Page 191 of Fall Before Her Throne

LEONA

The rest of the guys waited behind Obi, watching me like their hearts were being torn from their chests.

“Go, Leona,” Obi urged. “Before your window closes.” ‘

I threw my arms around his neck. His arms closed around my waist like a vice.

“I love you,” I whispered.

He squeezed me back. “A hụrụ m gị n'anya.” I recognized those words. He’d whispered them to me before. “I love you.”

Tears pricked my eyes.

“You are the plan. You’ve been the key all along, Leona Vero. Ever since I first saw you,” he murmured in my ear before he gave me a hard kiss. When he let go, a tear trailed down my cheek. “Get to the parking garage in the basement. To the northwest corner.”

Gunshots spurred me forward at the same time Obi pushed me out of the stairwell and down the hall. I didn’t say goodbye to everyone. We were out of time.

I turned on my heel and ran.

The rest of the guys sprinted in the other direction, drawing them away, distracting them so I could escape. All too quickly, they disappeared from my sight.

This had to work.

This had to work.

I said it to myself over and over again. I found the main stairwell we’d used before and sprinted down it, level after level, until I reached the underground parking garage. I yanked open the door and ran northwest, just like Obi said.

The door to the emergency exit stairs swung outward. I raised my gun as I skidded to a stop.

“What the fuck?” I muttered under my breath. “Badawi?”

The FBI agent’s eyes went wide as they latched onto me. “Vero,” she said, out of breath.

We froze, staring at each other while the seconds ticked by. “You need to move,” I said, angling for the door. Obi wanted me to go this way. This was the path of my escape.

“We don’t have much time,” she said, holding her hand out.

“What?” I glanced behind her. In my earpiece, the guys shouted surrender. They were giving up their guns. Letting themselves be arrested.

“Let’s go, Leona,” she coaxed. “If we’re escaping, we need to go now.”

“What are you doing here?” The pieces started clicking together in my head. “Why are you helping?”

Badawi blinked while she gripped the crash bar of the door harder. “I don’t think you’re the enemy we should have,” Badawi said carefully. Her eyes looked earnest. “Come with me. Before it’s too late.”

Grunts of pain echoed in my ears. My men. I could still hear them. Ryuji had been fucking shot. I looked over my shoulder, ready to go back—plan be fucking damned. My fingers felt numb on my gun. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to not do this. To not leave them behind.

But the sound went quiet.

The comms were cut. I pulled the earpiece from my ear—it was useless now. I smashed it under my boot.

“Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and tugged. “If anyone sees you, I can’t get you out.”

Obi wanted this. Somehow, he arranged for Badawi to show up here. This was my chance, but it came at the cost of leaving them.

It was a price we all agreed to pay.

Badawi led us up the stairwell again, back onto the street. She walked swiftly, arm pressed against mine, head down. I hid my gun on the far side of my body and prayed nobody saw us dart down the sidewalk and turn a block later.