Chapter Thirty-One
Neil had waited for hours, and it had almost cost him his sanity.
After he and Paul had overheard the conversation between Lucy and Finn, during which they had been kind enough to discuss Poppy’s and Sophie’s two separate drop-off points, Paul had managed to get a message to one of their men nearby to rally everybody together and meet at a certain location as soon as possible.
They’d need the numbers to be able to take on Finn’s men.
Then they had waited.
Neil was usually a patient man, but not this time. Unfortunately for him, there was no movement until well after dark, when suddenly at least a dozen men poured outside, setting up torches near the side of the house.
Neil was almost shaking with anticipation when a wagon drove up to one of the side doors, but almost another full hour passed before he finally saw them.
Well, Neil didn’t really see them, but he knew with absolute certainty that those two bundles that were carried outside were Poppy and Sophie.
Watching helplessly as they were thrown into the back of the wagon was one of the hardest things Neil had ever done in his life.
Paul had to hold him back so he wouldn’t jump out from their hiding spot and attack the dozen or more men surrounding the wagon all by himself. He wanted to, but he knew this was so much more than just freeing both of them.
If their plan worked out, this could potentially put Finn and Lucy behind bars. So as much as Neil suffered in that moment, hopefully it would be worth it later on.
More time passed before Finn finally heaved himself onto the wagon, which was more than what he and Paul had anticipated.
Lucy was nowhere to be seen, but that didn’t matter.
Neil started getting excited when the small convoy started moving.
Several of the men rode ahead, probably to scope out the road.
Others followed at a slight distance. Finn was definitely smart when he wanted to be.
Neil and Paul watched from their vantage point before they rushed to their horses, which they’d positioned at a safe distance but near enough to reach them quickly.
Fortunately, two of the men riding with the wagon held up lanterns to lead the way into the darkness, and the ones that followed them had torches as well, so there was no way that Neil and Paul would lose them.
Neil was grinding his teeth. He couldn’t wait to reach their destination along the presumed route.
If all went according to plan, they’d come across a long bridge over a river that led into a ravine.
Paul had told the men to position themselves all around it and wait until they had crossed the bridge, which essentially blocked them in.
It was a passage only very few people used because it posed a significant risk to anybody.
However, Finn obviously saw it as an opportunity and led his little convoy straight that way.
But shortly before the road turned toward that bridge, one of the men following the wagon must have heard something and circled behind them. Suddenly, there was a scream, and Paul was attacked from the side.
“Go get them!” Paul yelled as he was dragged from his horse and disappeared into the darkness. “Race them down!”
Neil was torn. He wanted to help him, but when he heard shouting coming from the wagon and saw how it was picking up speed, Neil had to chase after Poppy and Sophie.
He pulled out his revolver, kicked the flanks of his horse, and raced closer to the group.
He knew that his men were hiding close by, so they would come to help from the other side as well.
They fired several shots aimlessly into the dark, but Neil wasn’t hit. The closer he came, the more he could see the wagon and the men trying to see what was happening, but he had the advantage in the dark. Neil could hear Finn yell at his driver to go faster.
At the same time, Neil could hear his men engage in fighting a little further up the road.
Shots rang out as his men rode toward him and the wagon.
Neil could hardly make out anything beyond the darkness and the sounds of gunshot, hoofbeats, and the cries of men as they were struck and fell from their horses.
Neil rode off to the side, following along the road until he was almost next to the wagon.
He released a blood-curdling scream and fired several shots into the air to scare the single horse pulling the wagon as he steered his gelding directly toward it.
When he suddenly appeared right next to their horse, Neil wanted to stop it, but instead, the horse panicked and raced off the road.
The wagon tilted heavily to the side, and while Finn and the other two men jumped off it before it hit, a loud crack echoed through the air when it suddenly got stuck in the ditch. The tie downs snapped, and the horse ran off with half the tethers attached.
Neil could hear familiar screams coming from the back of the wagon. His first instinct was to go and look for them, but he couldn’t. Finn’s two companions scrambled onto their feet and rushed toward Neil to attack him, while Finn stayed hidden near the wagon.
“You coward!” Neil yelled. He stormed toward Finn, but the two other men stood guard.
One aimed at him with a pistol, but Neil shot it straight out of his hand.
Just as the other one tried to do the same, lifting his rifle and aiming the barrel at Neil, Paul came in guns blazing from the side.
Both men screamed and fell to the ground, although Neil didn’t stop to look what happened to them.
He rushed toward the wagon, which had caught on fire from one of the smashed lanterns or a torch, but Finn suddenly launched himself at him.
Neil was so surprised when Finn body slammed him from the side that it knocked the air out of his lungs—and his revolver out of his hand.
Then Finn’s hands seemed to be everywhere, ripping his hat off, pulling Neil’s hair, scratching his face and eyes, all while he tried to kick Neil’s.
Finn clearly didn’t know how to fight—at least not like a man—but his sheer weight and size posed a real challenge to Neil.
Finn was also unexpectedly strong, which forced Neil to focus.
Paul came to help pull Finn off of Neil, but then there were other men, who grabbed Paul from behind and dragged him away into another fight.
Neil barely managed to stop Finn from trying to rip his hair out and landed a hefty punch against Finn’s temple, but that did little to deter the beastly man. Neil was shocked at how well Finn could take a hit.
Finn tried to dig his fingers into Neil’s right eye, but Neil landed another blow against Finn’s chin, which finally seemed to make him wobble a little on his feet.
It didn’t last long. Whenever Neil thought he got one over on him, Finn turned around and did something unexpected, which Neil simply wasn’t prepared for.
Neil struggled to get his revolver back, which was laying in the dirt several feet away.
At this point, he was almost ready to kill him because that man would never stop trying to ruin him.
However, trying to topple Finn over was almost impossible.
He seemed very steady on his feet, and Neil couldn’t physically pull them out from under him.
He jabbed him straight in the nose, which knocked Finn’s head backward—enough time for Neil to push over him with all his might.
But Finn and his blasted hands grabbed onto Neil and pulled him with him so Neil ended up laying on the ground as well.
He barely avoided cracking his head onto a large rock.
Neil knew this was a horrible position to be in, but there was nothing he could do. Finn easily used his massive body to pin him down. Neil struggled with everything he had, but Finn’s weight pushing down on his upper body made it impossible to catch a breath or move. It was insufferable.
With one hand, Finn pinned Neil’s face to the ground, keeping Neil from reaching him with his strikes. With the other, he made to reach for Neil’s revolver, which lay barely a few inches away from Finn’s fingertips.
The fire on the front corner of the wagon had started to spread out further toward the back, and Neil had no idea where exactly Poppy and Sophie were or if they were even conscious.
“Poppy!” he screamed as loud as he could, just as something inside the wagon popped. It turned the small fire into a blaze, and the flames shot much higher into the sky, illuminating the entire area. “Poppy!” Neil yelled, but the roar of the fire overpowered his voice.
“That broad is probably dead already,” Finn chuckled dismissively. “Lost a big chunk of money there.”
Desperate and infuriated at the same time, Neil screamed and rammed his fists into Finn’s sides, but as much as he tried, his strikes didn’t land, and he still couldn’t move. Finn groaned at the punches, but then he laughed at him.
“Didn’t think I’d beat you in a fight,” Finn gloated, but Neil landed a punch that seemingly shut him up.
“Who said you beat me?” Neil grunted, completely out of breath. Maybe he shouldn’t entertain Finn’s verbal stabbing. He needed his energy to get him off of him.
Then Finn made a grab for the revolver.
Neil saw the opportunity and took it, pushing both of his legs against the ground, lifting his lower body, and toppling Finn over. Neil finally managed to swing his fist and land a hefty punch to his opponent’s kidney. Finn flinched in pain, so Neil did it again and again. Finally, Finn collapsed.
Neil scrambled out from under him, but Finn was still laying on his lower body and legs. It was like trying to come out from under a boulder.
Finn flung his arm back, and his fleshy knuckles hit Neil in the temple just as he was trying to sit up. The hit made Neil see stars, and he sank back.
Looking for help, Neil turned his head, but Paul had his work cut out. He was fighting two men at the same time. So far, he was holding his own, but the nasty gash above his brow didn’t look good, and his body seemed to be getting tired, too.
Neil knew he had to do it alone.
He pulled up all his strength to punch Finn again, but what he hadn’t accounted for was Finn’s surprising agility despite his size. Neil swung his fist to punch him, but Finn rolled out of the way and grabbed the revolver.
In the next second, Finn laid on his back with both arms stretched out toward Neil as he pointed his own gun at him. Neil froze. Finn struggled to come up onto his feet, still aiming straight at him.
“I’ve beat you now!” Finn exclaimed with a breathless laugh. His face shimmered with sweat in the flickering light of the burning wagon, and it pulled into a menacing smile when he pulled back the hammer and pointed the barrel at Neil.
“I never thought I’d have the chance to actually finish you, Albright,” Finn said with a wild look in his eyes. “I’ve tried to fight you in every way possible, yet this is how it’ll end. What a marvelous finale indeed!” Finn laughed as if he were the devil himself.
Then something hit Finn so hard his laugh died on his lips, his eyes went awry, and his whole body went limp.
He sank to his knees with a forceful thud, and the revolver slid from his unmoving fingers.
He didn’t lose consciousness, but a trail of blood trickled from his left temple and spilled over his yellow vest.
Neil looked up and saw a figure appear as she stepped out behind Neil, holding up another large rock in her hand.
Poppy’s sweaty face was blackened from the soot of the fire. Her hair was a wild mess, waving around her head in the wind created by the wild flames, but her eyes were as fierce as Neil had ever seen them.
“You’ll never win!” she said to Finn as she stepped next to him. “God does not favor evil!”