Page 32 of Rage

Maverick looks from his friend to my guys, then finally looks back at me. “Look, I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t really do much, but I swear to you, Iswear, I’ll do what I can to take down Mr. Woodrow. This isn’t ok, I won’t let it happen. My dad, he can help me.”

I feel… conflicted. Wyatt and Owen are both right. We should kill them. I don’t really care about sending a message, though. This is just what we do. These two were helping traffick women. How can I allow them to go free?

Yet, there’s something in Maverick’s eyes that makes me hesitate. There’s a strength to this one that radiates from within. I can feel it as it washes over me. He’s scared. I can see it in the slight tremble running through his body, but there’s conviction in his voice and something else. Is it?—

“Headlights! We’re out of time!” Drake bellows. “Let’s go!”

Owen and Wyatt grab my arms and yank me away. My feet stumble over themselves when I try to get them beneath me. As I’m torn away from the chaotic scene, I can’t help but stare after Maverick. He doesn’t look away either. As the five of us melt into the darkness, following the women we’ve freed, he calls out,

“I promise! I’m going to make sure this never happens to another woman again!”

I don’t know if I believe the kid and, as I turn and run with my guys, I wonder if we should’ve just killed the two boys.

“It’s ok, Daisy,” Owen says in a harsh whisper as we duck behind leftover containers on the dock. “If they think we won’t hunt them down and come back, they’re wrong. We have their names. They’ll be easy to find. Peter Woodrow and?—”

“—and Maverick Sutherfield,” I mutter.

There’s something about him, Maverick, that gives me a mental pause. As Drake, Kingston, Owen, Wyatt, and I run, I realize what it is. The steely conviction in his voice, and the courage it took to look me in the face while blood rained down around him… it reminded me of the five of us and how we stood with one another when we were kids. In another life, I have a feeling Maverick would’ve fit into our little family. He has the drive, the passion, and the resolve. I can feel it.

It's with that knowledge the unease clinging to me melts away. As we slip into the woods, I smile. Whatever Mr. Woodrow had planned with those women, Maverick is going to make sure it never comes to fruition. Not tonight. Not ever.

This evening, we won in more ways than one.

We freed the women trapped in that container. And I’m pretty sure we just gained an ally. In the years to come, I have a feeling we won’t be alone fighting against the injustices in this world.

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