Page 67 of Sweet Anarchy

I hear the sound of revving bikes as Jimmy and Leo speed past the door and head out of the car park, leaving me alone in here.

I run across the room, searching for any sign of Zayn. My head turns towards the poker room, the door ajar. I run towards it, tripping over a broken chair as I struggle to stay upright.

Reaching the room, I shove open the door, my heart screaming as I spot Zayn on the floor, eyes closed, tied to a chair.

"Zayn!" I bolt over, dropping to my knees. His face is covered in blood, his left cheek swollen and bruised.

I grab his face in my hands, shaking him.

"Zayn! Zayn!" I yell again, fear flooding through me as smoke follows me into the back room.

He lets out a groan, his eyes cracking open. "Oh hey, pretty girl," he mumbles. "Fancy seeing you here."

I let out a cry of relief, the feeling quickly vanishing. "We need to get out of here," I tell him. "The bar is on fire."

Zayn tips his head back, looking out the door. His expression sobers up quickly.

"Rylee, get out of here. Now."

"I'm not leaving you," I argue, standing up. I grab the back of the chair, trying to push him upright so I can get to his hands. It barely budges, my feet slipping on the floor.

Smoke starts filling the room, making me cough. Zayn throws his body weight, trying to get to his side. I try to grab the side of the chair to help pull him, the momentum sending us both crashing back to the floor.

"Babe, leave me," he says urgently. "Get out of here quickly."

"I'm not going without you," I yell.

He mutters a curse, swinging the chair again. He manages to get it on its side and I hurry around, my hands fumbling with the rope as the room starts to get dark from the smoke.

The two of us cough, the smoke starting to suffocate us. I can feel the heat starting to rise, my body starting to feel weaker from the lack of oxygen.

"Rylee!"

I whip my head around, trying to find the voice. "Blake! Blake, we're in the back room!" I scream out desperately.

My hands continue to pull at the ropes frantically, my head spinning. Suddenly, hands cover mine, tugging at the rope.

"Put this over your mouth," Blake says through the dark smoke, handing me some type of cloth.

I cover my face, reaching for Zayn's leg. I give him a squeeze to let him know I'm still there.

"I've got him," Blake yells, helping Zayn to his feet.

Someone grabs my hand, tugging me towards the door. I follow blindly, my eyes burning and stinging.

I try to hold them open, scared to trip over something. I can't see anything, except for orange flames and a small crack of daylight.

I'm shoved through the bar door, my knees buckling as I fall onto the gravel, coughing wildly. I turn around, checking for the twins.

Blake and Zayn stumble out after me, taking in big gasps of air.

"Oh, thank fuck," I mumble, rubbing my eyes.

Blake walks over, picking me up by the arms and dragging me to my feet. "We need to get away from here in case it explodes."

The three of us stumble back through the car park, staring at the burning building in disbelief. I have no idea how we managed to escape, but I'm so fucking thankful Blake was so quick.

"I might need one of you to drive," Zayn groans, clutching his head. "Motherfucker got me good."

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