Page 88 of Robin and Marian
But it wasn’t true. The nights he’d spent in jail staring at the wall, he’d definitely been beaten. The next day he’d wake up and manage to find another reason for living. It was usually when he was thinking of Marian… even if she had thought him guilty. He’d always harbored a hope that he’d be able to fix things.
Did that make him a fool?
What could he do? He felt like he was missing something, but the morning had been so fraught with drama that he couldn’t think of how to fight back. His window rattled again and he swung around to see a mass of dark curls as Marian tried to work it open this time. Her white dress was muddy, which must’ve meant that she had snuck through by way of the garden. Tuck and Little John were behind her. They didn’t know when to quit… maybe he was glad.
He hurried over and slid his hand over her soft skin to help her up. She grunted out an unladylike growl to get herself through. Her white dress caught and ripped. He winced, guiding her the rest of the way. As soon as she did, she clung to him and wouldn’t let go. He didn’t mind a bit. “Marian! You came.”
She slid her arms around his neck, her fingers curling through his hair as she brought his face down so she could kiss him. It was like she was starving for him. Robin couldn’t remember anyone being this desperate to be near him, but he felt her passion like it was his own. He should end this—he knew he was no good for her—he never wanted this kiss to end. Eventually, she became aware of their audience and let him go. He noticed the rip down the side of her skirt as she smoothed the front of her gown. “I had to get a bad taste out of my mouth,” she explained, like it was nothing.
He looked over at Little John while he tried to wriggle through again, grumbling as he went. “What does she mean?” Robin asked.
“Oh, just that we found Guy all over her when we came back for her,” John said. He held back nothing and his eyes held a challenging look. “She distracted him all right. I thought I’d have to step in.”
She glared at him for tattling, but Robin barely registered it at the fury burning through him. Guy would try to take everything from him! He’d try to force everyone to bend to his will in the end. Robin wouldneverlet him do that to Marian.
“Yeah.” John studied his face. “That’s what I thought.” Of course he knew how Robin would react. “Guy won’t stop. He just won’t. You understand that now?”
Robin hadn’t realized how his whole body had tensed into a fighting stance, and he slowly uncurled his fist. “What did you have in mind?”
Tuck popped through the window, grinning maniacally. “War.”
“He always keeps that keycard with him,” Marian said. She shuddered. Not understanding the reason behind it, but stuck in a murderous rage all the same, Robin put his arm protectively around her shoulders. “It’ll open a safe,” she said. “Guy has incriminating evidence against Scarlett in there. That’s what he’s using to control you, isn’t he?”
To what lengths had she gone to figure that out? He should’ve just told her. He couldn’t work the words past his throat and so he just nodded.
“He’s taking your role as Green Man tonight,” she said, “but I told him he has to dress the part and… he agreed. So I’ll find him a costume with no pockets and then he’ll have no choice but to leave that keycard behind.”
“That’s your plan?” He was appalled. “You had better not get on that float with him, Marian. You’ll be all alone with him out in the water.”
“I know!” she said, clearly distressed at the idea.
“Relax,” Little John said. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“Like you did a few minutes ago?”
“That was a fluke! I didn’t know he’d do that.”
Robin let her go so he could pace the room, trying to think of a better idea. Any idea. And suddenly he remembered what had been eluding him this whole time. “The twins,” he said. “Um…” he snapped to get the name, “Missy Brandon. She recorded the whole thing between me and Guy… without the editing!”
He didn’t have to finish—Tuck was already on it and he was shooting the girl a text as they spoke. “We’ll put it everywhere and tag it with the most popular search terms for the day…” he said, “and not those fake algorithms they use to brainwash us into thinking a certain way.” Robin didn’t know what he was talking about anymore. He’d thought Tuck’s phone had died earlier.
He hadn’t stolen a new one, had he? Before Robin could get a closer look, Tuck glanced up from the screen. “Is there a royal getting married? The Bachelor season winding down? We need a good hashtag. Game results? A scandal?” Robin only knew of one scandal.
“Oh look.” Tuck smirked. “Robin Hood is trending. Even better. Let’s use that. If that doesn’t work, I’ll force the video to replace people’s usual news feeds. We’ll make sure this goes viral. We’ve only got a few hours to make the Mayfair the most popular event in the history of ever.” Tuck went back to the window, sliding through it while still consulting “his” phone like a magic ball.
“I feel like he’ll end up in the highest security prison after this is all through,” Little John muttered behind him.
“I heard that.”
“Tuck!” Marian ran to catch him before he disappeared entirely. He stopped short, his forehead wrinkling as he stared up at her. “If you could title it something like, ‘Uncut, unedited shocking footage taken from Robin Hood’s fight reveals a twist.’ And then give it a negative spin, like, ‘Media outraged to be called Guy’s propaganda machine, calls for boycott against Nottingham’s Mayfair.’ Then people will rebel against the media and come tonight.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Marian.” But Tuck said it with a wink before wriggling the rest of the way through the window to drop to the garden below. “Text it to me.”
To what number?
Robin remembered what Little John had told him about Natalie and Lionel drawing up contracts to sell their land to Jana. “I need you to talk to the Bertrams and ask them to hold off from selling until tomorrow. Buy us more time.”
John nodded and dug around for his phone. Old Man Pete had changed things up for them. They actually had a chance now that they had reception. “I must’ve left my phone in the truck,” he said. “How about we get Alan to do that? He’s here, right?”
