Page 84 of Three to Fall

“Do you know that ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall song?”

Without taking his eyes off the road, Whip grabbed his gun and pointed it in my direction. “I swear, X, I will pull the trigger and enjoy every moment of your brains splattering against the window behind you.”

I twisted so I was facing him front on. And called his bluff with my fingers pressed against the walkie-talkie button.“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer…”

Scythe joined in, and we sang together. “Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall.”

Whip smushed his lips together, his grumpy old man scowl etched deep into his forehead. “I hope Gray has more room in his freezer for dead bodies.”

I sniggered. “You love me, Whip. You aren’t going to shoot me.”

“No, but if you keep singing like that, I might just shoot myself.”

21

KARA

Idirected the convoy of cars to a side street away from the start of Ethereal Eden’s property, not wanting their security cameras to catch us before we’d had time to coordinate the plan.

It worried me that even with Grayson’s organizing skills, there wasn’t much of a plan to speak of. Kyle and I had both gotten on the walkie-talkies as we’d driven the last hundred miles, trying to explain in as much detail as possible about the layout of the commune, security we knew about, where people were most likely to be gathered, and where my parents’ house was. Hopefully, Jacqueline would be sleeping in her bed, ready for us to just pluck her from it and get out of there.

That was what I’d told them over and over. That this place was full of women and children. We weren’t going in there to light the place up and send bullets flying.

Nobody was dying on my watch.

Not even Josiah. As tempting as the idea might have been.

Hawk and Hayden had argued with me about that, but I refused to let them spend the rest of their lives in prison forkilling him. I wouldn’t lose my new family before I’d even truly gotten to love them.

A life in prison was the only future Josiah deserved. One that came with a lifetime of fear and terror at the hands of men just like him.

I wanted him to have the life he’d given to me. And to suffer every minute of it.

Death was too kind a punishment. Too quick. Too painless.

I wondered what the Lord would think of the dark thoughts that tumbled around my head. But if He thought anything other than they were well deserved, then I didn’t want anything to do with Him anyway.

“We need guys on the perimeter,” Hawk instructed, taking charge of the group. “Someone in the vans, ready to drive if we need to get away quick. We can temporarily ditch the bikes and the Jeep if we have to. The vans will hold more people.”

X screwed up his face. “I do not volunteer as tribute.”

“Yeah, hard pass on being left behind.” Whip cracked his knuckles. “If we aren’t killing anyone, fair enough, I’ll respect that, but I’m gonna crawl out of my skin if I’m just sitting here waiting while you guys have all the fun.”

Aloha pouted at the idea of leaving his bike but was the first to put his hand up for the job that clearly no one else wanted. “I’ll drive. But we come back for the bikes if we need to. I’m not leaving my baby here permanently.”

Hawk tossed him the van keys. Then turned to Grayson. “You want to drive the Jeep? Make sure your manicure doesn’t get wrecked?”

Grayson flipped him the bird. “Not a fucking chance. I’m wherever Kara is.”

“Same,” Hayden agreed.

They both looked at Hawk, like he might volunteer to be the other driver.

He scoffed. “Yeah. That might happen.”

One of Grayson’s friends, who I was keeping a wide berth from, even though they were here to help, raised his hand. “I’ll do it. I ain’t got no death wish tonight like the rest of you. That Josiah guy sounds like a crazy mofo. And really, my skills lie more with fire. I don’t think I’m going to be all that useful unless you want to torch the place?” He glanced at me hopefully.

I shook my head quickly. “No. But…thank you for the offer?”

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