Page 145 of Underground Prince

Noah’s hands scraped against my cheeks. “He’s protected. You heard what Kai said. All his men are around us. He’s going to be okay. Scarlet? Nod if you understand. Theo’s coming out of this all right.”

Squeaks sounded with my breath. I held onto Noah’s wrists, drawing against his energy, praying for his solid ground.

“Nod, Letty.”

With spasmodic jerks, I did.

“Good. It’s okay.” He pulled me into a hug, gripping tight.

“Fuck.” After he cursed, Kai glanced back at us, then slowly, ever so painfully, shut his eyes at the realization.

“What?” I scrambled out of Noah’s arms and crouched beside Kai.

“It’s fine. Nothing. Get back.” Kai’s arm merely managed to get in my way as I slapped it aside to get a closer look.

Oh…

Oh, fuck.

Oh fuck no.

Theo had drawn a gun, and was pointing it at Trace.

Noah’s calming words morphed behind my eyes. You heard what Kai said. All his men are around us…

Then, Nate: We don’t want Theo, you hear me?

Keening grief sounded upon me, echoed around us, until I recognized the source and that the vibrations were coming from my throat. Noah’s hand was at the halfway point, hovering in the air and almost at my arm. Kai was mouthing something, but all I understood was that it was a hollow maw, communicating things I didn’t understand.

I dug my fingers into the gravel, collecting in my nails and cutting into my skin. Theo. My Theo was expendable. One wrong move and they’d shoot him down like a wild animal.

My lips twisted open in a soundless, wretched scream.

I shot off the ground.

Kai didn’t muffle his shout, Noah couldn’t stifle his cry, but I was too far away, stones flying, my heart a pit in my chest.

“Theo!”

The gun didn’t waver but he turned to my voice, his eyes clicking with mine, and the instant he became aware of who it was running toward him, they widened in horror.

The urge to fly into his arms, to cover his body with my own, was so great that my heartbreak had sound, but I veered to the right, tears flying off my cheeks, and stopped.

In front of Trace.

Theo was now pointing the gun at my chest.

I begged to anything listening that the FBI was standing down and lowering their guns. I hoped they were screaming into their microphones, Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! An innocent has entered the crossfire. I repeat, a civilian is in the crossfire!

“Scarlet.” My name was nothing but a trembling moan.

“Don’t shoot him, Theo,” I said, my chest shuddering.

“Well, well, well,” Trace said behind me. “Hello, you.”

“Shut up,” I said over my shoulder before turning back to Theo. “You can’t shoot him.”

Theo’s expression morphed, contorted with pain. “Trace has done nothing but feed off my misery. He is the epicenter of my father’s evil. Here, now, he’s threatening you. You know what he said?”

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