Page 127 of Shattered Hearts

Cian, ignoring us all, engages his earpiece again. “Come in Alpha Two.”

“How many…of us are…here?” I confuse myself in trying to ask.

“Ten.” Rory’s hard tone cuts through my growing delirium. “Nine now, with Dec gone.” He huffs. “That leaves Jon, Rob, Tony, James, and us. The others are guarding the exits so we can?—”

“Goddamn it.” Cian’s frustrated curse interrupts Rory’s explanation. “They got Tony too.”

“Sounds like we’re going to need another exit.” Darren’s voice gets lower when he’s angry. I haven’t heard the sound in a long time.

Cian leads us back the way we came and into an adjoining hallway, motioning for us to follow him.

This place is a maze. Or maybe this maze is a labyrinth. “Where’s the minotaur?” I mumble. Either way, I’m disoriented. I can’t even tell if I’m still standing up.

Running footsteps and yelling fill the spaces between the bleating sirens still screaming overhead. We trail behind Cianuntil his steps abruptly slow, an overpowering smell wrinkling his face. “Whatisthat?”

Darren sniffs and shakes his head. “I’m not picking up any chemicals…”

In my heightened sensory state, I sniff as well, filling my lungs with the scent Cian’s complaining about.

“That’s Enzo.” Everyone gawks at me. “He smells like a hippie dipped in cigar smoke.”

Cian’s eyes lock on mine. He’s suggesting something in silence, but I have no idea what until Darren says, “Stop it, Cian. We’re getting out of here.”

Up ahead, De Luca foot soldiers zip past, prompting us to flatten ourselves against a nearby wall to stay hidden.

“This won’t be over until Enzo’s dead,” Cian insists when the coast clears.

Darren shunts his head forward, like Cian is missing the obvious. “We didn’t come here for Enzo. And we’re already down two.”

Staying low, Rory checks the corner behind us. “Our priority is getting Finn out of?—”

Cian swivels back to argue, but in a split second, his eyes fly wide open.

He fires his gun over my shoulder and Rory’s, nailing an enforcer up the hallway in the chest. Without that silencer attached to the barrel, I would’ve lost some hearing. And Rory, had he straightened up even a millisecond earlier, would’ve lost some brain matter.

Gunfire erupts.

Next thing I know, I’m running. My body follows Riley’s, her hand leading mine along. Enzo’s scent only gets stronger as we wind our way through this labyrinth of darkened hallways lit by optic white floodlights and flashing alarm bulbs. The highmakes it seem like I’m trapped in a fun house or a dizzying nightmare.

We round a corner into a spread-out space with chairs stacked high against the walls. In the center of the room, we find Enzo addressing the group of soldiers encircling him.

Darren grunts. “Well, looks like you might get your wish after all.”

“Lucky me.” Cian cocks his gun, but Riley, still squeezing my hand, steps ahead of hi.

“Ladies first.” Riley aims. When she takes the first shot, the whole party scrambles apart. One bullet nails an enforcer in the back of the head, and another takes down a second enforcer immediately after. Even though I’m fucked up and high as a damn kite, watching Riley shoot people is fucking hot.

Cian, Darren, and Rory take out the others, until it’s just Enzo De Luca against the five of us, all by himself.

“On your knees.” Cian flicks his gun at Enzo.

Enzo grins, sadistic and cruel. “Fuck you.”

Cian puts a bullet in Enzo’s leg, which forces him down to his knees, groaning. He seems so much more pathetic in the light. Cian strides toward him, ready to do the honors, but through the sting of his bullet, Enzo sputters and grits out, “Kill me, and the little blond canary dies.”

The muscles in Cian’s back twitch and pulse, almost making him look bigger.

Beside me, Riley’s eyes go wide as saucers. “Harper,” she whispers.

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