even hear Brittney get to her feet.
“Fly!” Her voice was calm, calling me to snap out of my rage.
I blinked, smirking at Chad as he stared at me through rapidly swelling eyes and a bloody face. “You're doing to die,” I said darkly, drawing my fist back one last time and knocking it into his temple.
His eyes rolled into the back of his head and I let go of his arm, letting him flop to the ground. Brit caught my arm and pulled, strong even with her own injuries. She looked beautiful, despite what she’d just endured.
“Fuck, darling,” I groaned, tugging her to my chest. “Why are you in here?”
“We have to go!” She was lucid, despite wincing when I released her.
He clearly hadn't had time to do damage to her body, but her poor face was already bruising.
“Fly!” She stared into my eyes. “The bombs.”
Oh shit. Picking her up, I swung her around and onto my back.
She clung to my shoulders, moaning when I left the room, closing the door behind me.
We had literally minutes before the detonator would go off.
Voices were loud in the lobby as the men entered, clearly getting excited for their chance to violate the girl.
The motherfuckers would get what they deserved.
“The kitchen!” Brit called, pointing straight ahead.
Shoving through the door, I navigated the work surfaces and islands, somehow using my crutch for leverage as we headed straight for the exit. Two men suddenly entered, laughing and joking about how they were planning to touch the girl.
I paused, crouching behind a stack of rice bags. We both tried to control our heavy breathing as they grabbed bottles of water out of the fridge.
“I hope she's tight,” one said, “even after Chad. I like to imagine her pussy gripping me.”
“We better hurry,” the other said urgently, “They'll be closing the doors in just a few moments.”
They rushed from the room, leaving the door to shut behind them. I bolted across the kitchen, ignoring the pain in my leg as I yanked open the back door and slipped outside.
“I'm sorry,” Brit murmured on my back as I hurried away from the building, heading straight for the trees near the road.
If everything had gone to plan, my brothers would be waiting, probably frantic about where the fuck I was. I had to get to them in time, otherwise they'd miss their opportunity, especially now Chad was comatose in the ante-chamber.
“I forgive you, sweetheart,” I said, my heart pounding for reasons other than running. “Always.”
She had gone in to save the girl. As pissed off as I should be, I understood what drove her. She had more than enough guilt to live with without me putting it on her too.
I could see the shadows of my friends in the distance and hear their low mutterings.
Keeping my footsteps light, I glanced behind me and saw a man approaching the front door.
The lights flooded the area, highlighting his scared face.
The scars were so bad, I didn't recognize him, but there was something vaguely familiar about him.
That off feeling sat in the pit of my stomach as I joined my brothers, breathing hard as I put Brit down and held her to me.
“Do it!” I ordered, nudging Spider.
“But there's one more person on his way in.”
Ripping the detonator from Spider's hand, I pressed it without a second thought.
Silence echoed in my ears, followed by a huge explosion that ripped through the building.
Glass shattered from several windows, falling to the ground.
The man who had been approaching was thrown backwards, smacking down hard on the concrete.
Mission accomplished, we all turned and ran for the fence, taking turns to climb over. When it was our turn, Ant caught sight of us and paused.
“Let me help,” he said, reaching for Brit.
Scowling, I kept hold of her. “I can do it.”
The shadows hid our expressions so I couldn't see how he was looking at me, but I could guess.
“Don't be the fucking hero,” he muttered, holding out his hand towards Brit. “We need to get over the fence and you both need help.”
I released my lover and urged her to go to him. He took Brit's hand before bending down and giving her a leg up. She caught the top of the fence and hauled herself over, not even wincing when she landed, despite her injuries.
It was my turn next. I closed my eyes briefly before stepping up to Ant, who crouched low and offered his knee. I used my good leg to step on it and grab the wire fence, climbing up and pushing myself over the other side. Moth caught me, helping to ease the pressure of landing on my bad leg.
“Ah, thanks, lover,” I said to him, smirking when he stepped back quickly.
“You make a good damsel in distress.” He threw his middle finger up at me as he stalked off, heading towards the van.
Ant threw my crutch over and climbed up the fence like a fucking monkey. The commotion behind us was getting louder, with a lot of feminine voices talking or crying in panicked tones.
Brit picked up the crutch and handed it to me, trying to smile through the swelling on her face. I was about to tuck her into my side when she swayed and the smile fell from her lips.
Catching her, I handed the crutch to Ant, who frowned at me in the better light. I bent slightly and wrapped my arms around Brit's waist, picking her up and placing her over my shoulder. She didn't protest or even moan, which concerned me even more. Did she have a brain injury?
Securing her with one arm around her butt, I took the crutch from Ant and took us down the road, albeit slowly, to the van. Once there, I went to the back and laid Brit inside, climbing up behind her.
“We need to get out of here,” I called as Ant got into the driver's seat. “And to a hospital.”
“Where's Audrey?” Spider asked as he pulled the door closed behind him. “I thought she was meeting us here.”
Ant cleared his throat. “She locked her family in their home. She's gone to set them free. She has a vehicle she's stolen, so she'll take them to the shelter with her.”
“Will they go?” Brit's voice was low as she shuffled, trying to sit up.
I leaned closer to her from where I sat on the bench, placing a hand on her arm to stop her from moving.
“Apparently, the only thing stopping them from leaving before was my uncle,” Ant said loudly as he started the engine and pulled off, driving past the gated entrance slowly. “So, now he's gone, they'll go willingly. Yeah, it's carnage in there.”
Sighing, I slipped onto the floor with Brit, holding her as the van burst into life and Ant drove us away, fast. There were so many questions running around my brain, but I didn't want to put them on Brit yet. How had she got in? Why was she in the room with her father? She must have had a conscience about what could’ve happened to the woman, but she could've ruined everything, and got herself killed. That's not how it worked in our world.
Spider put a hand on my arm as Brit dozed off. I didn't want her to sleep, especially considering she'd been punched in the head several times. Shaking her, I looked at my friend, who smiled back.
“We did it,” he said under his breath, “We killed our number one. We can finally be free.”
Except, I wasn't sure it was going to be that easy, especially with his head-strong daughter at my side. What had I let myself in for? And more importantly, why hadn't she trusted me to protect her?