Page 155 of War and his Queen

Twigs and stones bite into my skin as I force myself to my knees, glaring up to the man beside Candyman.

I hate that name.

Katsia curls herself into a ball when she’s beside me, her arms locked around her knees as tremors shiver through her frail body. She was in a bad way. Locked away for a week while they did whatever it was that they wanted, I’d be surprised if she made it through the night. That could have been River. My stomach forces bile up my throat when images of River being the one beside me right now flick through my head.

Better Katsia than her.

I touch her gently, her skin cold. “It’s okay.”

She shoves me away. “I—”

“Shh.” I don’t know what’s happening. All I know is that there are three men towering over us, two clearly younger than the others, but still maybe five years older than me.

Candyman pops a lollipop in his mouth. “I will accept your offer for a trade, but only if you drop that one off on her island. Her job here is done.” He flicks his wrist at Katsia before kneeling in front of me. “It has been swell, but would you believe, there is someone who is more important than even you? Never thought I’d see the day that happens.”

He stands to his full height. “If you so happen to so much as breathe a word of this, I won’t just come for River, I’ll have Evie taken care of too. You know I have the means to do it.” The glare he gives me is pure evil. “You know I will.”

He's letting me leave?

It can’t be.

He turns his back to me and disappears through the clearing of trees with one of the younger boys tucked beneath his arm.

No. No. No.

One of the men opposite lowers his height to me. “Let’s get you home, our little leverage.”

Now

I blow out a deep breath with the final memory. “That was Nina’s family, wasn’t it? The men who saved me? They were from Thornhill?”

Pop smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Dad gives me one last squeeze, before the shadow of his anger ripples its way back to his chair. “Halen.” His voice breaks at the end. He’s trying hard to conceal the pain in his eyes for me. “I love you, baby, but your pop—”

“No.” My whole body tenses. “It wasn’t him, Dad. Candyman.”

“His name is Callihan Leon,” Pop whispers through the ashtray of his throat.

“He hashelped. Not just me, but… Wait.” I shake my head, peeling myself away from War, who hesitates. My eyes bounce around the room. The mixed emotions that have been weighing the tension in the room are displayed over everyone's face.

I straighten. “I don’t want anyone’s pity. This here, I don’t want this. It happened, I got out, I dealt with it, and now we’re fixing it! Do not shed a single fucking tear for me.” I push away from War, finally wobbling to my feet and heading for the door.

I’ve told them what I needed to. I have no more to give.

I pull the door open and my eyes land on Eloise. She’s curled into the corner of the hall, her frail arms struggling to keep her knees up to her chest.

Air rushes out of my lungs. “Come with me.” I give her my hand and her eyes lighten when she sees it’s me. Before I can say anything else, she pushes up from the ground and rushes for me.

I catch her in my arms. “Are you ready to go home? To your real home?”

She steps back, swiping the tears off her cheeks. “Yes.”

I lean down to her eye level. “I have your journal.”

Her mouth opens a little. “What journal?”

“You know, the letters?” I search the blues of her eyes. “I found them in the back of a car.”

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