Chapters (76)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART I
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- PART II
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- PART III
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- INTERLUDE
- PART IV
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- INTERLUDE
- PART V
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART VI
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- INTERLUDE
- PART VII
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- PART VIII
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- EPILOGUE
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
The idea of lingering in awkward silence with Alan was actually worse than the idea of talking to him long enough for him to leave. “I wish we had known about this before our visit with the prince today,” Robin said.
“About Marion you mean?”
Of fucking course about Marion. “The damned timing of it all. With Marion captured, we’re on our own, in the dark. We need information on the Sheriff’s funeral to rescue Will and Elena, and Marion can’t help us anymore. Prince John offered us exactly what we needed, but I didn’t know we needed it.”
He wanted to keep the conversation on tactics. If Alan opened his mouth to talk about how Marion was his everything again, Robin was likely to break the man’s teeth.
But Alan just nodded in agreement. “Well, he did tell us how to communicate with him in Nottingham. Guess he was right when he said, ‘See you soon.’”
Robin tipped his head back to let the rain touch his face. “It was risky enough before. A public funeral, a public hanging. They’re practically inviting us inside.”
“So the only way to make this work is to trust Prince John’s help?”
Robin made a long full bow of his head, yes.
Alan’s morale seemed as soggy as his tunic. The rain went colder, a shudder cracked through Robin’s spine. Little imagination was required to see how the day might unfold against them. Rescuing Will and Elena was one thing. As long as they plotted out an escape route, they could use the advantage of a sympathetic mob, the cover of confusion, theatrics. It was possible. But with Marion as a hostage William could use as leverage, the idea of simultaneously saving her made everything else a thousand times less possible. It was a perfect move for William, and Robin could only blame himself for not anticipating it. It was a trap so clever the only way to avoid it was to let Will and Elena die.
“You need to consider the reality that you will likely see your two friends with ropes around their necks,” Robin said, no longer interested in tiptoeing around Alan’s softness. “Hell, you might even be standing next to them.”
“Maybe we don’t need Prince John,” Alan tried. “I’ll bet I could cut both their nooses off the gallows with a single arrow.”
At this, Robin laughed. It might have been the first funny thing Alan had said all day. Well after the sensation of smiling was gone, Robin finally looked up at Alan, a little surprised that he was a human, and that they were both there.
“I don’t know what to do.”