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Blanche was good at manipulating people and she had done her best to keep herself and Stephen isolated from the rest of the fort. It allowed her to plan her return to the mansion without much interference. Stephen had been the easiest to manipulate. God help the poor man, but he really did love her.

“Because, her spic boyfriend controls the gate and if we have her with us, he will do what we say. ”

God, he was a total idiot. The only thing he was good for was managing her money and making more of it. He definitely had not done anything to help her out during these hard months at the fort. He had tried to get Travis to give them the Hummer and supplies behind her back, but he had failed, of course. He was lucky he had not brought the fort authorities down on them or ruined her plans. That had nearly happened when Linda, searching for the Imotrex, almost found the contraband the boys had been smuggling to Blanche. The scene she had to make afterward to cover up had been ridiculous, but it had worked.

“Then we let her go?” Stephen asked.

“Of course not. I need someone to clean the mansion,” Blanche said with a laugh.

The service elevator opened and they stepped inside. Brewster and Johnson flanked her, Brewster holding the unconscious woman under one arm. Blanche straightened her dress a bit and checked her shoes. She was wearing snake skin boots with her dress and she admired them with a sigh. Soon she would have all of her lovely things back.

Including her Hummer. . .

The doors snapped open to a back hallway and they moved swiftly through it. Stephen followed, clutching their bags. He was at least good for that.

Pushing open a back door, she stepped into the small courtyard between the hotel and the newspaper building. The new wall rose up enclosing the courtyard and blocking her view of the town, but she didn’t care. She was done with this shit town.

Johnson ran ahead of them and opened up the doors to the newspaper office. He had picked it open the night before and it swung open on freshly oiled hinges. Blanche strode confidently inside and walked down the long narrow hallway, barely paying attention to the old offices. Again, Johnson ran ahead and opened up the door to the loading dock that was now used as a garage. Her Hummer sat there, beautiful and waiting for them among the rest of the shitkicker vehicles the fort vermin had collected.

Stephen rushed over to the board where all the keys hung and grabbed the ones for the Hummer. At least he was good for that much, Blanche thought bitterly.

“Pack the Hummer, get ready to go,” Blanche said tersely. “And do what we planned, okay?”

Stephen nodded and obeyed.

“Hey, once we’re out of here, what are we doing with him,” Brewster whispered to Blanche.

“I’ll take care of him. He’s deadweight in this world. ”

Johnson handed Blanche the revolver with the silencer she had specifically requested from her mansion. She took it with a smile.

“Keep to the plan,” she said.

The door on the far side of the room opened and Juan walked in with Ray. Ray looked nervous, but Juan looked almost frantic. Blanche wondered what the hell Ray had told him to get him down to the garage.

“What happened? Is she okay?” Juan asked as he drew near. “How did she get hurt?”

Blanche calmly pressed the muzzle of the silencer against the underside of Jenni’s chin.

Juan stopped cold, his eyes growing wide. “What the fuck?”

“We’re leaving and you’re opening the gate,” Blanche said coolly

.

Juan blinked, taking it all in. He looked sharply at Ray, who backed away, ducking his head. “What the hell is going on, Ray?”

“We’re leaving,” Brewster said in his loud booming voice. “And you’re letting us out. ”

“You could have just asked,” Juan hissed at them.

“Oh, like you would have let the Hummer go,” Blanche said mockingly.

“This is about your fucking car? Travis said your husband was all crazy to get it back. ”

Blanche just laughed. “It’s about my fucking treatment around here. I am taking my car, my men, and I’m going home. ”

“Fine, but you can’t take her!”