Fatal Princess by Ella Miles
Beckett
I know my odds aren’t great. It’s me against a couple dozen men unless Gage, Lennox, and Hayes realize what’s happening and decide to fight. But I’m done living my life for others. I’m done living afraid. I’m done hiding my feelings and letting others dictate my future.
For the first time in forever, I know what I want. I realize my mistakes, and I won’t be repeating them. And I’d rather go down fighting for what I want than living a lie for another second.
I draw my gun and fire into Stan’s leg before anyone realizes what’s happening.
Stan curses but doesn’t reach for his weapon immediately. He may have been chosen as the number two, but he isn’t a skilled fighter. He’s young and inexperienced.
It gives me a slight advantage for a second before he starts barking orders. I’m not sure the men even realize what happened at first.
I need to make a run for it. My choices are to dart into the woods or jump in a car and hope I can outdrive them.
Neither are great options, but I have to try. I won’t die with Ri not knowing the truth.
I dart into the house, deciding that it gives me some cover until I decide which way to make my exit. Or it becomes my gravesite when they decide to just blow the house up rather than deal with me.
No, they won’t do that. Odette is inside; they won’t hurt her.
I slam the door shut and close the half dozen locks shut on the door. It will help to keep them out for at least a few minutes.
I consider asking the guys for help, but I won’t ask them to betray their own families for me. I’m on my own.
I run out the back, deciding my best bet is to disappear into the woods. Suddenly, Hayes pokes his head out.
“I heard a gunshot,” he says.
“I shot Stan.”
“Oh.” Hayes grabs his gun, and then Lennox is right beside him.
There’s a loud bang against the front door.
“Let me go out the back. I’ll disappear into the woods. You stay. I won’t ask you to betray the oath you took to your families. All I ask is you help me escape the house.”
“No,” Lennox says, stepping forward.
Gage pops out of the other bedroom and is now looking at me as well.
Fuck, I made a mistake. They are going to turn me over to Stan. I shouldn’t have come back into the house.
“We are on your side, not the Retribution Kings. You are our leader. We trust you, not Stan,” Lennox says.
“Even if that means you’re betraying your people? Betraying everyone you’ve ever loved? I’m done being a Retribution King. I’m going to be living my life on the run. I refuse to do what they ask of me.”
Hayes grins, almost excited by words. “I never liked being a King. I always wanted to be a rebel.”
“I’m tired of being lied to. I trust you, not Caius, and not the other Kings,” Lennox says with a vengeance in his eyes.
Gage finally chimes in too. “You already know I’m on your side.”
I suck in a breath, feeling a heavy weight on my shoulders. It was easier to fight and possibly die when it was just my life on the line. Now it’s these three men too, and I’m not sure I made the right decision.
“How do we escape? There are over twenty men outside at Stan’s command ready to kill me if I don’t finish my initiation task.”
“They still want you to kill Ri even after it’s obvious she didn’t kill Odette?” Hayes asks.
“No, they want me to kill my brother for taking Odette, even though I know that’s not what happened.”
“Lying bitch,” Lennox says.
All eyes turn to him. “I didn’t believe one word she said. She’s playing us all. She’s a Retribution King through and through. She and Caius have set this whole thing up to cause a war.”
I nod my agreement. “They chose me as the leader and made me fall in love with Odette, so they could set up my brother in hopes that I would start a war with him. I don’t know why they want Enzo dead, but they think since I’ve worked for him for so long that I know how to defeat him.”
Gage curses under his breath.
“We need to get out of here. Should we run into the woods? Find an abandoned house to wait them out or hotwire a car?” I ask, spitballing ideas.
“No, the house is a fortress. Completely bulletproof and bombproof. And they already have the house completely surrounded,” Gage says.
“Then what?” I ask.
Hayes grins sadistically. “We pick them off one by one.”
Everyone pulls out their guns and nod in agreement. I suspect there is more to each of these guys’ stories about why they don’t like the Retribution Kings. They so easily believe their former family would betray me.
“Where are Odette and Caius?” I ask.
“Tied up in separate rooms,” Lennox answers.
“Then let’s do this.”
“The glass and walls are bulletproof, so it shouldn’t easily shatter, but it will eventually,” Gage says.
“What’s the plan, then?” Hayes and everyone else look at me.
“Each of us takes a different direction. I’ll call everyone on a group call. Keep the line of communication open. If you’re wounded or need help, say so. No one plays the hero,” I say.
“That includes you,” Gage says, narrowing his eyes at me.
I nod.
“I’ll take the front,” I say.
“I’ll take the back,” Gage says.
“West,” Lennox says at the same time Hayes says, “East.”
I pull out my phone and dial them all at the same time. I put my phone on speaker and slide it into my back pocket.
“Can everyone hear me?” I ask.
“Loud and clear,” Hayes answers back.
“Yep,” Lennox and Gage answer.
I raise my gun as I lean against the frame of the front window and peer outside from the corner of my eye.
I don’t see Stan anywhere, but I do see at least five men trying to break down the front door.
One of my guys starts shooting. There is no going back now.
I slip the window open wide enough for me to shoot through the space, and then I fire as well.
I hit the first attacker easily enough, and he drops to the ground. The others return fire, but I don’t back down. Gage said the glass is bulletproof; it’s time to find out.
I keep shooting but refuse to duck as the bullets fly at me. I can’t help but flinch as they hit the window next to me that shatters slightly but doesn’t break.
I exhale a deep breath.
“Everyone good?” I ask.
Three goods ring back at me.
I grin, believing for the first time that we are going to win this fight and win big. Then it will only be a matter of finding Ri and figuring out a way to not have a dozen gangs after us.
It takes about five minutes for me to kill the rest on my side of the house.
I still hear gunfire ringing out.
“The front is clear. Who needs help?”
But before I can move, I get all clears from everyone else.
“Meet in the living room,” I say.
When I see everyone walk in unscathed, I relax.
“They were idiots for attacking the house when they knew how protected it was,” Hayes says as he falls into a chair.
Lennox and Gage sit on the couch while I stand in front of the fireplace.
“Did anyone kill Stan?” I ask.
Everyone shakes their heads no.
I run my hand through my hair. “Fuck, he must have escaped. The slick bastard wouldn’t even stay and fight.”
“But he will bring more men. He’ll come after you and threaten everything you care about unless you do as they want. You’ll never be safe again,” Lennox says.
“We’ll never be safe again. Are you sure you guys are ready for that life?” I ask.
“We’re with you,” Gage says as the others nod.
“What do we do now?” Hayes asks.
“We find Ri, and then we find a way to win the game and end the Retribution Kings.”
Silence stretches around the room as the guys exchange glances.
“What?” I ask.
Hayes scratches his head and then finally speaks. “Ri hates your guts.”
I chuckle as the guys stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“I know she hates me.”
“If you go see her now, she’s going to kick your ass. And she’s way better skilled than those guys we just fought.”
“I know. She hates me, and it’s well deserved, but I have to go see her. I have to fix things,” I say.
Hayes smirks. “I’m going to enjoy watching her beat you up.”
The others chuckle.
“If she beats me up, that means she’ll see me. I’ll accept whatever punishment she needs to inflict; I just need to see her.”
“This is going to end badly. She really hates you right now,” Hayes says.
“She also loves me,” I say.
No one argues with that.
