Chloe

"He's not doing very well," I tell Rider as he returns to Ed's room. "He needs a hospital.

Rider's dragging the other boy into the room behind him, who freezes in the doorway when he sees his friend pale and lifeless on the bed.

"No hospital, not yet," Rider says and pulls the boy into the room roughly, causing him to fall to his knees.

I've never seen him like this. His face is a mask of violent determination, and he's handling this like he's done it all before. Like he's shot and killed men before. I'd be scared of him, if I wasn't absolutely certain he's doing it for me.

"Get everyone up to the big house and barricade yourselves in," he says. "I'll stay here with these two."

"I'll stay too," I say, walking to the door to tell Ed and Olivia what to do.

He pulls me closer, gently despite how hard he's gripping my arm. The green of his eyes is the only color I see.

"No, you go too," he says. "Bad shit will go down before morning. And if you need to, escape with the children into the jungle. I'll find you."

"Come with us," I plead, because something in his voice is telling me he'll do all he can to find us, but that it might not be enough. And I'm so scared right now, my legs are shaking.

"I started this shit, and I need to see it through," he says. "Else it'll never be done right. People are coming to help. Trust me, Chloe."

I nod and hug him tight, our lips finding each other for what I hope is not the last time.

"Hurry," he says, releasing me much too soon. "And don't come back down here, whatever you hear. Once you get to the house, find weapons to defend yourselves with. I'll come get you when it's safe."

I wouldn't know what to do, if he weren't telling me exactly what I should do. Because every ounce of my soul wants to stay here with him. But he's calm and the surety in his voice is calming me too.

He knows what he's doing and he wants only the best for me and the children. I clutch onto that knowledge to give me enough strength to leave him and get everyone up to the house.

* * *

Rider

Chloe went without arguing much, which is probably the result of the shock she's in from all that's happened. I didn't like the fear I saw in her eyes when she saw me like this, in my element as it were, because deadly violence always came naturally to me. I was an Enforcer for Viper's Bite MC for many years, and it's because of my ruthless efficiency that they let me do what I wanted, go where I wanted, whenever I wanted.

They made a lot of noise moving the kids up to the big house, some of the children crying and screaming. But now the hissing of the rain outside is all I can hear.

Getting them all to safety and far away from the main gate was my main goal in sending her up there. But I had another reason. If I have to kill these two boys, I want to do it as far away from Chloe and the rest as I can. I'm still not sure that tonight's events won't go in that direction, even though it makes me sick to even consider it.

"My father will kill you all for this," the boss' son says.

"Yeah, but I'll kill you first," I say.

"He'll torture you before he kills you," he says in a more shaky voice.

"Shut up."

I want to be alone with my thoughts right now. They're not very clear as it is, and the last thing I need is to argue with a kid. Death would be the kindest of all the things that might happen to me and the rest when the cartel gets here. But I don't think we can all hope for that. They'll probably sell Chloe and Olivia, and probably all the girls into sexual slavery. Maybe even the boys. And they'll probably torture me and Ed before they kill us, just like the kid threatened.

The one I shot takes a rattling breath.

"He's dying!" the live one shrieks, an he's probably right.

"Your father shouldn’t have sent you here alone," I say.

"He didn't," he says. "We came on our own, because we wanted to get rid of these orphans that have been bothering him so much lately. We thought he'd be proud."

"How old are you?" I ask.

"Seventeen," he answers.

I wish I hadn't asked. Seventeen is too young to die. But they did a man's thing here tonight, and they might have to pay a man's price for it.

The injured one's breathing has slowed again, and the other little piece of shit stays silent.

Before long, day is dawning outside, the rain still coming down hard. I'm listening hard for approaching bikes, but there is only the tapping of raindrops on the roof and the hissing of the rain.

Until suddenly that stops too, and then there's just silence, the sun shining down on the orphanage, which is already as empty as a ghost town.

The sound of approaching engines breaks the silence. But they're not the right kind. This is cars.

A few moments later I can hear men talking, guns getting cocked and shot guns loaded.

I get up, pull the un-injured kid to his feet too, and shove the gun in his side. "Not a fucking sound out of you, is that clear?"

"You're dead now. That's my father and his men."

He didn't have to tell me, I already knew it. Maluco and his cobras didn't get here in time. The cartel beat him to it.

I'd hoped to handle this hostage exchange discussion far away from here, but now all I've achieved is bringing the entire cartel down on us right on our doorstep.

I've gotten soft. I should've killed these two and escaped with Chloe and the kids in the night. We could be deep in the jungle by now. But now we're all most likely drawing our last breaths of freedom. At least Chloe and the others don't know it yet.