Page 60 of His Hostage

She takes another breath and aims at a bird house in the corner of the property. She pulls the trigger, and the splinters go flying.

“There. That’s how you shoot a gun,” she says, walking back inside.

“Well, fuck me,” Jeffco whispers.

“I think we’re ready,” I say, patting him on the back.

“We leave in the morning,” Iago says.

I can only hope she stays.

24

Caroline

Tensions are high when you’re stuck with this many men in a house, under the threat of a terrifying gang from south of the border.

Before we leave, I practice my marksmanship some more, until I feel like I’m truly ready. Rowan is there with me the whole time.

I have to admit, our relationship has turned into something pretty unexplainable. I can’t put my finger on what we are, but it’s something much worse than Bonnie & Clyde.

When we leave, the rest of the gang protests to come with, but Iago warns them this isn’t a war we can currently win.

“They’re out for blood, and they have a good amount of men. Do we have more? Yeah, we do. But I’d rather make sure all of you live to see the light of day. The more men we can gather, the better. By the end of this, we’ll have a full-blown army. How does that sound to you?” he asks.

“Sounds like you’re scared we’ll lose this thing,” one of the men says. “I’d rather not lose the captain of our gang. If one of us has to go, send me instead. I’ll gladly give my life for the rest of my brothers.”

“Here, here,” some of the men say in agreement. The rest grumble and smoke their cigarettes.

Iago shakes his head. “I need you to keep the machine going. No police activity right now. We can’t take

the heat. Keep the wheels clean. We need food, more weapons, and as much supplies as we can get. This could get ugly. I’m talking about surgical kits, grenades, and anything else you can think of,” he says.

The men nod in agreement. “This is how you prepare for battle, boys,” Rowan says. “The fun part is on the horizon.”

The fun part…

“We’ll light those bastards up!” one of the men yells. Some of the guys laugh. Some stay silent.

“We’re headed out,” Iago says. “Keep the fort safe. I wouldn’t put it past Kaine to try and pull a fast one, despite the measures we’ve put in place.”

When we step outside, the sun is brighter than I’ve ever seen it so far, and I realize this is the first time in a good while that I’ve been outside in daylight, in a long time.

We get in the car and head in the opposite direction, toward the elusive Hell Squadron, wherever they may be.

“The guys don’t think I can fight,” I tell them.

“You’ve got a lot to prove, unfortunately.” Iago says. “You’re wearing a dress. They’re not used to that kind of thing. Around here, run things a little differently.”

“It’s the only clothes I have,” I tell them. “This and that fucking pair of lingerie.”

“Lingerie?” Jeffco asks.

Rowan looks at Jeffco with annoyance. “Shut up.”

“I thought ahead on that. There’re some jeans in that bag next to you,” Iago says. “They’re my ex’s clothes. You have a similar figure. They should fit.”

“I’m not going to put them on in front of you guys,” I say.

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