The Fortunates (Unfortunate #2) - Skyla Madi Page 0,64

my throat. “I need you to go to the Milano blacksmith sheds after hours. John will give you, and a handful of helpers, access every night after eight for exactly five hours. Pack every second weapon into bags of grain and send them to the Unfortunate camp up on the hill. They’ll store them in the silos for later use.”

“Why the camp on the hill?” Kade asks and I all but flinch at the familiar sound of his voice. “It’s the furthest camp from the town.”

“Exactly,” I say, avoiding his gaze. “I admit it’s a fair way to run on the day, but it’s the ideal safe house once the war starts.”

“And the fence surrounding the town?”

“John promises it will be open when it’s time to run.”

Oliver bends his leg at the knee again. “And this…camp. You’re sure it’s a good place?”

I nod. “It’s on a hill opposite Freeport. We’ll see any hostile approaches long before they arrive. Another plus are the cliffs behind us. They’re steep, so there’s no chance of an ambush while we sleep.”

“You mentioned bags of grain,” Kade says and I look at him. “Where are you going to get those?”

I swallow. “I, uh, I spent the morning negotiating with Frances Miller. As you know, the Millers are in charge of agriculture and they do the bulk of the farming. She’s offered us twelve bags of grain a night for three weeks. She can’t keep them off the books and turn a blind eye for longer than that.”

“Frances Miller has no authority,” he points out.

“Lucky for us, her aunt gave birth three days ago and she’s put Frances in charge for the next three weeks. As for the Unfortunate camp, Frances assures me that the moderators on the other end will take care of everything.”

“And you trust her?”

I shrug. “It’s all I’ve got.”

His lips curve. “Well done.”

I turn to Oliver. “I saw the bags. I was only taught the basics of mathematics, but by my calculations, she’ll give us two hundred and fifty-two bags over the three week period. If we pull it off, it’ll be one thousand, five hundred and twelve guns we manage to smuggle.”

Oliver cracks a smile. The first of its kind. “Well, when you put it that way.”

He chuckles and claps his hands together. I smile at him. I’m glad I’ve finally been able to contribute to the cause.

“I have to meet John now anyway,” Oliver says, pushing off the wall and smoothing his palms down the front of his white tee. “After that, I’ll pick a few trustworthy people to help me in the sheds tonight.”

I nod. “Sounds good—oh! Before I forget. When you pack the guns into the sacks, be sure to bag them in plastic first. We don’t want the grains to jam them.”

Without a word to Kade, without even a glance in his direction, Oliver leaves the room.

And we’re alone.

“Did he seem more pissed at me than usual?”

I frown at him. Is he serious right now? “Both Oliver and John are pissed at you.”

Kaden lifts his eyebrows. “Really?”

I grab the map from my lap and stash it in my bottom drawer. “You seem surprised.”

“I am. I had Portia give Oliver the letter I received in the morning. They knew where I was going.”

“That’s no excuse. You murdered people,” I snap, slamming the drawer. “Again.”

Kade tilts his head and his eyes darken. “You seem so sure.”

I haven’t been a Fortunate for long, but I wasn’t born yesterday. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said you were.”

I sit forward, resting my arms on the table. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you went out of your way to spare the lives of a handful of Unfortunates you don’t even know?”

“I did.” He nods proudly, a cute little smirk tugging at his lips. “And I can prove it. They’re going to meet me next week. You can come see them if you don’t believe me.”

Maybe he is telling the truth…I exhale, defeated. I don’t know what has gotten into me. He isn’t Vince. He isn’t my enemy. He’s husband and I should trust him. He’s the only one with my best interest at heart, after all.

“I’m sorry. I believe you. I do.” I tuck my hair behind my ears. “When you get a moment, can you please work on setting up that communication system you were talking about? We’re going to need it in order for phase two to operate smoothly. I’ve already organised for John Milano to…” I trail