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“Look, I’m glad we’ve all cleared the air now, and I’m more than willing to admit I fucked up. But I’d really like for my sisters to go home now. You can do whatever you want with me as penance, but you need to let them go. Please.” I always knew there might be a chance of this. I had prepared for it, prepared the girls for it too. But now that it was here, I realized it was going to be harder than I thought. “Just let them go.”
I met Avery’s gaze, and she mouthed something to me. I narrowed my eyes, watching her mouth more closely.Mila.
I nodded my head.Yes. Find Mila. They knew the plan.
But Avery frowned, shook her head, and looked over my shoulder. I turned around to see Tybalt dragging Mila into the room, kicking and protesting.
Not her too. I just needed to stay calm and in control of the situation. If I was lucky, I’d be able to get all three of them out safely. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as I could get them out.
Laura laughed once more. I never wanted to hear that sound ever again. “Oh, good, now we’re all here. We just need to wait for Luke.”
“Just sit the fuck down! God.” Tybalt forced Mila into a chair. She twisted and spat at his feet. His face had a big scratch mark across it, red and raised. She was pissed, but I didn’t feel sorry for Tybalt in the slightest. The dick deserved it, and then some.
I looked around the room. I could probably take one of them before they took me down, but that meant choosing between my sisters and Mila. An impossible choice. Would my sisters be able to survive without myself or Mila?
“I can hear your brain working from here, and no, sorry, there’s no way out of this for you.” Luke’s voice cut through my thoughts. I balled my hands into fists. “God, I love the look on your face now that you realize what’s happening.”
I turned to glare at Luke, maskless but in his black hoodie. There was no room for games or make-believe anymore. We had been playing pretend since the beginning of the Collapse, and now that was over. “If you’ve known all along, why didn’t you do something sooner?”
He shrugged, smirking. “More entertaining this way. Life has gotten pretty boring with the Collapse. I wanted to see how far you would take it, and apparently it was pretty damn far. I hadn’t expected you to actually hide your sisters on site, so it was a delightful surprise Laura shared with me last night. And Hannah, pregnant! How wonderful for us. Too bad you won’t be around to share in the bounty.”
My nails dug into my palms. With or without me, my sisters and Mila were getting out of here, and then I was going to watch this place collapse to the ground.
“Don’t worry,Ray. We’ll take good care of your sisters for you. They’ll be safe and sound here.” Luke smiled at my sisters over my shoulders. My blood boiled under my skin. “Hannah will be tested and taken over to the pregnancy wing. And Mila, of course, will be available for choosing tonight. I’m sure Dogberry will be very, very gentle with her.” Luke licked his lips and laughed.
No. No. No. This wasn’t happening, not after so much careful planning. I looked out of the corner of my eyes, trying to figure out who I could take out first. Dogberry was closer, but if I could free Mila, she could help me get the girls out of here. I caught Mila’s eye. She gave me the briefest of head shakes.No.
I knew what she was doing, because I was doing the same thing. Sacrificing herself for the innocent lives who still had a chance. My heart broke, but I knew what I needed to do. I sighed, looking up at Luke. “I understand. I failed the Kingsnakes. My own emotions got in the way, and I was a fool.”
He nodded. “I appreciate your apology. Unfortunately, the transgressions you committed mean immediate dismissal.”
Dismissal, otherwise known as death. Horror tied up in pretty packaging, just like everything else in this life. “What are you waiting for then?” I asked, throwing my arms out to the side. “Dismiss me now.”
“That’s not how we work, Ray.” He laughed and gave me an indulgent smile. “Your brothers should be here soon. We’ll deal with your dismissal together. I would take advantage of this time to say your goodbyes.”
My goodbyes. I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. And Luke was still watching me carefully. I needed to wait for my moment.
Laura sighed dramatically. “Shame, really. I was hoping to get my chance with him.”
Tybalt spoke up for the first time since disciplining a still-glaring Mila. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You can still have me.”
“Ugh, fine.” I watched her shiver at the thought. “What aretheydoing here?”
We all followed her gaze up the stairs to where the rest of the girls stood huddled, watching the drama unfold. I couldn’t say I blamed them. Luke turned his attention to them, scolding the girls as if they were children. But I needed to use this distraction. I ignored everyone and walked over to my sisters. I knelt down in front of them, wrapping them both in my arms, and bringing them as close to me as I could with Dogberry’s tight grasp on them.
“I love you guys. You know the drill.” I couldn’t choke. Not now. I needed to get them safely out of the motel. We had practiced this scenario, this position before. They knew what to do.
“But, Ray,” Avery whispered.
I shook my head. We didn’t have the space for doubt. I had trained them in survival as much as education. They were more ready than they realized. I just hoped I was, too. “On my count,” I whispered back. I glanced up at Dogberry, still distracted by Luke yelling at the girls. “One.”
Avery looked unsure, her gray eyes wavering with emotion. But she still spoke the word. “Two.”
I slowly made my way up from a crouch, giving Ella a nod.
“Three,” she whispered.
As I jumped to my feet, multiple things happened in rapid succession.
First, Luke demanded the girls come downstairs to be punished, creating a flood of people swarming into the common room.
Second, the rest of the brothers arrived at the front door, blocking my sisters’ easiest exit to freedom.
And third, everyone froze when I snapped Dogberry’s neck with an audible crack.
