Betrayal’s Price

Titus clenched his teeth, his pride and anger refusing to yield. Though he was outnumbered, his fingers tightened around the grip of his gun. With a sudden motion, he raised it, aiming straight at Darius.

“Drop the gun!” Peter’s voice rang out again, firm and unwavering. His own weapon was trained on Titus.

Titus sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Peter! What are you doing? Do you really think you’ll get away with this insubordination?”

Peter didn’t flinch. “I really don’t,” he replied, his tone measured, almost calm. “But it’s like the guys said—I’ve been waiting for someone to stop me and lead me in the right direction. And this? This feels like the right kind of crazy.”

“You’ll regret this!” Titus spat, his voice trembling with both rage and desperation.

Peter smirked faintly, tilting his head. “Only if I don’t play my cards right. You know, sometimes I pity you. From my time with you, I’ve realized you actually believe you’re so high and noble that you think you’re untouchable.”

“You won’t get away with this!” Titus snarled, his voice growing more unhinged.

“Only if I let you go,” Peter shot back.

“I’ll kill you!” Titus shouted, his voice cracking.

“Only if I don’t kill you first,” Peter said, his tone icy and resolute. “Now drop your gun. Right now!”

Titus hesitated, his pride battling against the stark reality of his situation. Before he could make a move, Tom stepped forward and swiftly disarmed him.

“It’s over, Titus,” Tom said, his voice steady.

“Don’t shoot him,” Darius intervened, his voice cutting through the tension. “We’re better than that.”

Han chuckled darkly. “See, that’s the kind of boss a Negro wants,” he muttered, half under his breath.

Peter’s eyes flickered with frustration. “Leaving the dirty work to your boys, huh, Darius? You bastard.”

Peter, misinterpreting Darius’s reluctance as manipulative cowardice, raised his gun and fired, hitting Titus in the lower back. Titus cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

“What have you done?!” Darius shouted, grabbing the gun from Peter’s hands. “I said not to kill him!”

Peter shrugged, his expression unreadable. “He’s still breathing. For now.”

Tom’s voice cut through the chaos. “Hey, Ms. Katherine! Is she okay?”

Katherine, pale and frozen by the horror around her, finally snapped out of her stupor. She rushed to her brother’s side, pressing her hands against the wound to stem the bleeding.

“Stay with me, Titus. Don’t you dare die on me!” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

As they stood there, the sound of hurried footsteps announced the arrival of Yanka and Shalley, both panting heavily.

“Stop it!” Yanka cried, her voice desperate. “I know Darius. He wouldn’t do something like this!”

Darius turned to her, his expression weary. “It’s fine, Yanka. They’re with me now.”

“With you?” Yanka looked around in confusion. “I thought they were trying to kill you!”

“It’s a long story,” Darius said, shaking his head. “What are you doing here?”

Shalley stepped forward, her face flushed with urgency. “What are we doing here? We came to warn you that someone is out to get you, and this is what we walk into?”

Darius exhaled heavily. “I’m sorry, Shalley. A lot has happened.”

Before he could explain further, Yanka grabbed his arm. “You need to know—Mr. Wesley is on his way here with the vanguards. And they’ve brought dogs.”

The faint sound of barking in the distance confirmed her words. The group stiffened, their panic mounting.

Tom spoke quickly. “I have a cousin in Melvic—Avarora. We can set up a base there for the time being.”

“A base? What are you talking about?” Darius asked, incredulous.

Peter clapped him on the back, a grim smile on his face. “We’ll figure it out on the way. Right now, we need to move. Fast.”

“An army?” Darius shot back, his voice rising. “Are you insane? I’m not going anywhere!”

Peter’s expression darkened. “In case you’ve forgotten, we just shot a nobleman. A Harrison, to make matters worse. We’re outlaws now. You better take responsibility for your actions.”

Darius faltered, his mind racing. He looked at the men around him—men who had just sacrificed everything to stand by him. Their lives were now tied to his, and he couldn’t abandon them.

The barking grew louder, the vanguards drawing closer.

“Katherine!” Darius turned to her, desperation in his voice. “Let’s go with them. Come on!”

Katherine shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t leave my brother like this and run. Go. Save yourself.”

“But—”

Before he could argue further, the men pulled him onto a horse, and they galloped away, leaving Katherine behind.

As the forest blurred past him, Darius felt a gnawing conflict in his chest. He had come this far to protect Katherine, to stay by her side, and now he was running away without her. Why? The question burned in his mind as they raced toward an uncertain future.

The city of Melvic lay ahead—a dangerous, unknown place. Darius couldn’t have predicted what awaited him on the Wellington estate, but one thing was clear: the journey was far from over.