Page 89 of Pretty Lethal
“I guess we should track down dear old dad, then,” Kai drawls, mentally totting up his ever-growing to-do list.
“What if we’re looking at this all wrong?” All eyes turn to me. “What if it’s not a Clearwater at all? It could be someone else?”
“Then why bring Wilder into it?” Kai argues.
“Maybe it’s nothing to do with him, and more to do with the rules. Wilder was born into a prominent Elite family, and as such, heshouldbe an Elite. He could serve as an advantage we simply can’t grasp because we don’t have all the pieces.”
“God, this whole thing is giving me a headache,” Wilder whines. “Are we sure we can’t just hop on a plane and go live somewhere else, away from all this madness?”
“No more running,” I dictate. “This is our home, and I refuse to let anyone chase us out of town.”
Wilder glances over his shoulder at me from his position in the front passenger seat. Despite the worry in his eyes, the lines around them smooth out and he smiles softly.
“Alright, Angel. No running. We’ll stay and fight and just make sure we win.” His eyes widen, his face lighting up with excitement. “Boys, I think it’s time for the t-shirts.”
Hawk groans as though Wilder just informed him coffee beans have ceased to exist.
“T-shirts?” I question.
“You don’t want to fucking know, trust me—”
Hawk’s words are cut off as I’m violently thrown about in my seat, the world around me becoming a blur, and I lose all sense of space and time.
Metal scrapes against metal. Glass shatters and all sound ceases except the blood rushing in my ears. Black spots obscure my vision, and no matter how many times I blink, I can’t seem to focus on my surroundings.
Hawk.
Wilder.
Kai.
I think I try to call their names.
There’s a tightness in my chest, and my limbs feel heavy. A pounding drumbeat kicks off inside my head as the black splotches grow bigger.
There’s a blurry fuzz of movement, and I blink faster, just about able to make out a pair of black shoes as they approach before someone kneels down to peer through my window. Cold, dead eyes meet mine, and a cruel grin lifts his lips as the black spots expand until all I can see is darkness.
Chapter28
KAI
It is the stiff ache in my limbs that first filters through my subconscious. As I slowly come back into my body, everything comes back to me. Most notable is the bone-deep burning. Everything hurts like I decided to work out every single muscle at once.
“Kai.” Something hard shoves into my shoulder and I grunt, managing to peel open laden eyelids. “Come on, white knight. This is your time to shine. Wake the fuck up!”
At Wilder’s grating tone, I almost debate passing the fuck out again, except memories of the car crash flood my mind.Emilia.My head snaps up and I hiss in pain as I search the poorly lit room.
Where the hell are we?
“Em?”
“I’m here.” Her voice is weak—too weak—and when I set eyes on her, she looks worse for wear. Dried blood coats the side of her face and mats her hair from an abrasion at her temple, and beneath the dark red, her face is ghostly white.
I want to bundle her into my arms and keep her safe, but as soon as I try to move, restraints cut into the skin of my wrists. I glance down at my feet, noticing for the first time that rope has been tied around them too.
Fuck, this can’t be good.It means our car crash was no mere accident.
Shifting my focus back to Emilia, I croak, “Are you okay?”
