I walk right through the front gate with Hans and Dad by my side. James will stay hidden so they won’t know he’s still alive. His guards scatter and rush around, trying to find the right thing to do. It’s chaos and I love it.
The smell of gunpowder and smoke fill the dry air. I hear doors slamming and heavy footsteps running. I look around the marbled foyer and smile. I’m inside and Shiloh is somewhere in the house.
My men enter behind me, splitting up to find the girls and Marcus. They are quick and quiet as they swarm the house.
Shiloh may have thought she was protecting me but that’s not her job. I will protect her, even if it needs to be from herself.
chapter thirty-four
shiloh
FROM THE ATTIC window, I see the stone walls around the estate explode and collapse. It’s a domino effect: a big flash then walls crumble down the line until the house is completely exposed. A ring of fire surrounds the mansion. My heart pounds as black figures move in. We are under attack.
I turn and run back to the opening and drop into the hallway closet. My new guard will be coming for me. Just before I reach my bedroom door, one of my dad’s men grabs me.
“Come on.” He grunts. “I’m taking you to the boss.”
I struggle against his hold. That is the last place I want to be right now. My father is the target, and I don’t want to be anywhere near him. I doubt he will protect me. I no longer have that illusion that he is my father and cares about my well-being. I’m a tool, a pawn. Just days ago he was going to let me die.
The guard forces me down the hall, using his body to shield me from the other men in the house. I try to pull away and look around, but soon I’m being shoved into my father’s office. The door slams and automatically locks behind me.
Marcus Blackard sits at his desk. He looks calm and composed, like his home isn’t being raided right outside this door. I hear gunshots and the fire alarm going off.
I run for him and smack at his desk. I wish I could yell at him. I want to scream at him to run. We can’t just sit here. He ignores me, clicking away on his computer. Like he’s too good to fight back.
I rush to the door but it’s locked. Only my father’s fingerprint can open it.
“Explain to me why Pierce Gallo is in my home,” my dad asks. His voice is deathly low. I almost can’t hear him over the chaos just outside the door.
I turn to face him. Hearing Pierce’s name makes my chest tighten. The computer screen is turned toward me where I see surveillance feeds.
Pierce is here. He came for me.
“Was this your plan all along, Shiloh? Come back home just to let him come in and try to take what is mine?”
His voice is getting louder. He’s never raised his voice at me. That’s always reserved for the men that work for him or the ones that are against him.
No, Marcus Blackard never had any emotion for me.
“You’re not going anywhere, Shiloh. Sit down.”
I widen my eyes. There are armed men in our house and it’s on fire. He thinks I should sit? I shake my head as I approach his desk and take a marker. It doesn’t matter that I don’t have a voice because he wouldn’t listen to me anyway. I turn to the wall, making the letters big.
Please let me go.
I can smell smoke now, and the man that is supposed to love and protect me is trapping me. He shakes his head as he reads my words, quickly looking back at the computer screen.
“You think I am going to let the Gallos steal from me again? No. You sit your ass down.”
I turn to the wall again. My scribbles are angry and rushed. The room is starting to fill with smoke.
I am not yours. You do not own me.
This time he just laughs and continues to glare at the screen. I hear a scream and my heart stops. My sisters and Grandma are in the house. Instead of helping them, he keeps me locked in here like it’s some game of capture the flag.
I try one last time.
We will both die.
This time my dad does acknowledge me. My eyes fill with tears ready to fall.
“This is all your fault!” he screams at me. His face is red with anger. “I should have killed you weeks ago.”
I shake my head. He can’t mean that. I was his daughter.
“I wanted to kill you at that funeral. Show the Gallos what happens when you step on my territory, but Cyrus wanted to keep you.”
He glares at me with disgust and hatred. It stabs me in the heart. He didn’t change his mind because he had a change of heart. No, he did because of Cyrus.
I hear the faint sounds of shouting outside. The office is soundproof and the door is steel under thin panels of wood. No one will come for me in this room.
“You wanted to go be a whore and fuck that piece of shit. I hope it was worth it because it cost you your life!”
Only Marcus Blackard can destroy himself.
“This time, there’s no one to save you.”
Smoke pours in from the vents near the ceiling. Marcus stomps behind his desk and leans over to reach the top drawer. I know what’s in the drawer.
Silently and easily, I cross the room to stand behind him. He doesn’t hear me as he reaches for the gun. I reach into my bra where I hid the syringe that Amethyst gave me to just days before I came home.
I pull the cap off the needle with my teeth then shove it into his neck. Pushing the plunger, I inject poison in his veins. I jump back as he swings at me but his limbs go weak and he stumbles backward.
“You bitch,” he whispers.
I cough and watch as he slumps to the floor. The smoke tangles around me, reminding me I need to move. From a display case, I grab a knife with a golden blade. It’s similar to the one I was supposed to use on Pierce and Sarah.
I shove a chair against the wall and climb up the back. I use the knife to pry the vent off the wall. It slams to the floor near Marcus’s paralyzed body.
I wish it didn’t need to be this way.
I pull myself up and into the heating ducts. The house is large enough that its HVAC system is as large as an industrial-sized building. I have been navigating these vents for years.
I army crawl through the metal ducts. The smoke is thick, making my eyes water and my lungs burn. I know the ventilation systems by heart now, so I move from memory. I’ve listened to many meetings in that office from these vents.
Following the familiar path back to my bedroom, I punch out the grate and fall to the floor. I cough heavily and push myself back to my feet.
Incalescent (adj.) growing hotter of more ardent; set ablaze.
I stumble out of my room and hear the sounds of banging and screaming. I run to Poppy’s room and shove open the door. Inside, I find her cuffed to the bedpost.
“Shiloh! Get out!”
I rush to her, sliding on the floor to get close.
“You need to go! The house is on fire!”
I ignore her, reaching to my anklet. I break the chain and take the key off with shaking fingers. This saved a life once before, so the first thing I did when I returned was steal another key. I never allowed myself to be without the key or the syringe. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would need them both. I drop the key a few times before finally unlocking the cuffs.
Poppy is crying now. As soon as she is free, she lunges at me and wraps me in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
I nod and she pulls me to my feet. We run from her room and down the hall. The stairs are too thick with smoke, so we turn around.
“How are we going to get out?” Poppy asks as we run.
I take her to the linen closet, and I start to climb up, pushing open the access to the attic. Poppy follows behind me, and I run to the attic window.
We fling it open and gulp the fresh air. It smells like ash and burning wood but it’s breathable. I climb out, onto the roof of the garage. I point to the water pipe, directing Poppy to get down.
Men run around the yard, yelling commands at each other. They ar
en’t our men, but I’d rather take my chance with them than burn alive in that house. Poppy is halfway down when someone notices us.
“Is that her? Shiloh?” he yells.
Poppy looks up at me in confusion.
“Is that Shiloh? Come down. We got you,” he says.
A few other guys dressed in black rush over and help Poppy down. I pause at the edge of the roof, unsure who to trust.
I trusted my father. I trusted Cyrus.
“Shiloh.”
I trusted Pierce. Even as he stands in my backyard surrounded by smoke and flames. I trust him.
He came for me.
I climb down, jumping halfway. I’m caught and wrapped in familiar arms. I inhale his shirt, letting it wash away the burn of smoke.
“You okay?” he asks in my hair.
I nod and then we’re moving. He carries me to where Poppy waits, just outside where the walls once were. Our sisters, Ruby, Summer, and Rose, are there too, shaking and watching us with curious eyes.
“Get them out of here,” he tells someone.
“No! Let us go!” Summer shouts. She fights the hands that reaches for her.
I shake Pierce’s arm. He looks at me then tells his guys to back off. I can’t expect my sisters to trust these strangers. To them our dad is still their hero and these people are our enemies.
Only Poppy and I see the selfish monster that lurks underneath.
“Shiloh!” I turn and see James rushing toward me. Hans follows close behind. Both men look exhausted and soot dirties their faces.
“They said he took you to the office, but we couldn’t get inside,” James says, running out of breath. “I thought, I thought …”
He doesn’t finish that sentence, but he doesn’t need to. That office was built so no one could get inside unless they were invited. They could have taken an axe to the door and never got in.
I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. I got out.
Not all of us made it out.
“Where’s Grandma?” Poppy asks.
“Cyrus took her out the back,” Hans answers before coughing.
“Where’s your father?” Pierce asks me.
I shake my head, turning to the house and watching it burn. The sparks fly up into sky and smoke makes clouds above us. The house I was born and raised in falls to the ground. The place that became my prison almost became my casket.
I’m glad to watch it all burn.
chapter thirty-five
pierce
SHILOH STOPPED SHAKING a few minutes ago. Her tears have dried up and her teeth stopped chattering. Now, she calmly watches her home burn. She must be going into shock.
I feared I would never see her again. We were still searching the first floor when we noticed the fire in the back of the house. One of the explosions must have caught on something. We split up, trying to find Shiloh. Over the radio James relayed he found a guard that told him she was taken to Blackard’s office. Doubt started to creep in that we wouldn’t get to her in time. I found the other sisters hiding and forced them out of the house while Hans went upstairs. By the time I tried to get back inside, the flames cut me off.
Relief could never touch the feeling that swept over me when I saw her on that roof.
“We should go,” I whisper in her ear. I paid off most of the city, but they can only wait so long before sending the fire department.
Quickly, we load up in the vehicles and take the desert paths back to the empty roads. Shiloh squeezes my hand in the backseat, watching as the landscape flashes by.
It’s a silent ride to the private airport. Most of the trucks took different paths, some meeting at different locations to fly home. I wait until the driver and Hans get out of the Hummer before turning to face Shiloh.
“Are you okay?” I ask, rubbing my fingers over her red cheeks.
She nods but her eyes tear up.
“I am so sorry. I never meant to burn the place. I just wanted you back,” I whisper.
One side of her lips curl up before she leans up and places them on mine. My chest tightens and I cradle her face, kissing her softly like she could break in my hold.
Her small hands clutch at the front of my shirt desperately. I pull my lips away, breathing her in. Pressing my forehead to hers, I stare into her blue eyes.
“Shit. I thought you were going to hate me,” I admit. She shakes her head against me.
“Come home with me,” I beg. “I don’t want to be without you. I don’t care who comes for me or what I have to do, but I want you. You saved me Shiloh Blackard, and I will return the favor every damn day if you will let me.”
Shiloh’s eyes close tightly. I was never afraid of much before, but in this moment I feel terror. I’m scared she’s going to say no.
“I won’t do to you as Marcus did. I won’t keep you a prisoner or hide you away. You say no and I will leave.”
I tilt her pretty face up to mine so I can see her. I want her to hear and feel my words as I say them, just as I always feel hers when she can’t say them.
“I love you, Shiloh. I want to give you the world and the freedom to see it. I want to protect you, love you, and give you anything you fucking want.”
Shiloh blows out a puff of air and my eyes fall to her lips. I watch as they form the words I need to breathe again.
I love you.
I kiss her again, taking her mouth like it’s mine, because finally it is. No lies between us. No fake names or unwanted history. Just us and what we created on our own.
A knock at the window pulls us apart. I look at the clock on the dash, realizing we need to leave soon. I help Shiloh from the truck as we join the group waiting for us.
“What about them?” Hans asks, pointing to the sisters. They huddle together, crying. Poppy stands a few feet away from them, wrapped in a jacket from one of my men.
“Bring them,” I command, but they start to cry harder.
Shiloh pulls my arm and looks at three of her older sisters. Fear and sadness envelope them but they don’t reach for Shiloh or Poppy. They cling to each other, separated from the younger two.
She shakes her head at me.
“You want me to leave them?”
She nods and looks up at me. She is asking me for a favor she knows I don’t want to give.
“Why?”
James hands her a pen from somewhere, and she pulls the cap off and writes on her hand.
Let them have the west. Let them stay in their prison.
“Poppy?” I call to her. “What do you think?”
She looks at the girls and then approaches us. Her arms wrap around Shiloh. They cling to each other, and I notice a bond that the others don’t share with them.
“Let them stay. They don’t know anything else. Give them to Cyrus if he agrees to let us leave.”
“Will you come with us?” I ask her. “You are my family too now.”
Poppy’s eyes go wide, but she nods. I feel Shiloh next to me.
“Is that what you want?” I ask.
She looks at her sisters then back at me, and I see her mind is made up.
Leave them.
“Get a hold of Cyrus,” I tell Hans.
“No need. That’s him,” he says, pointing to the lone set of headlights pulling onto the landing strip.
I hear my men pull their weapons, and I step in front of Shiloh and Poppy. Hans and James flank my sides while the car pulls up and parks. The door opens and Cyrus steps out. He appears alone.
“Shiloh,” he calls. “Don’t go. You don’t have to do this.”
I feel her shift behind me, trying to get around the wall of bodies.
“She made her choice, Stone. She’s coming with me and you won’t ever try to touch her again.”
“Shiloh,” he says, his voice softer. It’s directed to her and no one else. It drips with intimacy and a lifetime of history.
I feel her small hand on my wrist, squeezing. She wants through. I look back at her an
d see the question in her eyes. I’m reminded of my promise to her. Not only did I promise protection, but freedom.
Stepping aside, she slips through the gap. Poppy fills the space between me and Hans.
Shiloh closes half the distance to Cyrus. When he moves to step forward, she holds up a hand, and he stops.
“I really did love you, Shiloh,” I hear him say. The words are like hot razors on my skin. I clench my fists, waiting to lunge forward.
She pulls out her pen and slowly approaches Cyrus. Hans and James stiffen, and I can hear the blood rushing in my ears. Poppy takes a step forward.
I hold my breath as Shiloh takes his hand and pushes the pen to his palm. His eyes close when she pulls away, walking backward toward us. She takes Poppy’s hand when she reaches her sister.
“Let us go,” Poppy says. “You don’t have our father to answer to anymore. This is your choice.”
Cyrus still looks at his hand. I can’t read the words, but I hate that it’s on his skin. He slowly looks up, looking at the girls in front of him.
“Take our sisters and rebuild our empire,” Poppy tells him. “Leave us be and we will leave you be.”
He stares so long I wonder if he even heard her. His eyes finally move to me then to the men behind us.
“I never wanted you to hurt, Shiloh. I can promise you that,” he says. She nods in understanding.
“Give me the girls. I will take them to Melody and their grandma,” he says. “Shiloh and Poppy go.”
I didn’t need his permission. I would have never asked for it, but I see Shiloh visibly relax so I signal to the men to move the three sisters.
Shiloh needed to make her peace. She needs to feel she’s safe to leave and no further attacks will follow. If that is what she needs to leave willingly and stay with me, I’m happy to give it to her.
I walk with the three sisters to Cyrus’s car, gun in hand. We glare at each other as I approach. I don’t care what he did for Shiloh in the past, I care that he tried to take her away. That’s not something that can be forgiven in my eyes.
“Get in the car,” he tells them when they are close. They don’t look back once as they rush to his car and climb in the backseat.
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