Ada & The French (The Woodhouse Series #2)

Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

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*Paris*

"Anne..." Bastien was shocked, but probably not as shocked as me.

I did not know if her turning the gun on Bastien was a facade or real.

"You turn your gun on me...after everything?"

Anne remained confident and tall. "I turn this gun on you, because of everything..." She said as Bastien's spare hand clenched. "You have gone too far and I should've seen it sooner. I should've done something about all of this a lot sooner!"

Bastien was seething, looking at me and Anne in turn as he kicked me, knocking me to the floor. "She's corrupted you! She has done this to you!"

"No...she made me realise the truth..." Anne explained, her eyes on me, but the gun remained facing Bastien. "And it wasn't just her. You poisoned my mind and you made me think that your false cause was the right way. You took advantage of me and you groomed me into thinking that Les Gens were the right thing..." Anne shook her head, choking up. "But you do not care for anyone else but yourself and now I see that." Bastien was angry, glaring at her and I didn't want to think what he would do with his gun, so shuffled away - he didn't stop me.

"Anne..." Bastien dropped his gun as I watched them, unsure of what was going to happen. Anne kept her gun up, Bastien raising his hands up in defence. "You are not thinking straight."

"Stay away from me..." Anne warned and Bastien stopped. "I am thinking straight for the first time in a long time. Do not assume anything about me. You do not know me...you never have. You made me think that you knew so much about me and that you cared for me, but all you did was manipulate me and take advantage of me!"

"I did no such thing!" Bastien cried. "Do you think you are special? I wanted you, that is why I pursued you."

"And all those other girls? All the girls you charmed to join you in your cause? You charmed her and all!" Anne gestured to me as Bastien turned his head slightly. "You told them all the same lies you told me but the only reason you kept me around and simply recruited them for this dead cause was that I am a Benoit. They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer..."

Bastien was flabbergasted and I watched him instinctively. He was volatile and unpredictable - I could not let my guard down. "You selfish bitch!" Bastien cried and grabbed Anne's gun, pulling it away from her in one stroke as he was a strong man and he threw it to the floor, grabbing Anne's wrists and pinning her against the wall.

"Let her go!" I cried but he held Anne's face with one hand and kept her pinned with his large body.

"You think you are so special? You were nothing to me. You screamed my name at night but you weren't the only one. You were nothing special. I just wanted you for your name..."

"No!" Anne tried to push him away but he slapped her.

"No...you listen! If we go down, you go down as does your entire influential family and everyone connected to them. That is why I fished you out - I do not care about us. There never was an 'us'. I only cared about the protection your name could provide us."

"I said, let her go!"

I jumped on Bastien's back and tried to tackle him to the floor, but he stepped away from Anne and tried to shake me off, throwing himself backwards against a wall, but I held on, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck to restrict his breathing