Page 10 of The Stallion
I caught it with one hand, opened it, and downed half its contents before dumping the rest over my head to help cool my body down.
“Yeah, I’m so ready to be done with all this waiting around bullshit and finally be a member.”
Chase and Nash were the last two Red Magic dancers to undergo initiation.
Depending on the current number of violations against the MUR, one to three rounds of initiations can be held annually, but in the last two years, there's only been one round for each revue.
“And then Red Magic will have its first officially initiated legacy in roughly fifteen years.”
Our attention shifted to the main doors of the theater where Alec was now standing, hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks and a proud, beaming smile on his face.
It was a welcome relief to see that he was in a better mood than the last time I saw him.
“Dallas.” Alec gestured with his head into the hall, and I slung my bag over my shoulder to follow his lead.
“Looks like tonight’s the night! Kick some ass, Dallas—er… kill?” Noah laughed from behind me just before I turned the corner.
And I couldn’t help but smirk, more than ready to make this final kill, collect my ring, and everything that came with it.
“CanIassumeyourpreferred weapon is a gun, as it was used in your last two assignments?” Alec asked as I followed him out of the theater lounge and past the box office.
We made a beeline across the crowded casino floor, heading straight toward the valet at the hotel’s main entrance.
Alec’s pacing was quick and urgent, taking long, powerful strides, as if he were in a rush to get us to wherever the fuck we needed to be.
“Alec, slow the fuck down,” I growled in annoyance as I tried to keep up with him. I usually avoided any form of confrontationwith Alec. He was one of the only dancers who’s bad side I never wanted to be on, but he hadn’t even mentioned what the fuck was going on. “Where’s the fucking fire?”
Alec stopped abruptly once we’d cleared the main lobby doors, and just as I was about to catch up to his heels, he pivoted abruptly toward one of the black limousines parked in an unmarked lane.
“Get in.” He ordered, opening the front passenger door wide before rounding to the driver’s side without even so much as looking at me.
“But—”
“Get the fuck in, Dallas. I’ll brief you once we’re on the road. We need to get to the airport within the next twenty minutes.”
Well, fuck me then.
I shut my mouth to prevent provoking him further and climbed into the passenger seat as instructed.
Alec peeled out of the driveway the second I shut the door, my back and head slamming against the seat and headrest.
“Fucking Christ, Alec. What the hell?”
“Apparently, Dustin thinks he’s being fucking funny this year. Your next target isn’t just yours; it’s Heaven’s, too.”
What?
I gripped the handle above the door as tightly as possible to keep myself upright with every hard turn Alec took.
“How is that possible? If only one of us can claim the kill, doesn’t that mean—”
“That this just became an elimination test? Yeah, it fucking does, and I’m not going to be the one responsible for the death of mybest friend's son. I have enough shit on my plate, and that’s the last thing I need to add to it right now.”
Holy fucking shit…
My heart started to race, a rush of adrenaline washing over me like a tidal wave, processing the gravity of my situation.
This wasn’t the first elimination in the history of the MUR, but the first in almost twenty years. They didn’t just work to ensure balance in the world outside the organization; they also had to maintain order within their internal ranks.
