Page 20 of Rat Race

“Hey!”

“Fucking bitch!”

But their shouts returned to grunts and sickening blows of flesh against flesh as one of them used my distraction to get an upper hand on the other. I didn't have to look back to know that one of them was probably sinking a blade into the other’s chest. The grunts and pained gurgling told me all I needed to know.

Which meant I needed to get the fuck out of here and fast. Deal with my little problem and get as much distance between me and an armed man twice my size as quickly as possible.

Natalie hadn’t expected me to come right at her, something that was made obvious by the panicked noise she released when her singular brain cell worked out that I was barreling toward her. She turned on her heel, sprinting for the end of the hall and then hastily turning to the right.

I was right behind her, almost enough to touch. I took my chance, reaching my hand out in an attempt to grab her. Her long, flowy locks brushed my fingertips, but it wasn’t enough to hold on, the end of her dark ponytail slipping through my fingers like water.

Like every opportunity she’d ever stolen from me.

So close.

So close I could taste the sweetness of revenge on my tongue, not to be confused with her cheap, overly vanilla perfume. And it’d been so easy.

We passed another opening, and not one, but three people were rushing down the hallway toward us and away from something. I skidded to a halt in order not to crash right into them.

It was all the time Natalie needed to disappear from my line of vision, dipping around a corner.

Fuck, are you kidding me?

A hard body slamming into mine knocked me off balance and sent me sprawling. Pain shot up my back as my ass came into contact with the hard floor.

They were running from something. Was it this person?

I raised my shaking hand on instinct.

“Please!” I forced out in a high-pitched whine, the second part of my strategy for the maze coming into play sooner than I would’ve liked as I kept my eyes screwed tightly shut, braced for impact. “Please don’t hurt me, I just want to get out of here!”

But the blow I was waiting for never came. Heavy panting reached my ears, the seconds ticking by making me curious. I peeled my eyes open to come face to face with…Hiram. He was breathing heavily, a broken-off spike in one of his clenched fists.

Where the hell did he get a weapon already?

But if they were running from him… I could use this.

“Please,” I whimpered and pushed myself to my knees, clutching at his clothes desperately. “Don’t hurt me! We can help each other!”

“Help each other?” he said, tilting his head to the side as he stepped out of my hold. He was still breathing heavily from the chase, obviously not used to this type of workout.

Turns out a couple decades in the Architect’s office wasn’t so good for your cardio. Good. It meant that, if I needed to, I’d be able to get away from him.

Or maybe I’d turn on him myself—claim Vic’s money. Either way, I could decide later; for now, I needed to convince him not to kill me. And to prioritize going after Natalie.

I nodded quickly. “For traps, you know?” I explained and inched toward him on my knees on the hard floor, my hands out, palms facing him. “Please? I’mbegging. I’ll help you any way I can, be loyal only toyou.”

His eyes shifted to the side as the sound of footsteps reached us. Not just one, but multiple people were likely on our trail—he had a choice to make, and quickly.

Either the weak, innocent young girl promising him loyalty for a bit of his help or other players that likely wanted him for the bounty.

There was a heavy pause, Hiram’s dark eyes meeting mine before he gave a sharp nod.

“I want to get out of here in record time, okay?” he said and motioned for me to follow him. I had to hope he picked the same path as Natalie, though, without seeing where she went myself, his guess was as good as mine.

“Yes, sir,” I replied and forced myself to my feet, trotting obediently along after him, trying and failing to keep the smile off my face.

Cam

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