Page 152 of Wanted By a King

She’s gonna need it.

“Ready?” Rocco barks next to me, and I nod. “Three, two, one!”

Zoe

Myheartbeatssoloudly that for a moment, it’s all I can hear as Alana pulls me with her.

“Don’t look down,” she snaps as we round a corner, and I almost trip over… over… fuck, was that a leg?

Pop!

Pop!

More gunfire.

I instinctively want to drop to the floor and curl into a ball, but Alana’s grip on my wrist keeps me going. Her nails dig into my skin, and I’m pretty sure I feel it break.

“Where are the others?” I gasp, ignoring the stabbing needles at my side that serves as a reminder of how unfit I am.

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” Alana hisses. “We need to get out of here.”

She’s right… at least I think she is.

Fuck, I can’t think straight.

I don’t even know what happened.

One minute we were talking about edible underwear and the plush unicorn I brought from Leslie’s room, and the next… the next…

“Don’t you dare stop. You need to keep running, Zo.”

At Alana’s words, I realize I’ve almost come to a stop, pulling against her hold on me. Fuck, I can’t afford to get lost in my head.

The smell of gunfire and blood is heavy and potent, making it impossible not to taste death and carnage with every breath. Using my free hand, I lift the bottom of my top up to cover my nose and mouth, which only helps a little.

As we reach the end of the long hallway we’re running through, Alana pulls me into one of the nooks.

Letting go of my hand, she points at the floor. “We have to get to the basement and crawl out. If you get down there, I’ll go see if I can find the others—”

Panic overtakes me. “N-no. Don’t leave me,” I beg. “I’ll come with you.”

Her eyes dart between mine and the trapdoor in the floor. Then she shakes her head as though she’s come to a conclusion.

“You need to stay hidden, Zo. You can’t fight them, and Gray would fucking flay me if I risked your life. And I can’t… please don’t ask me to risk your life.” Her voice quivers, and her eyes become glassy with unshed tears.

I know she’s right, of course she is. And even though I don’t relish the thought of being in danger, I refuse to hide while other people risk their lives. Especially the Cruz Cunts and Gray. We’ve only just begun. I’m not ready for it to be over already.

Fuck, was it only yesterday that my life finally seemed good again? Everything made sense. Gray and I were on the same page, a place where we… no. It doesn’t matter.

“But they won’t kill me,” I hiss.

Although I can’t be completely certain, I feel pretty good about that assessment. Otherwise, why bother leaving that message on my parents’ bedroom wall? Why send Adam to the graveyard? No, that has to be it. They won’t kill me—at least not until they get what they want, which is the same as the Kings; my money, my inheritance.

“Fine,” Alana retorts. “I’m not wasting valuable time debating this. If you want to come with me, it’s on you. Let’s go.”

With a sharp nod, I take her hand, threading our fingers together. Then I follow her as she weaves through the shadows, expertly using open doors, and the thrown furniture to shield us while we stealthily creep about.

Pop!

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