Page 8 of Mask and the Magnolia
“Vinny, you’re covered in blood. That’s sort of red flaggy.”
I arch a brow. “Red flaggy?”
Maisie barely refrains from giggling. “It is.”
She has a point, and that's the only reason I let her go ahead of me. If we get popped before we even get outside, there’s no telling what that’ll mean for either of us.
After some stealth moves that would put most ninjas to shame, Maisie secures the area before we race outside, only to find an even bigger mess than the one I made.
Jeremy and Joseph are standing back to back, each of them with semiautomatics in their hands, and they’ve opened fire on the entire goddamn barbecue. Guards, kitchen staff, literally everyone who’s been working the house today is either dead or fighting back, people crouched behind upended lawn furniture or using bodies as shields. Alan is hiding behind the privacyfence, yelling all kinds of shit and barking into his phone while their father watches from the pool house, standing under the awning like some sick puppet master who has his sons doing his dirty work.
I yank Maisie to the ground behind me as I hear Wilder yell from somewhere close, the two of us crab walking along the wall until I get a good view of the pool.
The pool that he has his pregnant mother and two sisters standing on the edge of, crying and clinging to each other seconds before he uses a shotgun to blast all three of them into the water.
My sister squeezes my hand and smothers her gasp, obviously witnessing the same thing right before Wilder reloads and sends the rounds into the water to make sure they’re dead, then repeats as he turns and walks through the haze of gun fire like he’s untouchable.
Maybe he is.
The fact that he only has one visible wound while dozens of his grandfather’s men fire at him might mean he has some sort of higher power on his side. Either that or the fucker is just as fearless as I thought he was, and that is honestly scarier than some divine army backing him.
“Go.” I turn in time to see Bryce pointing toward the house, toward us, yelling at the twins, who immediately head our way. “Get Charles.”
Shit.
Without a moment’s thought, I get to my feet, hanging onto my sister like our lives depend on it because they do, then start booking it toward the opposite side of the house where our car should be parked.
“After them!” Harden yells as soon as he sees us. “Spare the girl, kill the alpha.”
Not wanting to risk anything, I slow enough to grab Maisie and throw her over my shoulder, then zig zag a few times before making a hard right, faking another, then flying left as Jeremy and Joseph barrel after us.
I push myself to run faster than I ever have, my legs burning, my chest pumping, and after a few miles of trying to lose the crazy bastards, the top of the garage comes into view, bringing with it a wave of relief, one that quickly fades as I trip over something on the ground, and my sister and I drop to the grass hard.
“Well, shit.” That answers my other question. I wondered what happened to dear old dad, but considering we just tripped over his dead body, I have a pretty good idea. And since it seems like he had the same plan in mind that we do, I think it’s time to pivot. “Are you okay?”
Maisie nods, rubbing her shin as she stares at our father. “Is there something wrong with me if I don’t feel sad about either of our parents, and I’m just relieved?”
“Hell no.” I scope out the area behind her, checking to see if the twins are still on our asses. “Frankly, I’d be more concerned if you were upset about the assholes who’ve been keeping you prisoner for thirteen years.” The big bulging muscles of Jeremy start over the horizon and I motion for Maisie to lay on her stomach. “Roll, then run.”
With a nod, she does exactly that.
My sister rolls down the hill with me until we hit the bottom, both of us checking our surroundings again before we pop up and make our way into the woods.
The entire property is surrounded by them, huge trees that run deep for acres, and I figure if we head in there we’re bound to hit a road or something at some point, and from there we can put as much distance between us and this big ass nightmare as we can.
Which is what we do well into the night, when darkness falls and the temperature starts to cool. We run until our legs can barely carry us but we press on.Ipress on because I don’t give a shit what happens to me, I just want to get my sister out of here and somewhere safe.
A task I’m confident I’m going to be able to complete, right up until I hear what sounds like fucking hound dogs.
“Vinny?” Maisie’s eyes go wide as they start darting around the forest. “They’re hunting us?”
Nodding, I do the same then pull her down when I see flashlights. “You know I love you, right?”
Her stare swings in my direction, my sister’s panic growing by the second. “Vinny.”
“More than anything. You’re the most important person in my life, the only one I have ever cared about, and you will always be my Maisie Moo, and that’s exactly why I need you to run.”
“Korvin,” my sister says with a sob. “No, Korvin, I’m not leaving you. It’s you and me, remember?”
