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“That sleazy son of a bitch,” Troy chuckles. “What have you got?”
“I’m not exactly sure yet; we haven’t been able to verify anything,” Sky says. “But we do know that Henry’s been keeping dirt on your bosses, just like they’ve been keeping dirt on him. That’s how the Black Hand operates, isn’t it?”
“I need to see it,” Troy says.
“He’s bluffing,” one of the new arrivals snickers.
“We’re not bluffing,” Sky replies. “That was the whole point of tonight.”
“I need to see it!” Troy snaps. They’re running out of time, and it’s easy to tell. He keeps checking his watch, his gaze constantly and nervously darting around. They caused a ruckus throughout the city, and people might begin to get suspicious. “Now!”
“Let her go first,” Raylan demands. “Let Ariana go, and we’ll give you everything we found.”
Kendric growls with frustration. “Don’t give them shit. They’re just going to kill us, anyway, and then they’ll kill her, too.”
“I’m sure we can work out an agreeable arrangement,” Sky says. “The Black Hand wants something we’ve got, and we just want to get Ariana out of here, safe and alive. They kill us now, and they’ll never get what Henry’s been keeping in his safes.”
Troy curses under his breath, but he still hesitates. Ultimately, he decides we’re not worth the hassle and points his weapon at me. “Nah, not going to risk it.”
My heart stops. I’m about to scream as Kendric holds me tighter, covering my body with his own, bracing himself for what is likely to be a hailstorm of bullets. They’re going to shoot him until they get to me.
“No, you don’t have to do this!” Sky shouts.
I close my eyes.
Just then, a blinding white light hits the hilltop. It’s cold and unforgiving, its intensity growing along with the sound of a helicopter. A gust of wind hits us, and a voice booms through a bullhorn.
“DROP YOUR WEAPONS! PUT YOUR HANDS UP! DROP THEM, NOW!”
I manage to look up and recognize the Everton PD logo on the side of the chopper. The noise is almost too much to bear, but the voice keeps shouting, ordering everyone to drop their weapons. I never knew I could experience such relief. It surges through me and removes every degree of tension in my body. I’m limp like a cooked piece of spaghetti, hidden in Kendric’s arms, yet I am able to observe the consternation and the confusion shadowing everybody’s faces, the cabal’s men in particular.
“Son of a bitch,” Troy manages. He has no choice but to put his weapon down and follow orders.
Dozens of SWAT officers come up the hill from every angle, all of them prepared to shoot anyone on sight. I catch a glimpse of Sky smiling as he gets down on his knees and puts his hands up behind his head. Raylan does the same.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice trembling.
Heat and chills travel through me in confusing waves, but relief continues to dominate my senses as I realize that I am not dying tonight after all. I’m not sure what will happen next, but Troy and his colleagues are already face-down in the grass as the SWAT officers surround us.
“Don’t say a word,” Kendric tells me. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
I’m about to ask him what he means when one of the cops pulls him away from me. I cry out, but Kendric doesn’t object. I’m left sitting on my ass and shaking like a leaf, watching as the SWAT crew slaps cuffs on everybody—the Black Hand and Steel Knights alike. My eyes are tired and stinging wet, my whole body shuddering under the sudden relief of pressure, while the chopper keeps circling overhead, its light making everyone squint.
It’s over.
Minutes pass, and I’m still sitting, my legs too weak to hold me. I look around as the Steel Knights calmly cooperate, allowing the SWAT crew to cuff and unceremoniously drag them back down the hill and across the cemetery, back to their squad cars and black vans.
The henchmen seem more abrasive, and some even resist arrest, but they all end up the same way, regardless of their resistance: under arrest and on their way to county jail.
My father is nowhere to be found. I’m confused, tears rolling down my cheeks. Sky and Raylan give me one last smile before they’re taken along with Kendric. They’re trying to reassure me, but I’m in a thickening haze, and I can’t seem to form a single, coherent thought.
“Ariana,” a familiar voice has me looking up.
“Detective Amstaff,” I manage. “What do I do now?”
“You’re going to be all right,” he says, then helps me stand. My balance is still off so I hold on to him for a little while. “It’s over. It’s going to be fine.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
