Ada & The French (The Woodhouse Series #2)

Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

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*Paris*

"What are you doing here Anne?" Bastien asked as I looked at him, watching her, the brute leaving us alone as I still lay on the floor, the gun still pointing at me.

"I heard on the wind that Adelaide was missing so it didn't take a genius to work out who had taken her..." Anne said, remaining tall before Bastien. I admired her courage - but was this real?

Was she back on their side after everything?

"There is a reason I didn't tell you..." Bastien snarled as Anne looked at him.

"Dr Woodhouse is back in town and he is looking for his sister. The police...they're looking for her and they will find her..." Anne explained, my heart fluttering at the prospect of my brother - safe and well. "She wasn't the only one who's been here to Quatre Pigalle and somebody will give it up."

"Then I will slaughter them all - one by one. I'll have their aristocratic blood pour through the cracks of this city's cobblestones," Bastien continued as Anne shook her head. "Let them come. We'll all die in this dingy shed!" He turned to Anne, stepping towards her as the gun remained pointing towards me. "We'll die martyrs and our movement, this great movement that will bring equality and fraternity to France after so many years of bloodshed and uprisings will continue on after us. That's what I have always wanted for us."

He touched Anne's face and I could tell she was falling for his charm again.

"Anne...don't. He's manipulating you! Don't listen to him!" I cried as Bastien turned the gun back to me, making me jump. "Anne...he is only thinking of himself. He does not care about you!"

"Shut up!" Bastien cried as Anne turned to Bastien.

"No...she is not worth getting angry over.. " Anne said to him. "She is not worth it, trust me."

"What are you saying? She's the reason we have lost so much!" Bastien said, his guard up as Anne touched his face.

"We will lose so much more if we do not go..."

"What?" I cried, horrified by what I was hearing.

"Leave?" Bastien questioned as Anne nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"We leave...quickly. We head to Quebec or even the West Indies! We can get out of here before they come for us and when the time is right, we will come back and we will continue what we started..." Anne explained and I was taken aback by what I was hearing.

"No...Anne! No...you can't!" I cried, but Bastien screamed at me in frustration, as he fired the space above my head, causing me to duck. There were heavy footsteps and calling outside, some people screaming in the distance.

Bastien had blown his cover.

"Look what you made me do!" Bastien cried as he ran to a tiny gap in the wood of the wall, noticing that people were approaching the building. "They're coming for us!"

"We need to go, like I said! We will not walk out of this!" Anne replied, her voice frantic as I mustered up some courage of my own.

"Help me!" I screamed again and Bastien looked at Anne, gesturing for her to come to me as he headed for the door to talk to the brute. "Keep her silent!" He ordered, handing his gun off to her and Anne nodded, holding the gun to me.