When I move to step towards Fiona, Mom puts a hand on my arm and shakes her head.
“Consider it done.” Knight walks towards Daria.
“And Knight—”
He turns back to Fiona.
“—don’t come back here without them.”
He nods.
Fiona dismisses him, turning her attention to Maddox. “I told you to get rid of them.”
“And I told you that was impossible. You know your man. The whole family is as stubborn as he is. They aren’t going to go because I tell them to.”
“It’s suicide,” she pleads with him.
“Fea, you have to know they’d prefer to die at our side than walk away. But whatever it is, we can handle it.”
She shakes her head and turns to Mom. “Can you?”
“No, honey, I can’t. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. Running away from a monster doesn’t work. Eventually, he catches up with you. It’s better to stand and fight with people who are prepared than to run and hide.”
“What if they hurt Hope or Milia?”
The sound of a chopper stops the conversation.
We all turn and watch it land in the middle of Willow Street. Payne and Vex step out armed to the teeth, looking like death in human form.
“Where is he?” Vex shouts.
Fiona grabs my arm and pulls me away from the group.
Finally.
“Tesoro mio, what’s—”
“Do you love me?”
That feels more like an accusation than a question. “You know I do.”
“Then take your family and leave.”
“Fine.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “I was afraid you’d refuse.”
“No. I can be a reasonable man. You’re afraid. I get that. You tell them what you know, and then we’re out of here.”
“What? No. I can’t leave.”
“You asked me to take my family and go. You’re my family. So if we go, you go. That’s how it works.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t run away. Not this time. Not again.”
“Then we stay. All of us. That’s how it works with family.” I brush a hair away from her face.
“I can’t let you stay. I can’t let them hurt your family. Because that’s who he’ll target first. He won’t go for you. He’ll go for your women and children. He’ll hurt them and send their bodies back to you. Or worse, he’ll keep them. You hope that he sends their bodies back because being dead is better than being owned by that man.”
