Page 22 of All In

I probably shouldn’t have done that. If I see their faces, that makes me a liability, especially since I don’t recognize these voices as the men I’ve seen previously. They’ve also never used names where I could hear them.

My gaze drops to the ground as I shake out of the gloved hands trying to keep me steady.

“Here, take this,” Maverick says.

I spin toward the noise and gasp, stumbling back.

My eyes bug as I squeeze my thighs together to keep from pissing myself. Having an accident would be the icing on my crap-cake of a day.

That’s terrifying.

At first, I think it’s his face, but after blinking repeatedly, it’s clear it’s a mask—a black wolf face, but it’s more like the skull of a wolf with razor-sharp teeth.

I stumble back toward the other guy, and he’s also in a mask. It’s silver and fashioned like a skull but with black lining the bones. He’s also got one of those assassin hood things on. Hell if I know, but my high-school friends were obsessed with that video game where you could jump into the hay carts. That coat with the hood reminds me of that aesthetic. They’ve both got tactical vests on, and I’m so overwhelmed, my system screams to run.

“Are you going to take the blanket?” Wolf Mask asks from behind me. I’m pretty sure that one is Maverick, and the one who could pass for an assassin is Gunner.

The two massive dogs whine and chuff, coming closer. I heard them scratching at the trunk before the guys popped up to let me out, but I thought it was part of the dream I was having.

My gaze darts around, and I spot even more people coming in our direction.

I’m so frazzled that I take off without a backward glance. My legs wobble, and I’m mostly in a staggering crouch for the first few feet, but I catch my stride. This feels like life or death consequences if I don’t get myself out of this mess.

“Well, fuck.” I think that was Skull Guy—Gunner—the one in the assassin hood.

“Motherfucker, how does she even have the energy left to run?” Maverick asks.

“It’s pure adrenaline at this point,” Gunner replies. “K-9 is on the move. Northwest corner. There’s an omega in barely any clothes, bolting near the back fence. Do not intercept.”

My head swivels, and I stick close to the fence. My only option is to follow it down and to the right. The loud echoing of boots hitting the ground track behind me.

The brick wall dead ends farther ahead, so I swerve, preparing to head down the alleyway.

My chest heaves as the pounding feet gain on me. I pivot, throwing my entire body down the curve to the left.

It’s immediately clear I made a huge mistake.

A gigantic miscalculation.

I’m going to die.

Three men are lined up on their knees near the wall on the left.

Two guys with assault rifles are on the right, aiming toward the men on their knees.

A tall, slender man in tactical gear holds a gun to the temple of one of the men. I recognize the guy who’s kneeling as one of the men who snatched me.

The guy on his feet isn’t wearing a mask. He has curly brown hair that’s shaggy and falls well past his ears. He’s stunning in a cold way that I don’t know how to explain, but he has sharp cheekbones and the perfect amount of stubble to be a model for some men’s high-fashion magazine. It doesn’t seem like he should be out here in the middle of whatever the hell this is.

“If you have no information, you’re of no use to me,” he says, pulling the trigger. “All right, let’s try again. Anyone else feeling chatty?”

I shriek, pulling my hand up to cover my mouth. My bladder is dangerously full, despite them not giving me any liquids in way too long.

“Oh,” the man says, twisting to face me with wide aqua-blue eyes. “I sent a team to secure you. We’re here for you, Laken.”

One of the men on their knees tries to make a move to run, but the man takes a large step and puts a bullet in his brain.

And he doesn’t stop there.

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