Kade’s already got his ear pressed flat against the door, his body coiled tight at the door, “They’re clearing rooms,” he says. “We might be able to sneak out unnoticed while people are panicking.”
My brain latches onto one thought and refuses to let go.
Aeri.
She’s not in here with us. No she’s outthere.
In the crowd. In the chaos. In the middle of a police raid wearing red crystals and bad decisions.
My chest tightens hard enough, it almost knocks the breath out of me.
“She’s out there,” I say, the words coming out sharper than I mean them to. “She’s fucking out there.”
Kade turns, eyes locking on mine. “I know.”
“I’m not fucking leaving without her,” I snap.
Kade’s lips curl. “That makes two of us, brother.”
He pulls his mask from his pocket and slides it over his face in one smooth motion, all business now. “Let’s go get our girl.”
I nod and bump my fist against his before dragging my own mask out and pulling it down over my head. The world narrows instantly. Cleaner edges and fewer distractions.
“We leave as soon as the hallway clears.”
“And if it doesn’t?” I ask.
“It will.”
The alarm keeps screaming like it’s personally offended.
People sprint past the door, shadows streaking under the gap. Someone sobs hard enough it sounds like they’re choking. Someone else laughs like they’ve completely fucking lost it. Panic bleeds through the walls, loud and messy and contagious.
I pace once. Then again. Fingers flexing like I need something to break.
“She’s fucked up, bro,” I mutter. “We need to get out there. What if they—fuck, I don’t know—grab her. She’s got blood on her. That’s not nothing. That shit will stand out to people who are looking for it.”
Kade’s jaw tightens, eyes never leaving the door. “She’s smart.”
“She’s fucking stubborn,” I snap. “Those are not the same thing. Shit, she’s probably running her pretty little mouth off to them like she was us. Fuck.”
The noise shifts suddenly, like a tide pulling back. Footsteps thin, and shouting drifts farther away, funneling toward the exits.
Kade lifts a hand.
Still.
He counts under his breath. Once. Twice.
Then he reaches for the handle and cracks the door.
Empty hallway.
My pulse slams so hard it rattles my ribs. A sharp, feral grin cuts across my face, fear buzzing hot under my skin.
“Fuck,” I breathe. “Let’s go.”
Kade opens the door wider. “Stick together. We find her, and we leave. No fucking around this time, Kross. No bullshit. No games. We get Aeri, and we get the fuck out.”
