“I’m Theo, that’s Rhys and we have two more waiting for us to give the signal to join the attack; Alex and Ollie,” I answer, taking charge of the situation. “Who are you?” I figure if we can get on a first name basis with these people, the faster we can build a rapport and convince them to help us.
The shotgun lowers a little. “Ollie? You have Liv with you?” I can hear the fragile hope and astonishment in his voice.
“You’re her brother, Tobias?” I ask, putting the pieces together and praying that I’m right because this’ll make shit so much easier.
“Yeah,” the guy croaks before cursing. “She left the cottage and came after me? Is she safe?”
“She’s fine and yes, she came after you. She’s a determined little thing,” Rhys replies, his voice filled with affection for her.
I repress a grin. He’s so far gone for her, it’s not even funny. I don’t understand how he can deny something so obvious.
Tobias curses again and shakes his head. “Then why—”
“Rhys!” Jerri, Rhys’s ex-wife, cries, causing him to jerk as she rushes at him. She looks awful; her face is gaunt and smeared with dirt and blood and her blue eyes are dull and haunted. “I knew you’d come for me!” She wraps herself around him like a monkey and presses her face into his chest.
He grimaces. “Glad to see you’re still alive.” He awkwardly pats her shoulder while looking at me pleadingly.
My lips twitch at his pained expression, but I take pity on him. “Come on, Jerri, let the poor man go. We have shit to do if we want to get out of this place in one piece,” I say as I pry her off him.
She blinks up at me then scowls as if remembering who I am. “Don’t touch me,” she hisses as she wrenches away from my grip.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Her time with the Scourge hasn’t lessened her hatred of me.
“Tobias, do you think you could rally the people in here to join us and fight back against the guards?” Rhys asks, getting straight back to the reason we’re in this stinking warehouse while Jerri huddles next to him and glares at me.
Ollie’s brother glances at the people still hiding in the shadows behind him before nodding. “Yeah, I think so. We have several men and women who are strong and capable enough to help fight back against the guards.”
“Give me numbers.”
“About ten people.”
That’s a lower number than we were expecting, but better than nothing.
Rhys nods. “Okay. Start organising everyone. I want any who can’t fight to stay in here with at least one capable fighter guarding them.”
“Yes, sir,” Tobias quips with a similar sass to Ollie.
It makes me smile and my heart ache at the same time. I hope she and Alex are safe.
“Rachel!” he calls and a tall, muscular woman steps out from the shadows, holding a shotgun with the same easy confidence that Rhys has with his own rifle. Everything about her, from the way she holds herself to the grim determination on her face, screams ex-military.
As Tobias and Rachel talk amongst themselves and begin organising the other captives, Rhys strides over to me, ignoring Jerri as she stays glued to his side. “We should signal Alex and Ollie and get this party star—”
He’s cut off from finishing when shouts and shots echo outside of the warehouse. Rhys and I share horrified looks because there’s only one reason guards would be shouting and shooting.
Alex and Ollie have been discovered.
Best Laid Plans
Alex
Nerves are getting thebetter of Ollie.
She can barely stay still next to me, tapping her fingers on her thighs or bouncing on her feet as we crouch in the woods opposite the front gate to the camp. Several metres to our right, Bean munches contentedly, not at all fussed by the tension in the air. Harlow, however, is just as anxious as Ollie, panting beside us as she paces back and forth.
“Don’t you think they should have sent us the signal by now?” Ollie asks, her voice wavering with concern.
“We still have at least ten more minutes before we need to worry,” I say, trying to stay calm for the both of us, even though my guts are in knots and I’m sick to my stomach.
