The door was yanked open, and I exited first, bringing Billie with me. I hadn’t been able to see her in the dark, but when her face was visible in the low light filtering through the windows of the house, it was apparent that she’d stopped crying, a newfound determination in her expression.
“Ready to run?” I whispered.
She nodded resolutely, and Rhett and Flo did the same. We were only a few steps from the door, so I picked up the pace, keeping a hand on Billie to make sure she didn’t fall behind. She kept pace easily though, and when we got the door open, I breathed deeply as icy air hit us. None of us were dressed to be out in the winter like this, but there was, thankfully, no snow, so my feet wouldn’t freeze off. Not immediately anyway.
The light was minimal, but I knew the path to the barn, having taken it twenty times recently. Grayson had said to get out into the field, but there were coats in the barn, and I couldn’t let Billie run off into the night without a jacket. She was dressed in pajamas that, while long, were not made of heavy material.
“I’ll get the jackets,” Rhett said, clearly picking up on my intentions. “You take the girls out into the field and as far from the house as possible.”
“Rhett, no,” Billie and Florence both said at the same time.
“No point in all of us getting killed for jackets,” he continued.
His gaze met mine, and his eyes were imploring me to understand. “Okay,” I told him. “Don’t fuck around. Get the jackets and get out.”
“Understood.”
He continued to the barn, and I changed directions, heading for the paddock. More shouts and gunfire rang out behind us, but I didn’t look back. With Billie under one arm and Florence at my side, I had responsibilities right here.
Save the girls and then go back for my band.
twenty
JACE
The field was dark enough that I had to slow our pace. There was no way to know what fucking obstacles might be out here, including potholes and some very large horses that were no doubt spooked by the distant gunfire. At this rate, I wouldn’t need to find the neighbors. Sound traveled miles in the country, and they’d probably heard the shots already and called someone in. Right? Or was that not something country folk worried about?
“Are they going to be okay?” Florence sobbed when we were a few hundred yards from the shed. “Should we go back for them?”
“We should,” Billie bit out.
Flo growled. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up. This is all your damn fault. You brought this shit into our lives, you selfish little cun—”
“Florence!” I barked. “Stop lashing out just because you’re scared. You and I both know you don’t believe that shit, it’s just Tom in your head.”
She blanched, looking like she’d swallowed her own tongue. Then her gaze dropped guiltily to the ground. “Shit,” she whispered. “You’re right, Jace. I… fucking hell, I’m sorry Billie. I really didn’t mean that, I just got so used to Tom constantly talking shit about you, it’s like he brainwashed me. I know this isn’t your fault, and honestly I am choking on my own guilt for selling you out.”
Tom Tucker was such a fucking snake.
“It’s fine,” Billie replied quietly, giving a tight smile. “We’re both scared. I can forgive some name calling.” Why did her forgiveness strike a cord in my heart?
“You’re unquestionably a bigger woman than me, Billie Bellerose,” Flo muttered, “I’d have probably punched me right in the tw—"
She never got to finish that sentence as a bright light lit up around us and two black-clad men appeared as if by fucking magic. Before I could shout or initiate an attack, one dove forward and wrapped his arms around Florence. My yell echoed into the night as he pulled out a blade, and in the split second it took me to react, he slid it across her throat. Silencing her screams.
Blood cascaded down her front, spilling out of her far faster than anyone could survive.
Our eyes met, hers that had been filled with life now dull, and I shouted her name into the night right as she whispered “Jace,”then dropped lifeless to the ground.
Screams rang in my ear along with a clanging sound as I tried to process what the fuck just happened. The shadowy figures lunged for us, and I shoved Billie behind me on instinct, realizing she was screaming so loudly my head rang.
Screaming Florence’s name. Sobbing for my fallen friend. My sister.
“No! Florence!Fuck!” I raged, losing all conscious thought as I raced toward the closest attacker and slammed my fist into his face so hard that I felt bones crunch. A scrape of his blade crossed my right bicep, but it was a scratch, doing nothing to slow me. I hit him again and again, while red hot rage drove me to murderous new heights.
When the first one was motionless on the ground, I hit the second and knocked him down too, before turning to see where Billie was... just in time to catch sight of a third person approaching right behind her. “Billie,” I shouted. “Run toward me, Rose.”
She obeyed instantly, sprinting my way when a fist slammed into my side. The second guy from before was back in the game, and he was fighting with his fists this time, having lost or abandoned the blade.
