Page 146 of Inside the Wicked

“We have to believe she’ll get herself out before it’s too late,” Liam says. This time I yield to his push with the heat climbing dangerously.

It breaks my heart to leave Kenna though I don’t know her well. The image of her in that room is a tragic end to a tale I’ll carry forever.

“Rhett should be with Allie,” I say, looking around the hall frantically as I don’t know which room they could be in.

“Allie!” Liam calls, uncaring of who else it could attract.

“Rhett!” I join in.

No one echoes back.

Both of us flinch at the loud sound of shattering glass.

“This whole place is going to go up in flames soon,” Liam says, panic lacing his voice.

Gunshots ring out, and we clutch each other, scanning for the source, but it’s not inside.

I rush toward the exit despite Liam’s protests, in case it’s Rhett in trouble. Or Rix and Adam, who are stationed somewhere around the property along with so many others from Xoid.

It’s none of them.

He has his back to me, one hand in his pocket while his other tattooed hand pulls a cigarette away from his mouth. Fear rattles me as Silas begins to turn around.

When we lock eyes, I realize I was right to harbor the small kernel of hope.

“Only a fool can feel betrayed.” I echo his words from the chapel.

Silas smiles, pleased. “You’re no fool, Anastasia.”

It’s what he told me in his speech.

My next exhale is a whoosh of relief. “You never allied with him?”

“Why accept a seat when you can take the empire? I just had to buy a little time for backup to do so efficiently.”

I regard the two men he indicates with his gaze. One leans smoking against the front pillar of the house. His hair is as dark as Silas’s, but a little longer, more rugged. He sports a wicked scar over his left eye, which is dark green.

“Mason Balenheizer.” He greets me with a smile as daring as Silas’s.

I’m taken aback, and when I slip my sight to the other guy sitting on the steps flipping a dagger, I realize these are his two brothers.

“This is Teirnan, since he won’t bother to introduce himself.”

Teirnan doesn’t even look up at me. “You said there’d be action,” he complains to Silas in a grunt.

“Soon, brother.”

“Where’s Rhett?” I ask Silas.

He shrugs. “Said he had to retrieve something and headed back inside after passing off a woman to one of his guys. Where’s Kenna?”

My eyes widen. “Inside. And there’s a fire.”

That shifts his expression immediately. His brothers swear and straighten before shifting into action, heading away from the property.

“A fire?” he demands darkly. “You should have fucking started with that the moment you came out.”

“You caught me off-guard!”

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