✔Little Liar | Book 2

43. Burn to the Ground

"Kaz, we've gotta go." Charlie yanked on his arm, trying to pull him away from the woman trapped behind bars.

Kazimir tried to fight him off, begging him to let go. How was it possible? Why was his mother still in New Syracuse? Before he had a chance to ask, gunshots ricocheted amid the constricting room and Charlie roughly yanked Kazimir away, out of harm's way.

Gunshots echoed in ears, drowning out the sound of his heartbeat. He peeked out from where they hunkered down, trying to get another glance at his mother amid the dimly lit room. She'd lost so much weight; Kazimir barely recognized her. Had she not spoken, he might not have known it was her.

"We've gotta save her," Kazimir said, leaning close enough to Charlie so he'd hear him amid the chaos.

Charlie groaned. "Fine."

Without hesitating, Charlie opened fire on the individuals who trapped them in the corner of the room. Kazimir pulled his own gun, struggling to keep his hand steady as he aimed the barrel in the direction of the men shooting at them. He wasn't sure if he shot any of them. Maybe he got the one on the left in the arm, but it didn't deter him. Probably only a flesh wound.

The darkness made it difficult to get an accurate shot. Kazimir wasn't necessarily an excellent shot, but he could defend himself if he needed to. As he cast another look back at that dreadful cage, his stomach churned. Despite what his mother did to him, he wouldn't leave her alone to rot there. She didn't deserve that. None of those poor women did.

When the deafening gunshots finally ceased, only then did Kazimir slowly emerge from where he'd crouched down, trying to reload his gun. He'd wasted a lot of his bullets on shooting at shadows, unable to get an accurate shot of the men trying to kill them. He hoped they injured none of the poor women either.

"Maybe one of these guys has the keys," Kazimir suggested.

The door suddenly creaked open, causing Kazimir and Charlie to freeze. The remaining members of the Voiceless Rebels who hadn't been injured aimed their guns in the direction of the door, only lowering them when Emmett's tall form came into view.

Kazimir pushed through them, tears brimming in his eyes. "Emmett!" He cried out, throwing his arms tightly around him. "You're okay... I thought... I was so worried they killed you."

"Don't you worry, sweetheart. I'm fine." Emmett kissed his forehead. "Now, we're gonna get these women outta here and blow this bitch to hell."

"Wait, what? We're blowing this place up?" Kazimir asked. "That wasn't a part of the plan before."

"It is now." Alfie shouldered past him, twirling the ring of keys around his index finger. "Come on, boss. Let's hurry and free them. They can sit in the backs of our trucks or walk. Stay here and you burn to the ground with this place."

"It'll be okay, Kaz." Emmett rested a hand on his back, leaning close to his ear. "You've seen your mom already, yeah? Do you still want us to save her?"

Kazimir gaped. "What? Of course! You can't just leave her in here."

Emmett shrugged. "Considering what she did to you, I don't see why I shouldn't. But I figured you'd wanna save her, so don't worry. I won't kill her."

After unlocking all the cells, the rebels made their way back into the opening. Outside, the gunfire didn't come as frequently but Kazimir knew they hadn't made it in the clear yet. At least their warehouse would no longer be used. Everything would burn inside it and all those women had a chance to start over someplace new.

Kazimir tried to find his mom amongst them, but escaping had been chaotic. Nobody bothered to stay together and just bolted for the exit while Alfie and Emmett made their preparations to blow the place up. Charlie remained by his side, ensuring he didn't get trampled on during their escape.