Page 116 of Beloved Sacrifice

She cussed at him, crying out. “Let me go!”

His hold could have spelled disaster for her if Marek hadn’t managed to subdue Rose as well. That didn’t stop either of them from trying to continue the fight.

“Ah, for crap’s sake,” Franco yelped as he looked over at Devon and Weston.

Marek grunted as Rose took advantage of his hold to lift both legs and kick at Juliette.

“I’m beginning to sense,” Franco said as he desperately hauled on Juliette, “that we aren’t going to be able to control the situation.”

Control the situation. Marek released Rose, took two long steps, and while Devon was stuck in a headlock, hammering away at Weston’s hip with one fist while Weston tried to choke him, Marek reached into Devon’s coat for the gun. He yanked it out and took two steps back.

He raised the gun, prepared to fire a warning shot.

“No!” at least three people yelped.

Everyone stopped fighting and froze in place, as if he were holding a bomb.

Marek cleared his throat. “Please stand with your backs against the wall. Rose, Weston, on my left. Juliette, Devon, on my right. Franco, if you would be so good as to stand over there and help me keep an eye on the situation, I’d appreciate it.”

Franco smiled. “Sure thing.”

Juliette, Rose, Devon, and Weston were all breathing heavily. Rose’s shirt hung open, a bruise forming on the top of her breast, Juliette was dabbing at a bloody lip, Devon’s nose was bleeding profusely though he didn’t even bother to wipe it away, and Weston’s good eye was puffy.

Juliette took a moment to catch her breath. “I’m sorry,” she said at last to the room at large. She was the Grand Master of the Trinity Masters and she’d just lost her shit. Completely.

Franco walked over to her, cupping her cheek. “It’s okay, love. It’s all going to be okay.”

Juliette shook her head, just once. She’d never felt so defeated.

As always, Franco knew the way to bolster her, to infuse some of his endless positivity into her. “Take control of the situation, Juliette. You know what needs to be said. Say it.”

She looked across the room at Rose, fighting to put aside her anger, her guilt. Juliette, her family, the Trinity Masters…they had all failed Rose.

Failed her and Weston.

“Are you okay, Juliette?” Marek asked, taking recon of the room, checking out everyone’s injuries.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, managing to give Franco and Marek a weak smile.

Rose looked at Juliette. They’d lost. Everything they hadn’t wanted to happen, had. They’d been caught. They hadn’t learned anything.

And, worst of all, Marek was standing with Juliette and Franco, chatting with them casually. His back was to her and Weston.

“Marek,” she whispered.

“Damn it. Damn.” Weston put his arm around her, hugging her close. “I’m sorry, Brown Eyes.”

“No, I’m sorry.” She laid her head on his shoulder.

Devon walked up. “Rose.”

She looked up. “Devon.”

“If…if I’d known, what they were doing to you…”

“You couldn’t have stopped them. I was protecting someone.”

“I could have tried. I would have.”

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