Dark clothes. I had black leggings and a dark sweater. Running shoes instead of the fancy heels Salvatore preferred. Hair tied back so it wouldn't get in my face.
I packed nothing. No bags. No belongings. Just me and the slim hope that this would actually work.
The hours crawled by. Each minute feeling like ten. I paced. Sat. Paced again. Tried not to think about all the ways this could go wrong.
What if the explosion didn't pull enough guards? What if Luca was watching? What if we got caught?
No. Couldn't think like that. Had to believe this would work. Had to have faith that Kai's plan was solid. That Marco knew what he was doing. That in a few hours, I'd be free.
Midnight finally came.
I stood by the door. Listening. Waiting. Every nerve on edge.
Then I felt it more than heard it. A rumble. Distant but distinct. The explosion on the south side.
Shouting in the hallways. Running footsteps. Guards mobilizing to check on the disturbance.
I counted to three hundred. Five minutes exactly.
The lock clicked. Lia appeared, eyes wide, breathing fast.
"Now. We go now."
We ran.
Through empty hallways that felt too exposed. Past rooms that could hide guards. Down the back stairs that servants used. Every footstep echoing too loud. Every shadow a potential threat.
My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my throat. Fear and adrenaline mixing into something that made my hands shake but my legs move faster.
We made it to the first floor. Through the servant's quarters. Almost to the door that led to the gardens.
Freedom was so close I could taste it.
Then voices. Heavy footsteps. Guards rounding the corner ahead of us.
"Shit. Go. Go!" Lia shoved me toward a side hallway. "Split up. Meet at the rose bushes. Go!"
I ran. Didn't think. Just ran like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
Behind me, I heard Lia's voice. "Over here! She went this way!"
Leading them away from me. Giving me a chance.
Tears blurred my vision but I kept running. Through the garden door. Into the cool night air. Across manicured lawns toward the back wall.
The rose bushes. Where was the weak spot Lia mentioned?
There. A section where the mortar had crumbled. Where the stones were loose enough to climb.
I grabbed the wall. Started pulling myself up. Adrenaline gave me strength I didn't know I had.
Almost over. Almost free. Almost...
Hands grabbed my ankle. Yanked hard.
I screamed. Lost my grip. Fell backward onto the grass hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
