“Are you all right?” Mary dragged her eyes from the evil man to look at her friend.
“I am, and I’m very sorry, Mary, I wasn’t thinking clearly, and they got me just as I was leaving my carriage. I wanted to reach you as soon as I could, you see, and didn’t take time to look around me.”
“No apologies needed, I didn’t see it coming either.
“Be quiet.” Francine nudged her with a boot.
“What’s this about? Why us?” Mary asked.
“Revenge. Falcon wants you to pay for foiling his plans,” Moulin said. “Our revenge has taken time to put in place, but now we have the names of all those who brought about his downfall, we are ready to make you pay.”
“Caldwell,” Monty said suddenly. The surprise on Moulin’s face told Mary he was right.
“Is Caldwell one of us?” Mary said.
“It would seem that way, my dear,” Monty said.
Moulin shrugged, which suggested he didn’t care that Caldwell’s cover in Alexius had just been blown.
“Falcon murdered people. Surely it is us that should be seeking revenge,” Monty said. “He is a sick and depraved man. We did the world a favor by incarcerating him.”
“He is our leader!” Moulin roared. “We will get him released.”
“So, you did everything he told you to do, like a puppet, including murdering those women and leaving his mark?” Mary asked. “Because you believe his mad ideas for a return to the old ways. Fools,” she muttered.
“I will leave a mark on you as I did the others,” Moulin sneered.
She had to survive this. Had to get back to Zach. These two would not hesitate to kill and had done so before. Mary and Monty must outmaneuver them somehow. Fear was turning the blood in her veins to ice.
Focus, Mary.
“Tie their hands, Francine,” Moulin said as the carriage started moving. “We are going on a trip.”
“I’m hoping it’s to the coast. I could do with some sea air,” Monty said, sounding unruffled at the prospect they were being held at gunpoint and likely driven to their deaths.
“Be quiet!” Francine snapped.
“So, you are doing all this for a man who is in prison and will never be released?” Mary asked.
“You will meet your death because he has manipulated you,” Monty added.
“He will make France great again!” Francine said.
Clearly, Alexius hadn’t kept a close enough eye on Falcon if this was what he’d been hatching from Newgate. Caldwell too had fooled them all.
“You’re gullible fools,” Monty said, “and will pay with your lives. Falcon cares nothing for either of you. Like all the players in his game, you are both just pawns and will likely end up dead too.”
“It is not us who will die,” Moulin said.
“Oh, you’ll both die,” Monty said. “Falcon does not like loose ends.”
Mary sat beside her friend, wondering if she was going to die today. It was a terrifying thought on any day, but knowing she had a life to look forward to with Zach, even more so.
She wanted a life with him. Wanted to argue over their toast in the morning about politics and poetry and kiss him whenever she wished. Mary loved Zachariel Deville so much it was a pain in her chest, and if these two succeeded, he’d never know that, as she’d not told him.
“I don’t want to die, Monty,” she whispered.
“Then we shall do our best to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
