100-Days-in-Deadland(71)

“We both saw it,” I said. “She tried to escape and he was one of the four chasing her.”

“I didn’t do nothing!” Keith shrieked.

I looked at Clutch. His hard gaze told me everything I needed to know. I aimed my rifle and fired. Keith fell back, into the pit, a bullet hole through his forehead.

I expected to be riddled with bullets, but surprisingly, no one else fired even though everyone except Doyle held a rifle.

Doyle’s lips thinned. “You’ll be sorry for doing that, girl.”

Tyler leveled his rifle on Doyle. “We have laws, Doyle. I’m arresting her, and she’s coming with me to stand trial.”

“If you’d seen what he and his friends had done, Captain,” Clutch growled, “you’d have done the same thing.”

“Everyone, stand down,” Tyler commanded.

None of the Dogs lowered their weapons, and so no one else did.

“Doyle, your men are ordered to stand down,” Tyler said, reaching out to me, but Clutch grabbed me first and pulled me against him.

“That Dog got what he deserved,” Clutch said.

He took us a step back, and then froze.

“No!” I cried out when I saw Doyle’s pistol aimed point blank at Clutch’s temple. I turned to Tyler. “Clutch is innocent.”

“The only way anyone leaves here is if I allow it,” Doyle countered.

“You are disobeying a direct order, Doyle,” Tyler stated. “This camp is under the jurisdiction of Camp Fox. If you do not have your men stand down now, you will be stripped of rank and deemed outlaws. This is your last warning.”

Doyle snorted. “My camp, my rules. It’s you who need to lower your weapons.”

“If your men open fire,” Tyler said, keeping his rifle aimed at Doyle. “You’ll be the first one dead. Now, you are ordered to stand down!”

Clutch’s eyes were completely focused on me. “Let them go, Doyle,” he said, “and I’ll join your crew.”

I shook my head. Don’t do this.

After a lengthy pause, Doyle pulled away his pistol and sneered. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today, Masden. You have five minutes to clear out of my camp.”

“Get her out of here, Captain,” Clutch ground out.

“The militia is done, Doyle,” Tyler said. “Effective immediately.”

Doyle belted out a laugh. “Camp Fox needs me. I don’t need you.” He sobered. “And you’re wasting your minutes.”

Tyler reached for me. “You don’t have to do this, Clutch,” I begged.

Clutch’s face hardened and he turned away, gritting his teeth while one of the Dogs disarmed him.

“Well, this worked out better than I expected,” Doyle said to one of his men.

Tyler grabbed my wrist. He pulled me through the doorway and through the camp, flanked by Griz and Tack.

Knots tightened in my gut with every step. Doyle had wanted Clutch. Defeated and under his control. And we’d let him do it. He’d expected Clutch to kill the rapist so he could imprison him. When I killed the man, Clutch had volunteered to stay, making Doyle’s job easy. Doyle had got exactly what he’d wanted. Clutch was no longer a threat, leaving those he cared about easy game for the Dogs.

With a surge, I twisted free and grabbed Tyler’s arms. “Clutch is a good man. He doesn’t belong here. Promise me you’ll try to get him out of here.”

Tyler watched me for a moment. Maybe he understood, maybe he saw something in my eyes. He gave a thin smile. “I’ll do what I can.”

When his words registered as truth in my mind, I nodded and inhaled. “Good.” I headed to the waiting Humvee, a thousand rescue scenarios running through my mind.

The only problem was, without Clutch, I couldn’t do anything, let alone pull off a rescue.

Before I climbed into the Humvee, I looked back one last time to find Clutch, but only saw Doyle watching us smugly, promising retribution. Clutch had sacrificed himself for our freedom. And it was a waste, because Doyle wouldn’t stop until we were all dead.





VIOLENCE


The Seventh Circle of Hell





Chapter XII


I remembered the feeling of plastic restraints cutting into my wrists from my first night with Clutch. I understood why Tyler felt like he had to arrest me, and before the outbreak I would’ve agreed with him.