Chapter
Seventeen
WILLOW
“Hi-ho,hi-ho, it’s off to murder we go!” I sing as Atlas pulls through the back gate of Briar’s home and into the yard. We’ll make sure to keep the noise down, but I’ve heard her stories about the Widows.
No one is saving these assholes.
“Epic song, Hummingbird,” Atlas grins, turning off the engine once he’s parked. “Let’s go show Briar her present.”
Hopping out of the vehicle, I grin as I see our omegas walk into the backyard to greet us. The privacy fence surrounds us, and it’ll make for a great kill zone.
“Hi,” I say, smiling happily.
“You look like the cat who ate the canary,” Jude grins, hugging me as they reach me.
“I feel like I did,” I giggle. “Are you ready to see your surprise, Briar?”
Atlas opens the tailgate, grabs someone’s foot and yanks him out, uncaring when the dickhead hits his head.
“I’m not sorry about that,” Atlas grunts. His strong arms continue to toss Briar’s stepfathers out of the bed of the truck, as if they were no more than bothersome tree trunks.
I love this mountain man so fucking much. Briar’s face remains curious until she walks to the back of the truck and looks down. Recognizing them, she screams and kicks one of them in the head.
Shuffling back, Jude catches her as she almost trips. She’s pale, and looks like she just saw ghosts from her past.
“They can’t hurt you,” I remind her gently. “They’re just waking up from the sedative Atlas and I administered. We’re going to make sure they can never hurt you again, baby. Atlas found them with Lark’s help.”
“This is the best and scariest surprise ever,” Briar breathes, watching as our alpha lifts the bodies and deposits them in the middle of the yard to give us room to work. Atlas is amazing with rope and zip ties. It makes me wet just remembering how well he tied them up for the long trip back. “Can we make a bonfire with their bodies?”
“Absolutely,” I say immediately. “A pyre of shitty stepfathers sounds fantastic.”
Jude’s lips press together to keep from chuckling, while I skip to the front of the truck to pull out my kill bag.
“I got new stakes for camping,” Briar muses. “I think that would be a great way to lay them out, don’t you think?”
“Ooh. I love that. Yes, please,” I reply.
I grin as Briar turns and jogs back into the house, watching closely as she shakes out her anxious, trembling hands.
“I’m on it,” Jude grunts, already feeling my concern.
“Thank you. Maybe this was too much,” I admit.
Turning to face me as he walks backward, I watch as he nimbly avoids any debris on the ground. He’s still the mostgraceful person I’ve ever seen, even if his leg is sometimes stiff where it was broken.
“No, she’s just surprised. I’ll tell her she can watch until she’s ready to join you two in your torture,” he says. “Don’t kill them too quickly, baby.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
I’m still concerned, but I’ll trust that Jude knows what he’s talking about. By the time they return, Briar appears a little more settled, and helps me stake out her stepfathers.
“You killed my son, you stupid bitch,” Buck growls. Atlas brought me up to speed on each of the despicable alphas in Pack Barns, and I can’t see a single redeemable quality in the bunch.
“He deserved it,” I grunt for Briar.
“You packed up with some crazy assholes,” Mitch snarls, trying to get away as Briar hammers in the stake. Thankfully, it rained recently and the soil isn’t too dry. The stakes keep his bound hands in place beautifully, and I notice that Briar’s body relaxes with each swing of her mallet.
