Page 81 of King of Ruin

I whirl around to make sure Onyx handled the guy but don’t see her. My pulse races, the heavy thrumming growing harder as I search through the madness.

More men appear at the top of the stairs as well as down the long hallway near the kitchen. I empty my clip into the ones coming down the stairs before bending and grabbing two dropped weapons by dead guards.

“Ezekiel!” My first name fromhermouth jolts me upright, and I look up in time to find Onyx’s gun pointed at me.

Not at me, above me.

Three shots ring out and the heavy thuds of their bodies follow. I stand, turning slightly to see a new collection of dead guards piled on the floor.

I shift back to Onyx, who is nearly covered in blood now. The visual, paired with her rescue, has something in my stomach actually fluttering. “You saved me.”

She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Because onlyIget to kill you.”

Why that turns me on, I have no fucking clue, but I take a step toward her and reach out a hand. “Thank you.”

She steps away, averting her eyes. “Don’t thank me, Kane.”

“Onyx, I–I’m not sorry for killing him, but I am sorry for hurting you.”

Her eyes narrow, a deep crease forming between her brows. Her mouth parts but she’s cut off by one of her twins.

“Boss, we got him.” Trigger appears at her side before letting his eyes flash to me. Something indiscernible passes between them, but in the end, he tugs on Onyx’s upper arm. “We need to go.”

A muscle pulls in my chest as she nods and turns, stepping through the litter of bodies without so much as another word. Her heel pierces into one of the fallen guards who reaches up and grabs her calf.

Intuition lifts my arm, and I squeeze the trigger, shooting a bullet directly into his temple.

The silence becomes overwhelming as my soldiers finish clearing out my father’s loyal men and I watch her disappear through the front double doors.

I rub at the ache in my chest with the side of my gun. Every step she takes is weighted, and the inherent need to chase after her is so damn visceral, it’s tearing my frayed edges into tattered fringes.

My gaze flashes to Oliver, who nods. “There aren’t many left. Go.”

I don’t hesitate, moving through the thinning crowd and out the front doors. My feet push me down the entry steps two at a time until I’m right behind her.

Maddy, the twins, and Shi are collected in front of her jeep with a group of other guards. All of them wear the marks of fresh wounds, but collectively seem relieved to have what they came for.

Shi is the first one to acknowledge my presence, her eyes shifting from me to Onyx, then back again. Trigger opens the door, and starts to help Shi inside but stops when he notices her demeanor. He turns, following her gaze to me. Soon enough, Maddy and Trick do the same.

All of them stand silent, their faces wearing emotions I can’t make out while random gunshots ring out behind me. Oliver is likely having our men go floor by floor now, clearing out anyone who was smart enough to not come down.

My gaze returns to Onyx’s back. She’s paused, but hasn’t yet turned around. “I’d advise you to go back inside, Kane. You’ve got quite the mess to clean up.”

She grabs onto the handle bar to hoist herself up and I step forward, ignoring a few of her men drawing their guns.

“Can you just wait? For just one second.” I hate how my voice comes out almost like a plea, but the sudden notion that I’m going to lose her burns across my body.

Her shoulders rise and fall as she releases a heavy sigh. But after a moment, she drops her hand and turns around. Her dark eyes seem to shine under the night sky, glimmering from the stars reflecting in her iris.

In all her fierceness and strength, she’s so goddamn beautiful.

“What more do you want from me?”

Her question gives me pause. My brows knit together as I shake my head. “I don’t want anything from you, I just–”

“You lied to me.” She takes a step forward. “Then you stole. You took something from me that I’ve waited nearly a decade for. I’ve done nothing in those ten years but eat, drink, and kill, waiting for the moment I had my gun to his head.”

Her voice grows louder as she takes another step. Her hand shakes at her sides, her knuckles blooming white from her grip on her gun. “He was mine!”

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