Page 123 of Mafie Kings

If what Laney heard, and what Nessa was told is still accurate, shit’s about to go down.

A man begins walking to the edge of the cage covering the arena, and I watch as Damien spots him. Worry coats his face as he pulls the gun from behind his back. Except he’s too late. The man jumps on the cage, easily bypassing the administration meant to be guarding the fence. And in that moment my heart seizes, realizing that the corruption goes as deep as the leaders that are meant to guide us.

Damien fires just as the man drops a pistol from the roof landing it right in Bryce’s hand. An evil grin splits his features, making him look deranged as he takes aim at Evie.

Screams ring out as other students begin to stand, guns raised. This is supposed to be a weapons-free event and this exact moment reveals just how deep the manipulation of our students goes.

There is no way Bryce and Natalya did all of this.

My chest squeezes as students begin running to the exit, and I lose sight of Evie when gunfire erupts. I pull my guns from under my suit jacket, feeling like James Bond as I cover the students who have no idea what’s going on so that they can exit without getting caught in the crossfire. The girls are strategically positioned above everyone, aiming to take out those who raise weapons, but there are too many. Shots are being fired by people who clearly do not have experience training with the weapons they hold.

Screams of pain erupt around me and all I can do is believe my brothers are protecting our girl as I take down those I can see holding weapons.

Students run into me in a panic, racing to escape, causing my gun to be knocked from my grip. The moment I bend down to retrieve it, something erupts, causing the floors to shake and debris to fall from the roof.

I fall to the ground, my ears ringing, my vision blurring.

I blink my eyes rapidly, willing myself to focus. A layer of dust coats the air as I scan the crowd around me. I force myself to stand, shaking my head to try and clear my ears. As the dust begins to settle, I can see the building has a giant hole blown into the side of it, and the far wall of the arena is now merely a pile of rocks.

My eyes frantically search for Evie and my brothers. Lev is up and running to Damien, but Evie isn’t on the field.

I scan the field again, looking where the debris is piled high, when I realize, neither is Bryce.

My gut clenches as I think of all the possibilities, but when I move to go search for our girl, a bag is put over my head as searing pain envelops my side. I hear Lev yell out for me, just as the world goes dark.

Chapter 52

Thankfully, the girls and I were far enough above the explosion for us to recover quickly. Evie thought of almost every scenario, but none of us planned for a freaking bomb. The plan here was obviously to induce chaos, and I fear who may be behind it all. The building shook beneath us, but we were able to stay on our feet, and other than the ringing in our ears, we seem to be better off than those below us.

Gun fire has stopped for now, and I notice two figures running onto the field from where the explosion created a massive hole. They head straight to an unconscious Evie whilst Bryce trails behind them—unharmed and unphased. He knew exactly what was going to happen.

Alarm bells are ringing, probably in an attempt to put the island under lockdown while The Society members are safely secured in their boxes above the rest of us, watching while the chaos unfolds. I point down, gesturing to Nessa to see what's happening. We quickly take the stairs down to the arena. Clearing a way through the rubble, the four of us head in the direction they took her.

If they have a helicopter, we are so screwed.

It’s late in the afternoon, enough for the sun to be down, but not enough for it to be dark. I make out a group of shadows heading to the bridge. We change course, increasing our pace as we attempt to follow behind them. I’m suddenly thankful Evie started making me run with them in the mornings. That, plus the adrenaline rush, pushes me to the front of our group. I’m determined to save my friend, even if it’s the last thing I ever do. I wasn’t able to save my family, but maybe I can save her.

We approach the bridge cautiously, all still holding our guns. I’m not the best shot without my arrows; I’m glad Nessa and her suitemates seem highly skilled in this area.

I know Evie already put Nessa in her place, but since seeing her stupid face in their suite I wanted to do the same. Just so she knew where we stood. But now isn't the time for petty games, and I’m woman enough to admit when I’m being petty.

Without much direction, we crouch in the nearby bushes, waiting for them at the edge of the bridge. Bryce is yelling at two masked men, one of them carrying an unconscious Evie. She has blood smeared in her hair and down the side of her face. She appears limp in his arms, but when he swings around to yell at Bryce, I can see her body tense in reaction. If she’s pretending, that could work for us.

“Listen up,” I say in a whisper, turning back to the group. “I’m willing to bet Evie’s awake, but we need to help give her an opening. No one shoots Bryce unless it’s your only option.” I glare at them for a moment, making sure they understand he is for Evie to kill and no one else. “If any of you three can get a clear shot on the other two men, take it. I’m going to be a distraction.”

“Wait!” Nessa hisses, grabbing my arm to pull me back down. “What kind of distraction?” I shake her hand off me, knowing there isn’t a lot of time to explain.

Standing, I move to the middle of the bridge. Wanting them to see me, but not the others, I move quietly. Bryce is still yelling something about their incompetence and the fact that his gun is out of ammo.

Perfect.

“Hey, fuckface!” I yell at Bryce. I’m not one to swear, but hey when a name fits, it fits.

He whips his head around to me, aiming his gun at my head like I should take it as a threat. I might not be a good shot, but this kid would hit every cobblestone on this bridge before he landed a bullet in me. Plus, I just heard him yelling about how he’s got no bullets left.What an idiot.

“What do you want?” he yells.

I walk closer, making sure all eyes are on me. “First of all, you probably shouldn’t yell about the fact that you're out of ammo when you're running from trained killers,” I say sarcastically, keeping a slow pace toward him. He doesn’t lower his weapon, but his lip curls back in anger.

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