Èponine's heart pounded against her ribcage. She forced herself to take gasping breaths, afraid any of them might be her last. She pressed herself against the brick wall, praying she was blending in enough that they would walk past her without noticing. They'd brush past on their way to find their victim, and then she could be on her way home.

Then they stopped walking.

"This is his lair, I've seen the old fox around. He keeps himself to himself, he's staying close to the ground. I smell profit here," Thenardier said. Èponine's chest tightened even more. They weren't seeking out a victim. They'd chosen one—and it was Cosette's father. Even she knew this was wrong, and unfortunately, she was the only person who could stop it.

The men of the Patron-Minette circled Thenardier like a pack of dogs circles their master, waiting for their next command. It made Èponine feel sick, they way they tripped over themselves and fought to see who would gain his favor first. He could demand that they kill someone, even their own family, and they'd do it without a second thought.

"Ten years ago, he came and paid for Cosette. I let her go for a song. It's time we settled the debt. This'll cost him dear!" Thenardier continued. Èponine cursed under her breath. Of course her father was still holding on to a slight from years past. And of course someone else had to pay for his own failure to negotiate properly.

"What do I care who you should rob? Give me my share. Finish the job!" Brujon shouted, clearly oblivious to the fact that the Patron-Minette was supposed to be undercover. He stuck his hand out toward Thenardier, as if expecting the other man to drop golden coins into it and tell him to be on his merry way. Instead, Thenardier grimaced. Èponine allowed herself a little smile. If Brujon blew their cover and alerted Jean Valjean, perhaps her father and all his friends would finally be carted off to a jail cell where they belonged.

Thenardier charged Brujon. "You shut your mouth! You'll get what's yours."

But Brujon's mind was far from Thenardier. In his mad attempt to avoid making eye contact with his boss, he'd found Èponine hiding in the shadows. She knew she should try and get away, but instead, she met his eyes and raised her chin a little. A challenge. "What have we here?" he asked.

All the men turned to face her. Her heart lunged into her throat again as her father walked toward her. She made a valiant attempt to swallow her panic. "Who is this hussy?" Thenardier asked. Èponine stifled a bitter laugh. Her father was so focused on this job he couldn't even recognize his beloved daughter. She couldn't say she was surprised.

Babet let out a wild laugh as recognition flooded his face. "It's your brat Èponine! Don't you know your own kid? Why's she hanging about here?" He stormed toward her, shoving Thenardier out of the way. Èponine lunged forward, dodging the cane he stuck out to stop her from getting any closer. He got in her face, and before she knew what was happening, her fists collided with his chest, one after the other. He flinched away, and she hit him again.

"Èponine, get on home. You're not needed in this. We're enough here without you," Thenardier said. With a flick of his hand, he called Babet back to his side, and he obeyed, fleeing with his tail between his legs like the dog he was. Èponine couldn't stop the pride swelling in her chest. She may not have been able to do much, but she knew how to handle herself against the Patron-Minette, and that was all that mattered.

Èponine couldn't help but blame herself for this little incident. Had she not been preoccupied with self-pity, she would've remembered to cover her tracks on the way to Cosette's house. The Patron-Minette wouldn't have had a map leading them to the man they hated most.

So, as much as she hated it, and as much as every sensible thought she had left told her to run, she had a duty to put things right.

She quieted the tide of fear ravaging her mind and set her features. If her father saw how afraid she was, he would exploit it, and she didn't want to give him anything else to use against her. Then, she rushed up to one of the pillars next to the gates, gripping it and looking around it for any signs someone was there. Marius and Cosette were in the garden, she was sure of it. Now she just had to make sure they heard her.

"I know this house, I tell you! There's nothing here for you," Èponine said, raising her voice and continuing to check for any sign that someone had heard her. Nothing happened.

"Just the old man and the girl. They live ordinary lives!" she continued, storming over to where Thenardier and the members of his gang cowered. They scuttled a little farther back from her, and she bit back a smile. She finally understood what her father loved so much about his line of work: the rush of being someone's worst nightmare. Having power in your hands and knowing how to manipulate it to get what you want.

Thenardier got to his feet, and the exhilaration faded as quickly as it had come on. The rest of the Patron-Minette followed. The crafty brown eyes that were so similar to her own burned with bloodlust, and he wouldn't rest until it was her blood staining the bricks. He grabbed a handful of Èponine's hair and pulled her away from the gate. She bit her lip so she wouldn't scream, and the metallic tang of blood filled her mouth. "Don't interfere! You've got some gall. Take care, young miss. You've got a lot to say."

Thenardier tossed her to the ground, and she skidded across the street. A stinging in her knee let her know she'd skinned it. She pressed her finger to it, and it came back bloody. She wiped the blood on her skirt and stood back up, not to be so easily defeated.

"She's going soft," Brujon said.

"Happens to all," Claquesous added.

"Go home, 'Ponine, go home! You're in the way," Montparnasse finished. Èponine grimaced. Of all Thenardier's lackeys, he was the one she hated the most. Ever since she was young, he leered at her from dark corners and sought every chance to run his hands over what few curves she had, leaving her with a sick, ruined feeling she'd never quite been able to shake.

The Patron-Minette hoisted a man—Èponine couldn't quite tell who—onto one of the pillars. Montparnasse ran toward her and tried to hold him back. She funneled all her rage and shoved him away. He tumbled to the ground, letting out a little cry of pain as his body cracked against the pavevment. Èponine resisted the satisfaction that rose up in her, knowing she shouldn't take pleasure in his pain.

"I'm gonna scream! I'm gonna warn them here!" Èponine shouted.

"One little scream and you'll regret it for a year," Thenardier warned. Normally, a threat like this would have filled her with dread that he would make Azelma pay for one of her failures, but the adrenaline roaring in her ears drowned out all rational thought.

Èponine met his eyes for a split second. She rushed forward. Babet lunged to stop her, but she swatted him out of the way, sending him reeling. She grabbed the iron bars of the gate and shook them, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. Her throat burned, but she couldn't stop until she was certain somebody inside had heard. A light flickered on in one of the windows. The Patron-Minette scattered like cockroaches.

Good. She'd won this battle.

A tiny smile crossed her face, and she relished in her victory for a split second. Finally, for perhaps the first time in her life, she'd done something good.

But her triumph didn't last long. Thenardier looked around, screaming orders at his scrambling men. "Head for the sewers! Go underground! Leave her to me—don't wait around!" His attention turned to his daughter. Èponine's legs trembled beneath her, but still she lifted her chin, challenging him to raise his hand against her.

A wave of fear crashed over her as Thenardier marched up to her, angrier than she'd ever seen him. "You wait, my girl! You'll rue this night! I'll make you scream. You'll scream alright!" Èponine tightened her grip on the bars of the gate, bracing herself as her father grabbed her neck. She let out a strangled gasp. Black stars danced in her vision. This was it. This was the end of the tragedy of Èponine Thenardier, met at the hands of the man who was supposed to love her unconditionally. Fitting. A violent end for a girl whose life was marked by victims and bloodied hands.

But there was a sound behind her, and suddenly she could breathe again. Thenardier scurried into the sewers with the rest of his men. She rubbed her neck, still feeling the pressure of his fingers against her throat.

Then she heard it. Marius's voice. For a moment, the past few minutes felt like nothing more than a nightmare he was waking her up from. He pushed the gate open and ran out to her, and she could almost pretend he was going to sweep her into his arms—as long as she also pretended that Cosette hadn't hurried out after him. "It was your cry, sent them away!" He threw his arms around her, and it was like her greatest fantasy had come true. He took her shoulders. "Once more 'Ponine, saving the day!" He gestured to Cosette. "Dearest Cosette, my friend 'Ponine brought me to you, showed me the way!"

He froze for a split second, panicked, though Èponine wasn't sure what had startled him this time. He grabbed Èponine's hand. "Someone is near. Let's not be seen. Somebody's here!"

And with that, he was gone.

Cosette flashed one last smile at Èponine and disappeared back into her house. And if she hadn't known better, Èponine would've thought she saw the other girl mouth a silent "thank you" before she turned away.