Page 31 of When Kings Fall

With a swift motion, he opens the panel, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel that stretches into the earth. A cold wind blows from below, carrying the scent of damp stone and something else—something old. Something forgotten.

“Ladies first,” Ben says, his voice low, taunting.

I stand at the edge of the tunnel, the darkness yawning before me. My gut twists with a deep, primal fear. Every instinct screams at me to turn back, to get out of here while I still can.

But I’ve come too far.

I take a deep breath, my hand brushing the cold, hard stone of the tunnel entrance. One step forward, and I’m swallowed by the dark.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Diarmuid

THE FIRE IN the hearth crackles, but the sound feels like an accusation, mocking my uselessness. Flames flicker, their light catching on the shards of broken glass scattered across the floor. I’ve been pacing, smashing, shouting orders—none of it changes anything. None of these men I’ve inherited, these so-called professionals, can do their jobs. They promised me they’d track her, that they wouldn’t lose her, and yet here I am, waiting. Useless.

Selene and Ben vanished off the cameras an hour ago. I grip the back of the leather armchair, my fingers digging into the hide. The city cameras followed them, frame by frame, and then…nothing. Just darkness as Ben turned the car into a damned alley without surveillance. It’s always the alleys. Always the gaps, the places where we’re blind.

My breath hisses between my teeth, the sound like a snake winding through the silence. The liquor cart is still overturned, the bottles smashed, amber liquid staining the rug. The mess I made in a fit of rage when the last report came in—nothing.

How many times can they tell me “nothing” before I tear this room apart?

I’m not built for waiting. This isn’t who I am. My chest tightens as I stand here, surrounded by people whose lives I hold in my hands, and yet I feel powerless. I don’t wait for information. Ihunt.I don’t sit in some goddamned room while my prey runs free.

I glare at the men around me. Useless, every one of them. And yet they don’t know. They don’t see. But she does.

Niamh stands in the corner, quiet, her eyes never leaving me. She’s sharp. She’s always watching, always suspicious. It’s infuriating, her silence. The way she doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t demand answers—but I see it. She knows. She senses something off, something beneath the surface I don’t want her to uncover.

Of all the people in this room, the ballerina is the one who understands. Not the hired guns, not the so-called masterminds around me. Just her.

She knows I failed.

Victor told me to kill Ben Fleming. And I didn’t. Now Ben is playing his game again, toying with me. His voice is in my head, soft, mocking:Catch me if you can.

I close my eyes, fighting the urge to give in to the madness brewing inside me. I can feel it, the monster pacing just below the surface, waiting for me to let it out. Waiting for me to lose control.

Ben won’t get away this time. I’ll make sure of that. I’ll tear him apart with my bare hands if I have to.

My phone vibrates, a sharp buzz in the tense silence. My heart leaps into my throat as I yank it from my pocket. The screen lights up with an incoming video call. Selene.

Selene.

My pulse spikes, my breath coming in shallow, rapid bursts. I step away from the fireplace, retreating into the shadows, away from the flickering light. The world narrows down to the phone in my hand, to the dark screen and her name.

“Selene?” My voice is low, rough, barely audible.

The video is dark. Too dark. My heart pounds as I strain to see her face, to make out anything in the shadows. My pulse thunders in my ears, and for a moment, I think the connection is lost.

Then I see it.

A painting, blurred in the background. Lions. I narrow my eyes, confusion cutting through the fear. Why would she be near a painting of lions? What is she trying to show me?

I squint, leaning closer, and there it is—a logo in the corner. The Dublin Zoo.

The zoo?

Why the hell would Ben take her to the zoo?

It doesn’t matter. She’s telling me something. She needs me.

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