The Black Coats(74)
“Stop!” She held out her hands, her voice strong and confident. “Listen to me! The Black Coats aren’t what you think they are!”
Some of the girls from Emperor paused, but Valentina was still moving toward Thea.
She cleared her throat. “I know why you’re here. I know each of us has suffered a loss at the hands of bad men. I know that pain.” Natalie’s smiling face passed through her mind. “These wounds have scarred us forever.” She looked behind her at Mademoiselle Corday, a black fortress disguised as a haven for the hurting. “But this place is not the solution. The Black Coats is a Band-Aid, a distraction from the real pain you feel. It doesn’t heal; it just hides. Do you know what the real purpose of the Black Coats is?”
“Shut up!” screamed Valentina, moving swiftly toward Thea.
Thea ignored her, one finger pointing at the house. “The Black Coats are assassins.” Team Swallowtail stopped moving. “They kill people. The Black Coats, what we do, is nothing more than a training and recruitment organization for the Monarchs. Do you think this house really serves just to entertain teenage girls? To help heal our hearts?” Thea closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the dark thrill of their first Balancings. “I know you don’t want to hear it. I didn’t, either.”
The teams were closer now, almost at the table where she stood. Thea swallowed nervously. “We have done some good, all of us, but we are serving the Monarchs. Even now, you serve the Monarchs.” There was nothing to lose. If it was the last thing she did, she would drag the Black Coats’ dark secrets into the light. “They tried to kill my boyfriend’s father. His name is Adam Porter, and he is a good man and a cop, but he was sniffing around the Black Coats. And so the Monarchs came for him. I was there. He had done nothing to hurt women, and yet the Monarchs attempted to murder him. Is this the kind of organization that you want to belong to?” Thea lowered her voice a little, her heart pounding hard, every hair on her body rising. “I wanted to believe the lie more than anyone.” She raised her eyes to the house. “But this house will tear you apart if you dare question it. And one day, the Monarchs might come for you.”
“I’m going to do them a favor then,” snarled Valentina, lunging toward Thea with the knife slashing out in front of her. Thea spun around, and the cut narrowly missed her shins. Adrenaline mixed with anger flooded her senses and she delivered a hard kick to Valentina’s jaw. The girl staggered backward.
The teams were pressing in on her now, gathering in a circle around the two of them. Team Swallowtail looked confused, distressed. Team Emperor hungrily cheered their leader on as she slashed at her legs, Thea only a second ahead of her. Valentina was ruthless—and skilled. Her knife nicked near Thea’s ankle, drawing blood. Thea let out a cry as the blade cut into her. She spun around, her fist catching the side of Valentine’s head. The girl stumbled, blinking to recover, the knife held in front of her. “I’m going to kill you for that.”
The roar of an engine stopped them both cold. Everyone looked to the west side of the yard, where trees and bushes shook as something gigantic trampled past them. Something with a distinct purr. They all let out a scream as Mirabelle’s silver Audi exploded into the yard. The car crashed through the iron gates that Thea had once stared at in wonder, and skidded through the garden, sending dirt and flowers up into the air. Its tires squealed as it shot around the portico on the side of the house before slamming to a violent stop. There was a second of silence before the engine roared angrily and shot forward toward the teams, who scurried out of the way.
Valentina was momentarily distracted, and Thea used it to her advantage; she dropped to the ground and swept a leg out at Valentina’s feet, her sneaker colliding with the girl’s ankle. Valentina fell with a screech, but as she fell she grabbed an object from the ground and raised her arm again. Thea didn’t even have time to move before she saw the knife glinting in the air, seconds from leaving Valentina’s hand, but before it could, someone grabbed her arm. Neon coral nails gripped hard, and Thea felt gratitude wash over her. She looked into Mirabelle’s furious eyes as the girl squirmed. Valentina might be deadly, but Mirabelle was strong. Inside and out.
“There’s only room for one queen bee here,” she snapped. “And that spot is already taken.”
Valentina snarled and looked at them both. “Some of us are okay with becoming Monarchs.” There were gasps of surprise from the rest of her team, and she shrugged. “You think you are the only one who has had to compromise her conscience? These men deserve to die! This is part of the game—the only game that matters. And even if you don’t want to kill, the Monarchs could get you at any time. You’ll never be safe, your boyfriend and your parents will never be safe, you will—”
A fist flew across her face, and she slumped to the ground with a groan. Thea looked up to see Casey and Louise standing in front of her. Casey glanced over at Team Emperor. “Don’t worry, ladies, I didn’t hit her that hard.” Her eyes met Thea’s, and she shrugged happily. “She was going on and on and I just didn’t want to hear her whole damn tirade. Also, she tried to stab you.”
Mirabelle stepped over Valentina’s form and looked out at the remaining cluster of girls. “Thea’s right. The Black Coats aren’t what you think they are.” She paused. “I thought I wanted revenge. I got my inheritance. And I looked in his eyes and I understood: causing him pain wouldn’t fix my own.” Mirabelle slowly peeled off her black coat. “I will always fight for justice for women. But not here. Not this way.”