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The harsh reality of her words sank into me, freezing me in place. My gaze drifted back to my stepdad, who was now writhing on the floor, his whimpers echoing in the hallway. I hated admitting that Louise was right as the reality of the situation settled in.
We were stuck in a war.
Bullets flew through the main hallway. A whirlwind of curses and grunts had me looking out to check on the guys constantly. That was when I spotted Bridge’s legs give out from under him, his body hitting the floor with a thud that echoed in the hollow of my chest.
I screamed, a raw, desperate sound that cut through the sounds. He was bleeding severely from his neck. Madly, I bolted toward him, his name a prayer on my lips. But as I reached him, I realized he hadn’t been shot. A knife cut was dangerously close to his neck, blood seeping into his shirt.
“Bridge!” I knelt beside him, frantically looking for something to stem the blood flow. Louise’s jacket was closest, discarded on the floor. I snatched it up, folding it as best as I could and pressing it to his neck. “It’s going to be okay, just hold on.”
As I looked up, my breath hitched in my throat. Mason was under fire from Jonas. The sight was terrifying, freezing my heart in my chest. I watched in horror as a bullet whizzed toward him, my breath catching in my throat.
Before the bullets could find their mark, a dark-haired guy with a beard lunged at Mason, a sudden blur of motion, and hurled him out of the way. A bullet slammed into the hall behind them, the sound deafening.
Who the hell was that?
With a ferocity that was terrifying, Logan pounced on one of Jonas’ men, taking him down in seconds. Mason, using their moment of uncertainty to his advantage, targeted the remaining men and Jonas, who turned to help.
All I saw were savage blows to their faces, blood, and guns kicked out of their grasps. Then it was just Mason pinning down Jonas with a bent knee on his chest.
“You messed with the wrong fucking guys,” Mason growled at Jonas, who looked barely conscious, sprawled on his back on the floor in a pool of blood.
When the gangster tried to speak, Mason struck him a few more times until he was completely knocked out. Mason pushed off him, and his new friend with the beard stepped up over the gangster, gun in hand.
Bang. Bang.
He shot Jonas dead.
I flinched and couldn’t breathe, having never seen so much death. Lives gone in the blink of an eye. Terror and desperation clung to me, the adrenaline leaving me shaken as I tried to stop the blood flowing from Bridge’s neck. The sudden quiet felt surreal, the echo of gunshots and cries still ringing in my ears.
The wail of sirens suddenly pierced the air, and my head jerked up toward a shattered window. Louise let out a cheer from the hiding spot. My stepdad groaned from the floor, the sound grating on my nerves.
“The cops are coming,” Mason breathed, his voice a husky whisper. “We gotta get out of here.”
Quick as a whip, Logan and their bearded friend scooped up Bridge from my arms, his form hanging limply between them. They then turned to me, their gazes softening as I climbed to my feet. They looked at me, their gazes darkening.
“Kat, you’ve been so brave,” Mason said, his voice thickening. “Can you keep being our strong little kitten?”
I blinked at him, knowing where this was going. Was he fucking kidding?
“I’m coming with you.”
They exchanged a glance.
“No, Kat,” Mason insisted. “There’ll be cops on our heels. We need to lie low for a bit, but we’ll be back for you. I promise.”
The pain of his words hit me like a sledgehammer, my heart shattering into a million pieces. I wanted to scream, to fight, to demand they take me with them.
My hand reached out for his, our fingers touching for one last time, Logan and even Bridge doing the same, their warmth engulfing me. I wasn’t ready for this…
Then, just like that, they were pulling away. Our fingers slipped apart, their touch lingering like a cobweb on my skin. They turned, Bridge’s eyes closing between them, their friend at their side. Then they were gone, swallowed by the halls of the institute.
At that moment, the group of girls emerged from the basement and found the spill of blood and death in the hallway. Most of them were freaking out and crying at the sight of blood and death, but they were safe. Others talked about them having overpowered the guard who had been watching over them. They struck him over the head with a bottle of wine, knocking him out. He’d become the police’s problem now, like Jonas’ other men sprawled across the hallway.
Me…
I crumbled to my knees, an unbearable ache seeping into my soul.
The sirens grew louder, the doors suddenly bursting open as uniformed police officers swarmed in.
