Star remained on the bell tower as their eyes in the sky. In as much as that false alarm had fooled every guard, it won’t surely take long for them to realize.
Initially, they had given themselves a countdown of forty seconds, but Star was sure it was already past a minute.
"What in the universe are they doing in there?
The plan was simple; cause a distraction, lose the guards, enter, threaten McCoy, get the silver case filled with... Yeah coins, and vamos.
But that was the issue, they should be vamosing by now.
"Something is wrong" star muttered as he paid attention.
"Shouldn’t I be hearing at least sounds, or-or voices of their threat? Why is it so quiet down there?"
Before he could make sense of it, he spotted the guards returning in full force.
"Shit!"
He didn’t even think, he just leapt from the tower. The moment his feet left the bell tower, his entire body went cold.
His eyes widened as he looked down. The ground seemed impossibly far away.
"Oh, crap."
His stomach dropped as he began falling toward the mansion wall faster.
’Why did I do that?’
But there was no time to think about it now. The wall was rushing towards him.
Star threw his hands out instinctively. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact.
But...
THUD!
Then... nothing.
He opened one eye. ’What the...?’
His fingers were buried firmly in the wall, holding his entire weight as if it were nothing.
He almost laughed from disbelief. ’Since when can I do this?’
Was he seriously gripping a wall like a lizard now?
Just then he heard voices.
The guards; They were approaching the tower.
He immediately pressed himself closer to the wall and held his breath.
"...the Night Raiders..." one was saying.
Star’s eyes narrowed.
Another voice answered, but the wind swallowed most of the words.
Star’s expression changed. "What?" He strained to listen.
The guards were now getting closer, so he caught another fragment, clearly this time.
His heart gave a hard thump. Whatever they were talking about, it concerned the Night Raiders.
His mind raced. ’They know... they know everything about tonight.’
He quickly climbed toward the nearest window. Going through the door would only put him in whatever trouble Sarah and Zuru were already facing.
He reached the window, pushed the frame open, and slipped inside.
Meanwhile, Sarah and Zuru stood frozen inside the mansion, surrounded by men pointing revolvers directly at their heads.
Mr. McCoy’s mischievous smile remained on his face.
He slowly walked around them, the tip of his cane tapping against the floor with every step.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Sarah’s eyes followed him.
Age had touched him, but it had done little to diminish his imposing presence. His silver hair was neatly combed back, matching his bushy eyebrows. A monocle rested over his left eye, while a well-kept silver goatee framed his mouth.
He wore a white shirt beneath a brown waistcoat while in one hand, rested an elegant cane with a wolf’s head carved into its handle.
"I think Doku might have been right after all," he mused, stopping behind Zuru.
Zuru’s shoulders stiffened as McCoy leaned slightly closer.
"Imagine the brain cells of the Night Raiders plastered across these walls."
A guard nearby let out a nervous laugh. McCoy glanced at him and the guard immediately shut his mouth. He rolled his eyes and continued walking.
"People might even travel from neighboring villages just to admire the remains of the great Night Raiders."
Sarah’s fingers curled into her palms. Zuru glanced over at her and gave her the smallest shake of his head.
Her jaw tightened, then slowly, hesitantly, she relaxed her hands.
However, McCoy came to a stop in front of them.
"Truth be told, I’m a bit disappointed." He turned his head, looking from one masked face to the other. "The Night Raiders? Just two kids? Tsh... You’ve got to be kidding me."
He reached out and tapped Zuru’s shoulder with the end of his cane.
Zuru immediately tensed, but McCoy only grinned.
"I have to admit though, you timed everything perfectly." He nodded slowly but repeatedly. "You bypassed my guards, infiltrated my mansion, and made it this far without being detected."
He leaned on his cane.
"Heh... That’s no small feat."
He pointed at the two with his cane. "You two are far more dangerous than I initially gave you credit for. If circumstances were different, I might even recruit you."
Zuru’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, and unexpectedly, McCoy noticed.
"Yes, you heard me." He gave a small shrug. "Talented people are hard to find these days. Beside... I always have dirty work that needs doing."
Sarah glanced at Zuru. Neither of them said a word.
"But unfortunately for you..." McCoy pushed himself away from the cane. "The fame that comes with killing the Night Raiders is far more valuable."
He walked slowly toward them. "Just imagine it."
He spread one hand as if presenting himself before an imaginary crowd.
"Mr. McCoy, the village savior. The man who finally brought down the infamous Night Raiders."
Sarah’s stomach tightened.
Zuru’s eyes shifted toward the guards surrounding them, his heart pounding faster.
Mr. McCoy noticed the tension. "Oh, don’t bother."
He calmly pointed his cane toward the nearest revolver.
"There are more than enough of them," he added, looking so pleased with himself.
"Did you honestly believe that while transporting this much money, I wouldn’t increase security?" He walked back toward the silver case. "Tsh. For a small amount, perhaps I wouldn’t care."
He placed his palm flat against the case.
"But this..." His fingers tapped slowly against the metal. "This is enough money to change your entire life."
For a moment, silence settled over the room as he stared at the masks and found only two pairs of unblinking eyes staring back at him.
Then he smiled. "Well, enough talking. Let’s get to the enjoyable part."
He stepped closer and rested both hands atop his cane.
"Before I kill you, I’d very much like to see the faces behind those masks..."
"Once you see those faces, you might lose your precious Janine."
A voice came from the staircase leading to the balcony.
Every guard in the room immediately turned toward it.
Standing at the top of the stairs was Star, holding a trembling little girl.
Despite dozens of guns being aimed at him, he remained surprisingly calm. A sly smile, completely unlike him, rested on his face. In his hand was a sharp unicorn horn pressed lightly against Janine’s neck.
Only those masks were what covered the surprise on Sarah and Zuru’s faces.
Truthfully, Star still didn’t know whether the horn was genuine or merely an expensive decoration. Regardless, it was sharp enough to serve its purpose.
However, the moment Mr. McCoy saw his trembling daughter in Star’s grasp, his heart nearly stopped.
His eyes narrowed. Not with anger alone but Fear... Raw, parental fear.
"Yes," Star replied calmly as he saw the fear in the man’s eyes. "I thought so. Though. And if I may offer some advice, next time I’d suggest hiring more vigilant guards. Though I’d hate to be responsible for those gentlemen losing their jobs, especially when they made getting this far embarrassingly easy."
He exhaled, but it was shaky. In fact, his whole body trembled slightly, but he did well to make it unnoticeable.
Everything about this felt wrong. Especially since this was what uncle Dante did to him, using him to get to his father.
But this was the only way.
In that moment, his eyes drifted toward Sarah and Zuru, he was their only hope, so he forced himself to harden.
McCoy clenched his teeth so tightly that an audible squeak escaped them.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
Star blinked. "Well, you can see my face, can’t you?" he replied. "Why don’t you tell me? It’s not like I’m the one wearing a mask."
McCoy’s hands curled into fists. "Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with, boy?"
Star shrugged arrogantly. "Meh, who cares. But perhaps we could start with you letting my friends go."
For several long seconds, McCoy stared at him. If looks could kill, Star would have died several times over.
Finally, McCoy raised a hand before lowering it.
The guards reluctantly lowered their weapons.
Star shook his head. "I’m not satisfied."
"Huh?" McCoy gasped.
Even Sarah and Zuru stared at each other before looking back at him.
"I want everyone," Star continued, "and I mean everyone, to gather their weapons and place them in the center of the room."
McCoy’s expression darkened. "Who do you think you are...?"
"Ugh..." Star sighed lazily. "I thought we’ve been over this."
Gently and slowly, he pressed the unicorn horn closer to Janine’s neck. The sharp tip nicked her skin, drawing the tiniest bead of blood.
Janine gasped. "Argh! D-Daddy..." Her voice trembled as she began to sob. "I’m scared."
The fear in her voice struck McCoy harder than any weapon ever could, but it was no where compared to how it shook Star.
Mr. McCoy’s eyes widened immediately. "You heard him!" he barked at his guards. "Do as he says!"
The guards rushed forward and reluctantly piled their weapons into the center of the room.
"You’ll pay dearly for this," McCoy muttered.
Star’s stomach twisted inwardly. Yet outwardly, he merely laughed.
"Fair," he mused. "But first, I’d like that silver case."
McCoy glanced toward the reinforced lockbox. For a moment, his hand lingered on it. Despite the anger burning in his eyes, he grabbed the case and slid it across the floor.
The weight of it was obvious even from a distance.
Zuru trapped it with his foot before pulling it toward himself.
"Nice," Star said.
Sarah and Zuru stood silently, still struggling to believe that any of this was actually happening.
Keeping Janine beside him, Star carefully descended the staircase until he stood before them.
Only then did he look back at McCoy.
"Now I want all of you to walk into Janine’s room."
McCoy’s face darkened. Nobody moved. Instead, he stared at Star.
"You are thieves," he said coldly. "How do I know that the moment I turn my back, you won’t kill my daughter and run away with my money?"
Star chuckled softly. "That’s a fair concern."
Janine’s frightened eyes immediately turned toward him. The response clearly hadn’t comforted her.
Star sighed. "Fine... let me put it another way. If you and your guards enter that room, there’s a very high chance your daughter survives." He paused. "But the longer you keep disobeying me, the higher the chance something goes wrong."
Janine visibly swallowed. Star hated every second of this, but there was no other choice.
"So tell me, Mr. McCoy. What sounds like the better option?" He continued, swallowing the guilt. "You’re a smart man. I trust you’ll make the right choice."
He gently nudged Janine forward, then glanced at the frightened girl.
"I don’t want this lovely angel getting hurt either."
For a moment, father and daughter stared at one another.
Then McCoy exhaled... slowly... and Defeatedly.
"Don’t worry, sweet pie," he said. "Daddy will save you."
Without another word, he turned and began climbing the stairs.
The guards followed.
Janine watched fearfully as her father disappeared into the room. She hated being his weakness.
However, the moment everyone was inside, Star quickly climbed up, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
"Do anything stupid," he called through the wood, "and you’ll lose your daughter." Then he immediately turned.
"Let’s go!"
None of them wasted a second; Zuru grabbed the case, Sarah followed.
The moment they stepped outside, the guards surrounding the estate turned toward them.
Then came the sound Star had been dreading.
Click. Click. Click.
Revolvers and shotguns were raised in an instant, all pointed directly at them.
Sarah froze, Zuru’s grip tightened around the silver case, Star’s heart hammered against his ribs, and for one painful second... nobody moved.
Then Star slowly tightened his grip on the unicorn horn against Janine’s neck, then simply flicked his neck and raised an eyebrow.
One of the soldiers understood immediately. He slowly raised his hands.
"That’s the boss’s daughter," he said, his gaze maliciously fixed at star. "Lower your weapons."
The guards hesitated.
"Lower your weapons!" he repeated, more firmly this time.
Now, One by one, the weapons came down.
"Good," Star muttered.
He kept the horn against Janine’s neck as they began moving toward the waiting carts. Every step felt longer than the last.
Sarah walked beside him, glancing nervously at the guards, while Zuru kept the silver case tucked close to his side.
Nobody spoke. Not until they had crossed far enough from the estate that the mansion was beginning to disappear behind the trees. Only then did they stop.
Star looked down at Janine. Her cheeks were wet. Then slowly, he lowered the unicorn horn.
"I’m sorry."
Janine stared at him. For a while, Star thought she might say something. But instead, she turned and ran.
"Janine!"
Star yelled, but, McCoy’s daughter didn’t stop. She disappeared toward the mansion.
Star remained where he was. His hand was still wrapped around the horn and the victory suddenly didn’t feel like one.
He remembered the way she’d trembled in his arms, the way she’d called for her father.
"This... this wasn’t supposed to feel this bad..." he stuttered.
"Star."
Sarah’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He looked up.
She was already standing beside the cart.
"Come on."
Star nodded silently and climbed inside.