The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back novel · Chapter 21 of 24

Chapter 21: The Front Gate

The laundry guard took one look at Vaughn's face and put her hands on her head.

"Chief," she said. "They told us you had gone over to her."

"They were right," Vaughn said. "What's your name?"

"Does it matter?"

"No. Where is the warden?"

"In the front hall, with the man in the charcoal coat."

"Everyone is on the yard tonight, the whole shift. They want everyone to watch."

"Watch what?"

"The Chief bringing her back."

Vaughn glanced at Astrid.

She looked pleased in a way that made the guard step back.

"Then let's not disappoint them," she said.

Vaughn took a spare dark jacket from the laundry rail and put it on over his bandage.

The star on its chest belonged to some other man.

He keyed the guard's radio.

"This is Chief Garrow," he said, in the voice that had run the gate for nine years. "I'm bringing 5081 in through the front. Clear the yard doors and hold anyone in a charcoal coat. Nobody leaves the island."

There was a long silence on the line.

Then a young voice said, "Yes, Chief."

They walked.

They climbed from the laundry, through the kitchens and up a flight of iron stairs, with Marguerite between them and Duncan behind with a lamp.

Duncan whispered, "I have always wanted to see the inside of this place."

"Don't touch anything," said Vaughn.

At the top of the stairs a steel door opened on the main yard.

The floodlights were on.

Every guard on the island stood in two long lines on the cobbles, three hundred of them, with their rifles shouldered.

Above them, behind the barred windows of the five wings, every prisoner was awake and pressed to the glass.

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