Page 70 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

Asher stalks back towards the car and we drive out of there as quick as we came and head back down the road. My phone ringing breaks the silence and when I answer it, Zack’s voice comes down the line with an echo, so I know we’re on speaker. I answer it through the car's sound system.

“I got the MC on our side.” I say, before he can say anything, “they’re awaiting instruction.”

Zack pauses and then blows out a breath, “that’s good. Great thinking, Marcus. We need as many men as we can find.” His tone already sounds defeated, and it has the hairs on my arms standing up.

“What is it?” I push, because I can tell from his tone that he called to tell us something that I know I’m not going to like.

“We got a security alert from the cameras at the main house.” He replies slowly.

“You mean at your house?” I ask to confirm. We have been at the safe house for weeks now, so I don’t know why something would set off the alarms there now. No one has been there so far.

“Yeah.” His clipped response doesn’t ease me at all.

“What was it?” I question, immediately on high alert.

He ignores me, “a few of the guys are on the way there, so if you two want to head that way and meet up with them that would be good.” He is speaking to me without an ounce of familiarity, like this is just a business call.

“What set it off, Zack?” I push him, but he ignores me again.

“Wait for them to get there, the last thing we need is anyone else disappearing. I swear, when we get Elle back, I’m going to kill her myself.” He huffs out and I can hear the despair in his tone, but I can’t move past whatever he’s not telling me.

“What set off the security alert, Zack?” I ask one final time and he sighs.

“Someone dumped something out of a van in front of the main steps.”

I look at Asher and he looks ghostly white as he asks Zack, “dumped what?”

Zack takes one more breath before he delivers three words that gut me, “it’s two bodies.”

Chapter 42

ELLE

2 HOURS EARLIER.

There’s a ringing in my ears, or maybe it’s a buzzing, I’m not sure. Am I awake? I don’t know. I try to move, but all I feel is pain. That must mean I’m awake, right? Alive. I attempt to lift up my head, but it’s heavy. The pain sears into my brain and I cry out, but no sound comes from me, or at least I can’t hear any. My vision is blurring in and out as I try to force my eyes to stay open, focusing on one spot until it clears. I’m cold, painfully so, and something bites into my wrists. As I finally manage to clear my eyes, I wish I hadn’t. The room is strikingly familiar. I’ve been here before.

It’s disgustingly the same. From the dirty mattress, metallic smell, and cracked tiles. It’s dark, dingy, and the light is flashing on and off. I’m on the mattress, but I have been thrust up against the wall. I try to move but am immediately restricted. Of course, I’m tied up. I force a thick swallow down my dry throat, as my lips crack from the lack of water and screaming. I take a deep breath as I try to push past the pain and figure out how I got here.

I went for coffee with Jace and Mason. No. Wait. We lost Mason. We were being followed. I spoke to Marcus and then nothing but blackness. But I did speak to Marcus on the phone, right? He will come for me. Us? Fuck. Jace.

I whip my head around the room and the ache crashes into my entire body. I’m really fucking beat up. Flashes of blood and glass assault my mind, as memories of what happened flow through me. All of it pales in comparison though, when I spot Jace’s lifeless, bloodied body on the floor. No. Please. No. His whole body is turned away from me, but I can see his arms are tied above his head, locked into a bolt on the floor and his legs are the same. If they tied him up, he must be alive.

“Jace.” I croak out, but it’s barely above a whisper, so I clear my throat and try again, “Jace.” I can hear the panic in my voice as I breathe through the tears staining my cheeks.

An anguished grunt is followed by, “yeah, I’m here.” His voice is low, and his words panted out through a struggling breath, but I hear them. The relief I feel is unreal, he’s alive. He rolls onto his back with a hiss of pain, and I take in his injured form. Dried blood coats his face and arms and I can tell by the way his shirt clings to him that it’s also soaked through. That’s when I remember, the truck, it followed us, we thought we lost it, but then it came out of nowhere and crashed into us. His side of the car took the main part of the crash, and if I’m in pain, I know he must be. Fuck! How did a simple coffee run turn into this. It’s only then I remember Mason and a fresh wave of pain hits me. If the truck was not only able to follow us, but get to us too, that only means one thing. Mason is dead.

I can’t help the cry I let out, “Jace, I’m so sorry.” My voice wobbles with the tears clogging my throat.

“Don’t…” he starts, but I go on.

“I should have never brought you into this, this is all my fault.” Mason is dead and we are here. I did this. Me.

“We’re in this, together, right?” He grits through his pain, and I nod, even though I wish we weren’t. Tears continue to pour down my face and I can’t even wipe them away. This is it, how it started and how it’s going to end.

I shake my head at the words he has spoken to me once before, closing my eyes tight, like I can just make this all disappear, “I’m sorry it’s come to this, that we’re here.” He might not have been here before, but I have. I know exactly what kind of things happen in the Donovan’s trafficking compound. This is the one thing we won’t walk away from, not intact at least.

“Don’t give up on me yet, Queenie.” He pushes out, and the tender use of my nickname would make me smile, but not today. Today everything changes. Marcus promised he would stay with Cassie and it’s a pinky promise I never want him to break. He isn’t just going to lose me today though, but Jace too. Jace says don’t give up on him, but I can hear the pain and fear in his voice. He knows how fucked we are. I take a deep breath and force a smile, as I respond.

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