“Bring everyone.”

Vernon stares at me, surprised. “But, I thought…?”

“Bring everyone,” I repeat, my rage building. “And fast. We need to go as soon as possible.”

“What’s happening?” I can hear the fear in his voice.

But I don’t feel that fear. I feel nothing but anger and the desire to get Amelia away from Ingram and his fucking scumbag goons.

I was having a good day. I was getting control of the miners, boxing out Roy, and Amelia said that the board’s going to accept our contract sooner or later. Things were looking up, at least until I heard her scream over the phone.

I know what’s happening. I knew as soon as I heard her voice, like I always knew deep down inside of me or something like that. This was inevitable from the start, as much as I hate to admit it to myself. Ingram was getting more and more desperate, and soon enough he was going to make the most desperate move of all.

“Ingram’s making his move. It’s time for us to end this.”

He sighs and his expression goes resolute. “Okay, boss. We’ll do this.”

“Get on the phone. Get everyone you can, as many guys as possible. We leave in a half hour from here.”

He nods. “Got it.” He grabs his phone and is about to make a call, but I stop him.

“Tell them to bring guns,” I say. “And their phones.”

“Their phones?” He frowns a little bit.

“Just do it.”

“You got it, boss.” He picks up his phone and starts making the calls.

I join him, getting as many guys as I can gather. Over the next twenty minutes, they start to show up, one after another. Miners of all ages, all stripes, all backgrounds. These are the guys that I’m responsible for, that I care about, and they’re answering my call simply because I called them. Even Arnold’s here, and he probably hates me most of all. He walks into the living room with a nod, his rifle slung over one shoulder.

When twenty guys are gathered, most of them armed, I address them.

“You may not know why you’re here yet, or what we’re about to do,” I say.

“I think we’re about to go fuck that Ingram shithole,” Arnold calls out, and a few guys laugh.

I grin at him. “Yeah, something like that. See, me and Amelia worked out a deal. We got a contract coming, boys, and it’s fucking good for us.”

The guys are quiet for a second and then a cheer goes up. They’re celebrating, but the hard times aren’t over, not yet exactly.

I hold up my hands for silence and they slowly calm down.

“It’s a good contract,” I say. “We got most of what we wanted, all thanks to Amelia working it out. Truth is, she fucking saved our asses, but now she needs help. I think Ingram’s doing something to her, maybe hurting her right now.”

There’s a murmur among the guys. I know they don’t have any particular love for Amelia, but I think they hate Ingram even more.

“This could be dangerous,” I say. “Seriously, people might get hurt, maybe even killed. I can’t ask you to put your life on the line for a stranger, but that’s what I’m doing. We’re going to save Amelia, and if you don’t want to help, walk out now. I won’t hold it against you.”

There’s silence, and a few guys get up. Not many, and in the end I think at least fifteen guys are still sitting in front of me.

I nod at the guys that walk out. I can’t blame them, not at all. Nobody wants to die for some girl, let alone a girl that represents all the people you don’t like. At the end of the day, this is just a fucking job. You can get a new one, or at last have a chance to get a new one, if you’re still alive. You can’t work from the grave.

When the room’s still again, I face those that are left. Old guys, young guys, everyone in between. Everyone knows what this means, coming after Ingram with strength like this, but they’re still here anyway.

I feel so fucking proud it almost hurts.

“Here’s the plan,” I say, and I run through it slowly, with all eyes locked on me.

* * *

Amelia’s house is still, but her car’s in the driveway. Vernon looks at me with a frown on his face. “You sure about this?”

“I’m sure,” I say. “Did you find Roy?”

He nods. “He’s in the van with Ryan and Petey.”

“Good.” I take a breath. “Bring him in a few minutes after I go in, okay?”

“Got it.”

“And make sure the guys know what to do. I don’t want any fuck-ups. No fucking violence. No guns going off. Okay?”

“Got it,” he says, sighing. “Right now, I sure do miss the fucking mine.”

I grin at him and pat him on the shoulder. “Your job’s gonna get easier after this, I promise.”

“I hope so.”

I grin at him one more time before getting out of his van and walking across the street.

My hearts being fast. I’m unarmed, with nothing in my pockets except for my phone. Vernon and the others all know the plan, and I catch sight of a few of them as they spread out.

I head up the driveway alone. I walk up to the front door, up to possibly death, but I’m not thinking about that. The only thing on my mind is Amelia, and how I’m going to help get her out of this.

I hate Ingram with a burning passion that almost hurts me physically. The fact that he’d take Amelia like this and put her through more heartache just drives me insane. I don’t know what he’s doing to her in there, if he’s just holding her hostage or what, but I can’t think about it. I just get even more and more angry, until it threatens to spill over completely.

I take a deep breath when I reach the front door and I knock. A second later, the door swings open to reveal two guys in black suits, both of them armed.

“You alone?” the one guy grunts. I don’t recognize him, but I do recognize Tom Sloan.

“I’m alone, Tom,” I say.

Tom flinches. “Get the fuck in here,” he says.

The guys pull me inside. They pat me down, but they don’t bother to take my phone, which is good. They push me back down the hallway, toward the kitchen.

“Look what we got,” Tom calls out.

Ingram stands next to Amelia, a big smile on his face. Amelia looks okay, like she hasn’t been hurt, but I can’t be sure. She has a cloth bag over her head and she’s making noises like she has a gag in her mouth. Her wrists are tied and her ankles are bound and she’s sitting on a chair.

Ingram laughs. “You walked right in here, huh, Samuel?” He shakes his head. “You’re not too smart.

“What are you doing, Ingram?” I ask him. “Why are you taking it so far?”

He laughs again, eyes wide. “Taking it far? I should have gone further. But it’s not too late.”

“Not too late? The board has the contract. We’re signing it and finishing this.”

“No,” he says, nearly shouting the word. Some of the other guys flinch. “We’re going to negotiate a new contract right now. Or I’ll cut her pretty little throat.”

He whips the cloth bag off her head. She looks at me, wide-eyed with fear, but otherwise unhurt. I have to control myself, really rein in my anger, to keep from lashing out and hurting someone.

“What do you think’s gonna happen now?” I ask Ingram.

“We’ll sit, we’ll talk. If you give me what I want, I’ll let Amelia go free.”

I shake my head. “No. I think you’ll let her go free right now.”

He cackles again, clearly losing his mind. “Or else what? You’ll fucking get your ass killed?”

“No.” I take my phone from my pocket, open the camera app, and start a video. “If you don’t let her go, I’ll leak this video on the internet and you’ll all burn for this kidnapping.”

Ingram stares at me then bursts out laughing. “This is your plan?” he asks. “A phone video? Tom, take his fucking phone.”

“Wait,” I say. “You can take my phone. But what about all of those?”

I point toward the back door. Outside, three guys have their phones out, taking videos.

Instantly Ingram’s guys react. They throw open the door and start chasing the miners, but I instructed my guys to run away if anyone came after them. Ingram’s boys return a second later, shaking their heads.

Ingram looks at me and laughs, deep and loud. “You really are stupid, aren’t you? Look at these guys. Who do you think’s in here with me?”

“I recognize them,” I say, turning my phone to Tommy. “Say hi, Tommy Sloan. And over there’s Jimmy Brown, and Roger Lark, and a few other cops I’ve seen around.” I move my phone, making sure to get them all in the frame.

Some of them shift uncomfortably. Ingram doesn’t seem phased. “Take the phone and break his arm, Tommy,” Ingram says.

I grin wickedly at Tommy. “Go ahead. If you do, my guys will leak the videos they just made online.” Tommy hesitates and I can see him considering. “Ingram may own this town, but he doesn’t own the world. You really want your face out there for this? Fucking kidnapping?”

Tommy stares at me then back at Ingram. All the guys are shifting uncomfortably now. None of them have masks on, those stupid cocky fucks.

“Look, more cameras,” I say, gesturing at a window. Some of my guys have their phones up, getting good shots into the room.

“Goddamn it, Ingram,” Roger Lark says. “You said this was going to be easy.”

“This is easy,” Ingram says. “Get their phones, kill the bystanders, and let’s finish this.”

“Goddamn it,” Roger says. “I didn’t sign up for fucking murder. This was supposed to be intimidation. But he’s right. We kidnapped this girl, and now they got fucking proof.” Roger shakes his head, lowering his gun.

I grin as the others start to grumble.

“Fuck this,” Tommy says, and he backs away. “I ain’t going to jail for this shit.” He turns and walks down the hall, hurrying out the front door.

The other guy that brought me inside hesitates a second then follows after him. The guys with guns start grumbling, and soon they all start leaving out the front door, one after the other. I keep my camera running, a smile on my face.

Ingram starts screaming. “Get the fuck back in here!” he shouts. “I fucking paid you, you fucking corrupt scumbags! You can’t back out now!” He tries to grab Roger’s arm, but Roger throws him off, shoving him back into a table.

After a minute, the dirty cops are all gone, leaving just me and Ingram alone in the room. I save the video file and put my phone back into my pocket.

“Let her go, Ingram, it’s over.”

“Fuck that!” Ingram grabs a knife from the kitchen counter, sliding it from the knife block.

“Now!” I shout, and suddenly the back door flies open. The miners flood inside, all of my guys wielding guns instead of cameras now. After a second, Ingram has fifteen weapons pointed at him.

“Drop the knife,” I say, walking up to Ingram. “It’s over.”

He growls, and he’s about to make a move, when Vernon walks in with Roy.

Ingram looks at Roy, and in that moment of hesitation, I grab Ingram’s wrist. I punch him in the gut, twist, and tear the knife from his hand. I throw Ingram to the floor and put my knee in his back, pushing down hard.

Roy stands there, dumbfounded. I look up at him and grin. “You chose the wrong side,” I say.

Roy stumbles back. “Samuel,” he says.

“Fuck off,” I answer. “Get the fuck out of here. And don’t ever come back to town. You hear me?”

“Samuel,” he says again, pleading.

“Get out of town, or we’ll kill you.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. He turns and he runs, and I don’t give him a second glance.

Ingram struggles under my knee as the guys untie Amelia. When they’re done, I switch off and they take Ingram while I pull Amelia aside.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

She nods. “Just scared.”

I pull her against me, hugging her tight. I breathe in her smell and something triggers inside of me, some ancient and intense feeling that I didn’t even know I had. I kiss her deep and I realize that I wasn’t only worried for her, but also for the baby she has growing inside of her.

The kiss slowly ends and I look her in the eye. “I love you, Amelia,” I say softly. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

“I love you too.”

I kiss her again, and I know this is right.

We have a lot to clean up still, but the rest is just the ending, the slow descent back into normalcy. I don’t know what’ll happen to Ingram or the contract or any of that, but I don’t really care. All I know is right in this moment, I have what I really want and need.

I have Amelia. I only need Amelia, and my baby, and the family we’re going to build together.

For the first time in a long time, I feel complete and good, like I worked a long shift in the mine. Except I don’t need the mine to lose myself. I don’t want to lose myself, I want to embrace my life, because my life is good. Amelia makes it better than it ever could have been before.

I kiss her again and I know I’ll never stop wanting that taste, those lips, this woman, my baby.