Maggie and I exchanged a look and it took all my strength not to run and put my arms around her. For this to work, we had to make them think we were with them.
Anton spun in a circle, his head turned up to the stars as Bradley spoke next, his turn to worship the old man.
“Master, the world lives on in eternal gratitude for the gifts you have bestowed upon us. We honor your knowledge and wisdom, oh great one! Let us fall at your sacred feet and be worthy of your love.”
Anton lowered his arms and placed his hand on each of their heads. “I bless you, sons.”
They rose to their feet and Anton walked over to Maggie, nodding solemnly as he looked into her eyes.
“It is time, Child.”
She nodded and I saw a twinge of fear in her eyes. He grabbed her hand and led her towards the bonfire, the flames sputtering and sending sparks dancing up towards the hanging moss.
Finley reached down and picked up a large package wrapped in burlap from the base of the bonfire and offered it to Anton.
Time seemed to stop as I watched Anton’s eyes light up with glee. He parted the burlap and pulled out a long, thin, shiny knife. He held it up to the moon and ran a finger over the sharp blade, licking his lips as he looked back at Maggie.
Disgust churned in my stomach.
He grabbed Maggie’s hand and pulled her arm towards him. A whimper passed her lips as he placed the cold blade against her skin, pressing down gently as a slow smile spread across his lips, his face lit up eerily by the sputtering flames.
Right as the knife was about to break through her skin, the Gods broke through the darkness around us, guns drawn, surrounding them in an instant.
I pulled out my own gun and turned it on the closest guy next to me — Bradley. He put his hands up but moved to try to take the gun away. I cocked right towards his head, and he froze.
“Drop the fucking knife, old man!” Ryder growled, startling Anton. He dropped the weapon out of surprise. It fell to the ground at Maggie’s feet and she reached down and picked it up, running over behind me.
Ryder’s gun pressed into Anton’s forehead, his face now drained of all color.
“You sick fuck,” he said. “Don’t fucking move!”
Slade, Riot and Blade held the others at gunpoint, and they looked just as scared and helpless as their leader did.
“We got a whole gaggle of sick fuckers, it looks like,” Slade said, forcing Rothstein to his knees near the bonfire.
Blade took the end of his gun and put it right against Finley’s forehead. “Especially this one.”
We’d spent the week planning and putting all of this in place, and I’d grown to respect Blade immensely. He was a good guy and his love for Rose was apparent.
Slade had quickly become one of my favorite Gods, too, even if I sensed he hated me as much as Blade did. He didn’t mince words and he was funny as hell in the process.
Once I’d woken up Cherry and they’d seen she was going to be okay, they’d decided to let me live. I was grateful, because seeing them in action now was thrilling and terrifying, and I knew I’d have never survived if they’d turned that wrath on me.
“Your own granddaughter, you fuck?” Blade sneered to Finley. “What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of man does that? You’ve done nothing but try to ruin Rose's life since she was a kid. You don’t deserve her, you prick.”
“I don’t think you gentlemen understand exactly what you’re doing here,” Anton’s lawyer spoke up, despite Slade’s gun pointed right at his face. “These men are prominent members of the —.”
“—prominent members of the murder society? Is that what they are?” Riot asked, digging his gun into Carlisle’s cheek. “Because you’re all about to be members of the fucking prison community, if we let you live.”
“That’s absurd,” Anton scoffed, his voice shaking. “Clearly there’s been a mistake. Is it money you want? I have money.”
“We could give a shit about your money, you sick fuck!” Ryder shouted.
“I saw you!” Maggie screamed from behind me, her voice soaring over the roar of the bonfire. “I saw you kill Lily! I saw what you did to Josephine! I told them everything!”
Anton looked over at her with rage in his eyes.
“Child, shut your mouth!” he cried, his eyes wild with anger.
“It’s over, old man,” Ryder said. “You’re done for.”
“What do you think you’re going to do?” he challenged.
“You’re about to find out,” Ryder replied.
At that moment, Grace, Rose, Hannah and Cherry came out of the dark shadows surrounding us, their hands filled with restraints. When the men saw them, their eyes widened.
“Make one wrong move, motherfucker,” Slade said, cocking his gun. “Make my fucking day, please.”
Ryder directed them all over to the trunks of nearby trees, and the women began tying them up. Rose walked over to her father, staring down at him with disdain dripping from her eyes.
“My own father,” she said, shaking her head. “I cut you out of my life a long time ago, but now I see it wasn’t soon enough. You make me wish I was never born. You make me wish I didn’t carry your DNA in my body. I hope you rot in prison.” Tears streamed down her face as she backed away.
“What’s with all this prison talk, for fuck’s sake?” Bradley spoke up. “I’m the fucking sheriff of this town! Nobody’s going to jail, you fucking idiots!”
“You’re wrong. We’ve already contacted the FBI,” Riot said, shutting him up.
“You don’t have any fucking evidence!” Bradley cried.
“I have video,” Cherry said, laughing at him. “It was hidden under the seat of my car. I guess your excellent police work didn’t find that, huh?”
“They
