Page 232 of Ruthless Kings of Havoc

I see it firsthand now as those threads of victory all but disappear from Ares’ eyes. I fear that regardless of what happens tonight, the model who walked into this stadium with the hopeof the future will be left in bloodshed, for those dreams will be just that.

Wishful manifestations that never transpired to reality.

“C’mon, Zayn!” Marcus curses. “Fuck. We need… we need Epinephrine. Fuck… it’s in my bag. It’s too far to go and come back.”

“Keep compressing,” Theo urges, and I take the chance to blow air into Zander’s mouth.

I don’t know how long we do this, to the point I’m struggling to breathe while Marcus is drenched in sweat, just as breathless.

“H-How long has it been?” Marcus asks.

“Five minutes.” Theo’s voice barely reaches us, or maybe the pounding in my mind is making it hard to focus on anything else.

“Keep… going,” I breathe, but I’m struggling.

I feel the burning in my eyes, tears dropping from my eyes and falling onto Zander’s pale cheeks. Looking into his face leads me to acknowledge how little we knew of each other. This one week gave us an opportunity to get to understand that we’re not far off from one another, but I understand it was more than that.

The friction and the idea of accepting there might be an attraction between us that neither of us is allowed to embrace.

One of my Ruthless Kings is dead.

My Ruthless Maiden is kidnapped.

And my little brother has every intention of killing her…

“Move.” Ares’ stern voice forces us to look up and realize he’s standing close to Marcus. “Let me continue.”

“Ares…” Marcus tries to find an excuse worthy to stop him, but he sighs and moves aside.

Ares quickly drops to his knees on top of Zander, his hands over his chest before his eyes meet mine.

I meet those teary eyes, watching his tears spill down his cheeks. For a second, I can’t see the difference between him and Aries.

What Aries was fighting to prevent happening to his little brother simply delayed the inevitable.

Yet, I don’t want to lose hope.

I need him to see a glimmer of hope that we can save Zayn.

“Start. I’ll keep breathing into him,” I urge.

Ares nods, blinking away his tears as determination blazes through his eyes. He gets into it, and I fight how I’m struggling to stay conscious. I won’t let my own down until every method has been tried, which is what pushes me to fight the black spots that take over my vision again and again.

“ZAYN!”

Keir’s voice booms from down the alleyway, and Marcus takes the opportunity to call out.

“HERE!”

I lift my head, which feels far too heavy, noticing Keir skidding to a stop next to us in a matter of seconds. “Off!”

His order is directed to Ares, and he swiftly moves out of the way as Keir drops to the floor and stabs his brother in the neck. The injected serum goes straight into the vein before he pulls and tosses the syringe and starts compressions at a fierce rate.

“You crazy mother fucker,” Keir looks manic as he pushes down on Zayn’s chest. “You don’t get to join our parents without me! Get the fuck back here!”

“K-Keir?” A girl’s voice calls out, and I see Ishya and two other men at the end of the alleyway.

They’re racing toward us, urgency in their expressions as they grasp what’s happening, but the wave of unconsciousness hits me, my vision becoming like a tunnel that’s closing in.

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