Page 182 of Until We Burn
Diana shakes her head.
“That doesn’t matter. Not right now. This isyourmoment.” She presses our foreheads together, smiling through her tears. “I’m so proud of you.”
My eyes shut as I squeeze her tight. I don’t care if the world ends here.
I have everything I’ve ever wanted.
Suddenly, there’s a flash. I glare up at a group of Vipers fans cackling on the stands with their phones out. They throw their empty beer cans at me.
“Look at that, boys! A druggie and a slut?—”
“Fuck off!”Diana and I shout.
Diana grabs the cowbell and throws it at them. It smacks one of the boys, making the rest scatter off.
They don’t stop jeering at us. But none of it matters when Diana and I turn back to each other. The high from the win and the complicated emotions from the video leak swirl between us.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” Diana gulps. She bites her lip in worry. “God, if we think our reputations were horrible before, it’s practically in shambles now.”
“Hey.” I cup the back of her head, lifting her eyes to mine. “We’re gonna figure it out together, right?”
Diana smiles wryly. “Luckily, I’m getting used to that part.”
I chuckle and lean down to kiss her.
She wraps her arm around my waist and together, we head down the tunnel so I can go get changed.
Suddenly, the stadium lights sputter behind us.
Diana stiffens. “What’s going on?”
My eyes dart around, searching for signs.
That’s when I see a burly man coming down the stadium’s tunnel.
Diana gasps at something behind me, “Kai!”
Arms wring my neck in a chokehold just as her hands rip away from me. My eyes widen.
A tall man grabs her from the back with his hand cupping her mouth. I fight against the arms around me.
“Get your hands off of her!”
The lights go out, drowning the stadium in complete darkness.
CHAPTER 72
DIANA
My feet flail against concrete.
Panic roars in my ears, drowning out the screams swarming the stadium.
“Stop squirming,” a man hisses.
They drag me forward with their hands over my eyes and my mouth. I stiffen against the cold air puncturing my skin. The farther we go, the quieter the air grows until there’s no sound at all.
