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“Doing as I’m told,” I shout, sucking in a deep breath of air as it rushes inside the basement.
“Fuck,” he grunts as more shots sound out around us.
I use my gun to knock out the glass from the frame before shouting for him to lift me higher.
“You need to come too,” I plead as I haul myself up with my forearms and begin crawling through the hole, hoping like hell I don’t slice myself up too badly in the process.
“No, I need to find the boys. Get straight in the car and drive home. Promise me,” he calls, his voice pleading with me to do the right thing. To get myself safe so he doesn’t have to worry about me.
“I promise,” I say, dragging my legs through and rolling away from the window on the cold and hard ground beneath me.
“Run, Stella,” I hear him say as more shots and a loud crash ring out.
I stumble to my feet, my lungs and throat burning as I scan my surroundings.
I’m in the parking lot, but I can barely see anything. There are people everywhere as they try to flee the scene.
Racing forward, my legs barely keep up with my body as I move toward the cars, pulling Seb’s keys from my purse.
The last thing I want to do is leave, but I know he’s right. If this is about me—if—then I need to get the hell away.
“Emmie?” I scream, pain ripping through my throat as I do so in the hope of finding my friend, but my voice gets lost in the chaos.
I search for her in the crowd, but I don’t see anyone I recognize.
I’m still looking in the opposite direction when I run straight into another person.
“Shit, I’m sor—” I gasp when hands capture my upper arms, holding me up. Turning my head, I immediately lock onto a pair of black eyes. Although it’s not those that catch my attention but the injuries littered across his face.
He’s the fighter.
The one who just lost.
More gunshots come from the building before the sound of sirens in the distance pierce the air, and I remember that I need to be doing something that’s not standing here staring at this guy as if I know him.
Ripping myself from his hold, I run, weaving through the people in front of me until I press the unlock button for Seb’s car and see the lights ahead.
I want to sigh in relief, but I can’t. Not while they’re still inside and Emmie is gone.
“Fuck. Fuck,” I bark, slamming my palms down on the wheel.
As I look back at the building, my heart jumps into my throat at the sight of the flames now licking up the outside walls.
“Please. Please,” I whisper, begging anyone who will listen.
I need all of them out safe.
By the time I pull out of the parking lot, the crowd has thinned a little, which ensures I don’t flatten anyone as I make my escape.
Still, I search the crowd for Emmie’s face, praying that I’ll be able to find her. But all the faces, most of which are darkened with soot, many holding painful, possibly life-threatening wounds and gunshots, are unrecognizable.
Forcing down the giant lump in my throat when I don’t see anyone I know, I press my foot to the gas and leave the destruction behind.
A sob rips from my chest knowing that I’m leaving Seb. Leaving all of them. But what else can I do?
Theo’s car isn’t back when I pull up into Seb’s space, and I let out a pained breath when I kill the engine.
Thoughts of them dying down in that inferno won’t leave my head while my paranoia starts to take its hold on me.
