AS GOOD AS DEAD → ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

XIII

Doubt thou the star, part three

GREER'S HEAD WAS SPINNING the moment she gained consciousness, she lay there with her body aching as she tried to open her eyes to check on others.

"Gre," Lockwood called out loud to her, making her snap her eyes open and ignore the way her body ached as she sat up.

Her eyes find Lockwood sitting against the stone, reaching his hand towards her. Greer moved, every muscle of her body aching "You alright?" Lockwood asked, tucking her behind her ear. Greer nodded, not wanting him to worry much.

"I'm sorry, I've been an idiot." Lockwood tightened his grip on her hand "You've always been an idiot." Greer chuckled.

"I should never have brought us here." Lockwood grunted, reaching out to his pocket, and pulled out a picture. It's the picture of Annabel Ward and Hugo Blake with some people beside them "There. I can't believe I miss it." Greer narrowed her eyes at the picture, trying to figure out what Lockwood meant.

"Fairfax wasn't just into casinos." Lockwood pointed at the man behind Annabell and another woman "He was the most connected man in Soho before he moved into iron." Greer felt George and Lucy move close behind her so she moved away from Lockwood's face.

"Fairfax knew Annabell?" George asked "He didn't just know her. I think he was with her. He gave her the ring, he must have done." It doesn't surprise Greer at all, she's been saying it all the time. A man like Fairfax couldn't be trusted. It will always be Money and Reputation.

"That weird hallmark, that means there's gonna be a record of him commissioning it."

"Wait, so he killed her?" Lucy asked
"Probably, maybe that's why he brought us here." Greer rolled her eyes as she spoke "I think he brought us here for the house to kill us. It wouldn't have been suspicious, just four more agents dying on the job."

"Then, let's get out of here." Though her body was aching, she stand up and pulled Lockwood by the shoulder to his feet "Leave before they realize we're still alive."

"If we go via the red room, we wouldn't be." At this time, Greer couldn't really tell if he was joking or not. She really couldn't figure out George sometimes "Look, there's light! Maybe we can get up there." Lucy pointed at something, where the smoke is coming out.

Lockwood was holding Greer's hand the entire time as he poked his rapier through the brick "Careful, little conquer." Lockwood held her waist tightly as he helped her climb the hole. Greer groaned as she make it just below the screaming staircase.

"Here! Grab my hand." Greer offered her hand to him, and Lockwood climb slowly. At this point, none of them finds climbing the wall easily. All because of their aching body. After Lockwood climb out of the chambers, they helped Lucy and George got out.

"Go! Run!" Lockwood ordered, letting them run first.

"Ah!" Lucy gasped. Someone just fired a gun in their direction "Fucking bitch." Greer muttered to herself, hands on her ears as she hid at one of the tables near Ellie.

"Don't move. Hands up." A voice said. Fairfax had shown his face again, he was wearing the same clothes he wore when he left them to die, only he has a gun and weird glasses that Greer couldn't figure out what for.

"You. You brought us here to die." Lockwood turned his head towards Ellie who was blocking the other entrance with a rapier in her hand "It was you in our house the other day who I stabbed." Greer parted her lips as the anger flooded her system, the intruder wasn't a he, she was a she, and she was the one who hit Greer with something very hard in the head. "There's nothing old about that war wound," Lockwood said.