Page 64 of Flame and Fury

It’s another few minutes of an all-out run before we reach the steel fencing Estella warned us about. I glare at the damn thing. It’s a barrier, but I’m strong enough to pull the bars apart. Except I don’t have to. Atlas grabs my hand, tugging me farther down the fence line until we reach a space that’s already large enough to let two men the size of Atlas and Nico pass through.

The voices in the woods are growing closer. Bobbing flashlights look like sprites floating in between the trees. Nathaniel’s people are everywhere, but they’re clueless about which direction we ran. They’re combing every inch of the dark forest.

“Let’s go.” Atlas turns sideways and slips out of the fence. He waits on the other side, waving us through with an urgent gesture. Nico tries to force me through first, but I push him with a grunt. He shakes his head and ducks through the spread bars. Lark and Estella are right behind him.

I have one foot through the fence when a hand grabs hold of my hair, ripping me back into the woods. My back is slammed against a man’s chest. Atlas shouts my name, the sound feral. My scalp screams from where strands of my hair are torn out.

On the other side of the fence is a lit street. The lamps provide enough illumination for me to see, but I don’t need to turn my head to know it’s Nathaniel who has hold of me. His presence is an infection, an oily slick of wrongness that my Fury tastes. His crimes speak for themselves.

“You think you can escape me,” Nathaniel sneers next to my ear. Rivulets of water drip off his face and land on mine.

His arm wraps around my neck in a chokehold. He lets go of my hair to grasp his other wrist, cutting off my air. I drop my chin and jerk my body to the side, leaving Nathaniel’s crotch wide open for my fist. I slam it into his pathetic dick so hard he’s going to have to surgically extract his balls. Nathaniel’s body bends over mine, his breath a wet spray over my cheek with his moan. Before he begins to recover, I throw my elbow up and smile when I hear the satisfying crunch of his nose breaking. He stumbles backward, his hands flying up to cup his face.

“Fucking whore,” Nathaniel roars.

The whole thing happens so fast that Atlas doesn’t have time to step back into the woods. I’m already running through the fence before Nathaniel collects himself. I shouldn’t look over my shoulder, but I can’t help it. My Fury is screaming at me to go back and finish this. To ensure Nathaniel receives the justice he deserves for all his many crimes. I don’t know what they are, specifically, but his essence is riddled with them.

Nathaniel lifts his head, staring at me with pure hatred. Something else flashes in his eyes, a glimmer that catches the light. For a moment, it’s as if he has another face altogether. I’m so startled that I slam into Atlas.

“Wren, we need to get out of here.” Atlas tugs me toward the curb.

It’s late, but there are streetlights, and we aren’t exactly hidden. I’m about to ask which direction we should run when a black limo pulls up.I roll my eyes. Really, our getaway car is a limo?

“Everyone get in.” Atlas practically throws me into the car.

The others scramble in behind me. The door barely closes before we’re racing down the street. I spin in my seat, looking out the back window. Nathaniel is standing on the sidewalk, wiping his face with a handkerchief, and glaring at our retreating car.

CHAPTER35

ATLAS

“Fuck.” Wren’s stylist’s eyes are wide, and her mouth hangs open in shock. She’s breathing hard, sweat beading on her forehead. She’s not focused on any one thing and her panic is rolling off her. “We’re so screwed.”

I’m not entirely sure what she’s doing here. She was obviously running with Wren, so I’m not going to question it. She’s also not wrong. When Nico and I decided to break Wren out of Nathaniel’s house, we knew it would be a declaration of war. There’s no pretending we accidentally wandered onto his property and spirited Wren, Lark, and the stylist away.

I don’t have a single regret.

Wren is sitting next to me, but honestly, it’s not close enough. The fear I felt leaving Wren behind in that room is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It doesn’t matter that she’s capable of taking care of herself. I didn’t want to leave her behind. I had no idea where she would end up.To find out it was at Nathaniel’s house, makes my blood boil.

Nico, Lark, and the stylist, whose name is Estella, I think, are on the seat opposite us. Wren shifts sideways to look at me. She’s a sight. Like all of us, she’s soaked from the rain. She’s wearing a black gown that dips all the way to her belly button, along with her combat boots. I might be distracted by the sight of her half-exposed breasts, but I can’t see past the bandage on her sternum. That’s new.

“You only had one bandage on your chest earlier. What is that?” My breaths are rough like I’ve run for miles at breakneck speed. “Why are you wearing that dress?”

“What happened to you? Where did you go?” Wren asks her own questions instead of answering mine.

“Me? What the fuck happened to you?” I reach for the new bandage just above her breast. Wren slaps my hand away with a growl.

“Never mind. That’s not important right now. Where are we going?”

The window is down between us and the driver. Carlos, Kat’s personal driver, was waiting for us with the car. Kat wants us to come into the Underground, but it’s too dangerous to hide out in the city right now.

“Some place safe.” If Wren’s not going to give me any specifics, then I’ll do the same. Wren narrows her eyes, but then retreats into her seat, facing forward once more. I’m not happy that there’s a new bandage on her chest, but it’s a fucking relief to see her in one piece. I know she can take care of herself, but scum like Nathaniel are unpredictable. When Ares told me that’s who had her, I nearly picked up his stupid fucking recliner and threw it out his picture window.

Carlos is careening around corners and driving down back alleys so fast it’s hard to track where we are. We nearly plow into a dumpster, but this isn’t his first quick getaway, and we rush past it with an inch to spare.

“Shit,” Estella squeaks out, clutching her heart like it’s about to pound out of her chest.

“Do you think we need to fill everyone in on where we’re headed?” Wren raises a brow at me. “I’m guessing we’re about to be someone’s guests. Don’t you think we should let them know what they’re getting into?” She jerks her head toward the three on the seat across from us.

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