He pressed his lips together. Yes, she’d been right about Zed’s motives, but this was hardly the time to tell him ‘I told you so.’
“When I had the club attacked, I definitely wanted her gutted then, however. Her and that backstabbing American.” Molly cracked her neck and stared at Colleen, her eyes as flat as a dead fish’s. “You shouldn’t have threatened to dismiss me. You shouldn’t have insulted me so.”
Colleen’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t insult you. I rebuked you, and it was well-deserved. You can’t kill someone over a well-deserved rebuke.”
Max shifted closer to the man holding Colleen, closer to the knife. “Don’t bother arguing with a madwoman. You’ll never win.”
“I’m rich, beautiful, and powerful.” Molly shrugged gracefully. “I believe I would be called eccentric rather than mad. Now,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “I know how much you enjoy fire. Don’t you think Mrs. Bonner would look lovely all aglow?”
Before Max could stop her, Molly stooped over and touched the flame to Colleen’s skirts.
“No!” Max roared, jerking forwards.
Colleen kicked out, her boot knocking the candle from Molly’s hand and catching the lunatic on her shoulder.
Molly fell to the ground, her rear end hitting the floor hard. She narrowed her eyes. “Cut her throat!”
The world slowed. Max saw the blade inch towards Colleen’s neck, but he was too far away to stop it, too sluggish. A side door banged open, and Max didn’t care if it were friend or foe coming through. He stared into Colleen’s deep blue eyes, drowning in their depths.
She blinked, and the world snapped into motion. Colleen twisted, grabbing the man’s wrist, using her body weight to pull his arm down.
Max kicked Molly aside. Seeing the knife arc back towards Colleen’s neck, he grabbed the blade, putting a barrier between it and her skin. Ignoring the sting to his palm and fingers, he wrenched the assailant’s arm up and pulled Colleen away.
There was a shout, a pistol fired, but Max focused on pounding the man beneath him unconscious. When the man went limp, Max tossed him aside and whirled to face his next challenge. St. Katherine’s had filled, men pouring in from every entrance, a battle royal between Molly’s men and the Crown’s. Energy flooded his body and his limbs screamed for action. Max’s gaze found Colleen, huddled in a pew next to an unconscious body, safe from the fray.
A man he didn’t recognize rushed past, and Max grabbed the back of his collar and throttled him to the ground. One stomp to the jaw later, and he turned for the next target.
Summerset rolled past him down the aisle.
Max gave him a hand up. “You took your bloody time getting here.”
“Zed has a fucking army out there.” Summerset brushed dirt off his sleeve. “The man had us pinned down from every direction.”
“Woman.” Max shoulder-checked Summerset as a foot soldier took aim at his friend from the altar. Max leveled his own pistol and took the man down. “Zed is Molly from The Black Rose.”
Summerset stumbled. “What? You must be joking.”
Sweeping the leg of a man battling with Montague, Max shook his head. “I wish I were. But our criminal mastermind is none other than the chit who likes to whip men till they beg.” Max spun, looking for his next opponent. “We were all just too blind to see it.”
“I did say it could be a woman.” Summerset looked over Max’s shoulder, his eyes going wide, and threw his blade. A body thumped to the floor behind Max.
“But you didn’t actually believe it.”
Summerset shrugged, and they both turned and engaged more opponents.
The fight wound down. Liverpool’s men began dragging out those still living of Zed’s army. Shaking the sting from his cut hand, Max zeroed in on the mastermind herself, standing behind a table on the altar.
“Now do you believe it’s over?” Max asked. He and his friends stepped forwards, forming a wall. “Put down your weapon, woman, and give yourself up. There’s no other option.”
She circled the table. Her hand was steady as she swung a pistol in a line between Max and his friends. “There are several options available, you just don’t see them. I do.”
“Only one of them ends with you walking out of here alive.” Max took a step forwards, hand outstretched. “Give me the gun.”
“Careful,” Rothchild said. He raised his own weapon, joining Montague and Summerset in leveling on Molly. But Max could read the hesitation in their eyes. They’d faced much bloodshed in battle, but never had they shot a woman. Hurting one went against their nature, even if she was a crime lord.
Max took another step. “Molly, you’re an intelligent woman. Think in the long term. Surrendering now is your best option.”
She tilted her head. “Oh, I have thought of all my options. In the second it took you to come that one step closer, every possibility has flown across my mind. There is only one choice I’ll be happy with.” She smiled and threw her shoulders back, tipping her chin up high. “Inflicting as much damage as possible before I go down.”
