Page 68 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

Jace pulls back out onto the road, and as we drive, I notice Mason isn’t behind us. There’s a black truck behind us, but it’s not what Mase was driving, so he must be behind that. Jace keeps driving, as my eyes dart to and from the mirror looking out for Mason, but when I don’t see him, I start to panic.

“I don’t see Mason.” I say out loud, and Jace eyes me before checking his own mirror.

“Maybe he’s behind that truck.” He says, sounding like he doesn’t believe that for a second.

Keeping my eye on the truck, which is maintaining a close distance to us, I direct Jace, “take the next left.”

“But that isn’t the way back to school.” He starts, but I cut him off, “I know Jace, just do it.”

He doesn’t hesitate to cut across two lanes, so he can take the next left and I hold my breath as we round the corner. Nothing. And then the black truck takes the corner and comes back into view. Fuck.

I pull my phone out, dial Marcus and it connects to the Bluetooth system in the car. He picks up after a couple of rings, and I can tell from his strained tone he was already worrying. “Hey baby, where did you go?”

“We’re being followed.” I cut to the chase and I know from his pause, that he’s confused. He probably hadn’t even realized we’d left school grounds yet. Jace takes another unplanned turn and thirty seconds later, so does the truck.

“Jace and I slipped out for coffee with Mason, we were on the way back and we’ve lost Mason and a black truck is following us.”

“Where are you? I’m on my way.” He snaps in response. I shake my head even though he can’t see me and then grip the door handle as Jace takes another turn, at speed.

“No!” I shout, “You go straight home and don’t leave Cassie’s side, no matter what, River. Promise me. You and Asher stay with her, don’t let her out of your sight.”

“Baby…” He tries again, but I cut him off.

“Promise me, Marcus.”

“Fuck!” he curses away from the phone, muttering quietly before coming back to me, “I pinky promise, baby. Max is coming, okay? Linc is locked in on your location, just stay on the phone, okay?”

“Okay.” I respond, as Jace takes another turn, then speeds down the road to take another one, before the truck can see what direction we went in. I take the gun from my waistband, check it, and then pull off the safety. My eyes don’t leave the rearview mirror as I wait.

I can feel Jace looking with me, and after a few agonizing minutes, he releases a breath, “I think we lost them.”

I think he’s right and I turn towards him just as the truck comes into view again, “Jace, look out!” I scream, but it’s too late.

It smashes right into the side of us at full speed, Jace’s side taking the force of it and in an instant, we are rolling. Everything feels like it starts to happen in slow motion. The car spinning, the windows smashing, the coffees spilling, the blood pouring. I feel the gun slip from my clenched fist as my body is forced in all directions and my head smashes into the glass at the same time it shatters. The impact of the crash wracks my entire body with instant pain. I think I black out, I’m not sure, but I hear voices outside and Marcus' distorted voice still coming through the speaker.

A voice I don’t recognize comes closer, “we got her, she isn’t alone.” There is a pause before the unfamiliar voice continues, “the one with the man bun.” He adds. I look over to Jace and immediately wish I hadn’t. He’s unconscious and bleeding and I feel the fear and tears claw at my throat instantly. This is it, they found us. I reach for the phone in my pocket, as the voice outside speaks again.

“Boss says to bring them both.” He says calmly, and the crunching of glass tells me they are getting close.

I press the button on my phone that disconnects the Bluetooth, as my vision starts to blur, “River.” I gasp out.

“Elle!” He screams, “Elle what the fuck happened?” He sounds so far away yet I can feel his desperation as if he’s next to me. I can feel myself starting to fade and I know without a doubt we are about to be taken. “Ells, talk to me please.”

A gas canister is thrown through the smashed window and I push out one last word before the darkness and the Donovan’s, both take me.

“Crabsticks...”

Chapter 41

MARCUS

Can the sound of someone's screams imprint onto your soul? I doubt there will ever be a day that I forget the sound of crashing metal, shattering glass and the way Elle screamed for Jace to look out. I felt the impact as if it crashed into my heart. My voice almost lost from crying out her name, begging her to answer me. When she said my name, I had hope, it was quiet and weak, but at least it was there. She was alive, armed, and I knew she would fight. She wasn’t alone, she had Jace by her side and I knew he would die for her, even if she wouldn’t let him.

Then just one more word left her lips, one that changed everything. Crabsticks.

Crabsticks. Fucking crabsticks. The dumbest fucking word in the entire god damn universe. Yet when her broken voice muttered it down the phone, after we all listened in horror to that fucking smash, it cut through me like a knife. They’re gone. Elle and Jace are gone. Lincoln and I remained silent as we stared at the disconnected phone. We didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t fucking breathe. They’re gone. The Donovan’s have my girl and my brother and this time, I don’t think we will ever get them back.

Lincoln burst into action before I did, dragging me along as he called Zack and relayed what just happened. Every guard on the school grounds met us out front and before I even knew it, we were speeding away. Some of Max’s guys went to Elle’s last location, but we went straight back to the house. When we arrived, Max was shouting orders. Zack had already sent Arthur, Helen, and the girls into a bunker, I didn't even know was there, and Logan was checking weapons with Asher.

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