Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Blue, as promised,” Girard says, making a sweeping gesture toward her father in the cage. “Vengeance shall be yours.”
She shifts her gaze to her father then back to Girard and I see the furrow between her brows. She hates her father. She wanted to kill him. But wanting it, saying you want it, is very different to doing it. To witnessing such an act.
She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t see this.
“What are you going to do to him?” she asks.
Girard is about to take a step toward the patio. “Why what you wanted, of course. Now, come.”
I clear my throat. “She doesn’t need to witness what you’re going to do,” I say, knowing what’s coming.
Girard turns to me. “But she got all dressed up for the occasion,” he says, gesturing to Blue’s gown.
“You can’t…” Blue starts, glancing at the block, her voice higher pitched in her panic as the reality of what’s coming dawns on her. “You can’t cut off—”
“She’ll cause a scene. She’ll ruin your live stream,” I say.
“Of course she won’t. She’ll behave herself. She understands now, don’t you Blue?”
“She’s not Society. She’ll spoil it and a hysterical woman, a stranger who isn’t one of us, will detract from your message. Look at her. Ines is Society royalty. Blue,” I shrug my shoulders and shake my head as I let my gaze sweep over her. “She’s nothing.”
I see the hurt on Blue’s face, but I don’t make eye contact with her. I can’t. I need Girard to change his mind. She can’t bear witness to the brutality coming. Even if she has some idea, she doesn’t understand what it’s like to see something like this. Better my words wound her briefly. Seeing her father executed will leave a permanent scar.
“It’ll only detract from your message. Take the spotlight off what Councilor Augustus has coming to him,” I double down.
Girard considers. Sighs. “You’re right. You only get one shot on the block, don’t you? Put her in one of the bedrooms.”
The Soldier nods and Blue struggles as he takes her out of the room. “No! Wait!”
“Shame,” Girard says as they disappear down a hall. I don’t follow their progress. I can’t take a chance he’ll change his mind.
Head held high, Girard walks with Ines toward the door that leads to the patio. Before they get outside though, Ines stops. I follow her line of vision and see she’s looking at Augustus’s men.
“What is it, my dear?” Girard asks her, his tone different with her. Gentler.
“That one. Maurice.” That’s all she needs to say. Her eyes water then narrow as she steels herself.
I recognize Maurice. He was the one holding Blue down when the Councilor was beating his wife.
Girard’s expression darkens and a moment later, Maurice is pulled to his feet and dragged a few feet from the stage, just out of the camera’s line of vision. There, he is pushed to his knees and, before my brain fully processes what is about to happen and without any ceremony at all, a soldier places the barrel of his gun to the back of his head and pulls the trigger.
The sound of the bullet shooting a hole through his skull resonates through the house. No one flinches. Not even Ines. Maurice falls face-down, flat on the ground.
“Better?” Girard asks Ines as if he’s asking a child he dotes on if her ice cream cone suffices.
She nods, and I can imagine the things Maurice may have done to her as one of Augustus’s soldiers.
Girard leads Ines to the first row of chairs across from where the branded men sit. He takes a seat beside her. He’s smiling like he’s waiting for a fucking movie to start. All he needs is a tub of popcorn and the scene would be complete.
Jericho and I are handed red cloaks. I glance down the hallway where they took Blue.
“Don’t,” my brother says. “We need to see this through. It’s better she’s back there and not here.”
I nod. He’s right. Jericho shrugs into his cloak and I do the same. Once they’re on, we’re led outside and seated in the second row of seats behind the branded men.
“Bring Mr. Thorne,” Girard says.
Blue’s father is pulled out of the cage and thrown to the ground before he’s hauled up and shoved toward Girard. His clothes are dirty and his face bloody. I’m not sure if that was Augustus’s men or Girard’s but it doesn’t matter. This is the end of the road for Un-Lucky Thorne.
“Knees,” Girard says, face hard, no ceremonial tone. He’s saving that for Augustus.
The guard pushes Blue’s father to his knees.
“You, Mr. Thorne, are a thief. And today is the day that the scales will be balanced. It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?” He holds eye contact with the kneeling man, but a small nod of his head gives the soldier at Lucky’s back the order he needs. I notice Ines hasn’t even bothered to turn around. She’s staring straight ahead at the block when the gunshot goes off and, much like Maurice, Lucky goes down.