Page 165 of Corrupt Me

Shoving through the moving crowd, I am almost to the bathroom when I hear the front doors slam shut. Turning, I see two armed men blocking the entrance.

Suddenly, one of them hurls a fog cannon into the hall. Thick smoke blankets the air, making it impossible to see and effectively trapping me and my friends inside.

“They have her. Run!” Mia shouts through the comm.

Fucking shit.No. I won’t accept that.

“You won’t help her if you die trying,” Celine yells at me, pushing at my chest to move. Our friends follow behind as we run deeper into the castle.

We slip into a room at the far end of the hall. Shouts break out as we try to locate each other and stay alive. Trapped inside and surrounded by armed guards, bullets whiz past us as we search for hiding places.

Twenty men barge inside, and the only sound from us is our heavy breathing picked up through the comms. I duck behind a thick column and return fire.Come at me, assholes. This is not the night I’ll die.

While we prepared for an ambush, I didn’t expect Felix to have professional help to this extent—perfectly planned and executed. I knew we’d be at a disadvantage and that the mission was high risk, but we’ve gotten used to living dangerously. Nothing else matters but gaining our freedom by eliminating the last threat.

Celine takes cover behind a table, shooting at whoever approaches her. Kaden is at the far end, peeking from behind a column with his gun drawn.

“Cover me,” he orders through the comm.

I shoot the one moving toward him, and Kaden rushes over to Celine. Together, guns blazing, they take down three more.

Blake slits a man’s throat with swift precision, then moves to the next like a gladiator who kills for sport. Abi and Dane stand back-to-back, their guns spitting bullets that drop bodies surrounding them in a circle of death.

A bullet flies by my arm when I pull the trigger. My shot tears through the attacker’s skull, sending him crumpling to the ground.

Glancing at the twenty bodies scattered across the room, I confirm no one survived. We slip out unnoticed, rejoining the other guests outside, who remain clueless about what happened behind closed doors.

It couldn’t have lasted more than fifteen minutes, not with the fireworks painting the night sky in bright colors, but we survived.

Once we’re in the van, Blake shouts profanities, slamming his fist into the wall. Mia hovers over him, checking him a dozen times. Abi speaks into the comm, desperately trying to reach Bailey, but the only response is crackling static. Celine sits in silence, wearing a despondent look as she surely works through our next move. Dane plays with his lighter, his eyes fixed on the dancing flame.

Calmness floods my bloodstream, more intense than I have ever felt before. I’m led by a single-minded focus: I will get Bailey back.

With Dane’s proclivity to burn shit, Felix will be buried under debris and failed ambitions.

Kaden fixes me with an intent stare.

“I know where she is,” I say, and Blake stops his erratic movements.

Five pairs of eyes turn to me. Kaden rolls his hand through the air, signaling me to continue.

“I put a tracking device in Bailey.”

For a moment, silence fills the van before Abi sighs in relief. “I can finally breathe again.”

“That’s why I insisted on the chips. Exactly for scenarios like this one.”

The group nods in acceptance. This is our life. Personal preferences can’t be allowed to jeopardize our well-being.

Without losing another second, I pull out my phone, and we track her to a cottage just south of London. It’s ten miles from here. We can’t afford to repeat what happened at the gala. It’s a damn miracle it didn’t turn into a bloodbath on our part. I have to give it to the bastard; it was a flawless plan, but we’re not that easy to kill.

“Eric is mine,” I tell them, caring more about him than about killing Felix. While that was the original plan, Eric was the one who drugged her. He’ll pay for that.

The team Cassandra sent is not far away, but we’re not going to lose any more time. Dane hops in the driver’s seat and speeds off.

Kaden is on the phone with Cassandra, “Ma’am, we’re heading there right now. We can’t wait.”

The drive happens in a blur as Mia shows us the Google images of the house. It’s secluded and in the heart of a forest—a great hiding location.

---