Page 214 of Harley & Her Ferals

Except, will they be brave enough to risk their lives to grab it?

Anxiously, I shift on my feet.

Where is everybody else?

Are they going to come down the tunnels to join us in time?

I glance around at the large cavernous room, which leads to the exit. Multiple tunnels spill out into the chamber.

The walls are concrete and tagged with skull graffiti.

“It stinks in here.” Harbinger wrinkles his nose, kicking an empty beer bottle. “How long do we need to stand around?”

I scrunch up my own nose at the stench of oil, beer, and blood. “You know that the Hades gang use this route for their assassinations, kidnappings, and trafficking. They’re not good housekeepers.”

“That was my main complaint about them too,” Harbinger replies.

“When they make a movie of our revolution,” Laurent waves his hand, haughtily, “here’s to hoping that they change the setting to somewhere more scenic.”

“Also, that they use the pop idol Jin for the soundtrack,” I add. “And the Omega movie star Jex for—”

“Don’t say to playme.” Laurent gestures down his lean body. “No one can possibly do justice to all ofthis. It could be my debut role. I’d win an Oscar.”

“You’re winning one now,” Harbinger mutters.

“What’s that?” Laurent asks with a sharp look.

“Since you’re the only reason that I’m standing, Rook, I choose to reply withnothing.”

I know that they’re trying to keep our minds off the fact that no one else has arrived yet.

But anxiety is beginning to rise up in me.

I let go of Feral’s hand and take a step back into the room, peering at each of the tunnels.

I listen hard but can’t hear any footfalls. “Where are they?”

Feral rests his hand on my shoulder. “Th-they’ll be here. Th-they’ll come.”

But where’s River? He insisted that he could rally the Betas by himself.

Where’s Romilly with the Alphas?

Where’s Lionzio?

It would break me, if they didn’t escape with us.

I could never leave any of them behind.

What if we thought that we had Dad in checkmate but in fact, Dad had us in checkmate all along?

What if he’d only been waiting for us to divide the pack? Allowing some of us to the come here to the exit to give him the time to take out River, Lionzio, and Romilly one by one?

I twirl back to Feral. “Why isn’t Lion here? What if Dad caught him taking the files? Or what if Lion changed his mind about coming with us?”

Feral’s expression is firm. “M-my brother will be here.”

“I trust all of them. Do you think that I’d allow any plan that I made to rely on someone who I didn’t?” Laurent demands. “Harbinger and I are both in possession of the thumb drives with the code as a backup. Don’t worry.”

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