Page 152 of Into the Woods

“Just wait,” General Woods seethed, not done yet with spewing hate. “You’ll all pay. Especially you, bitch.”

Royal swung around and punched his father in the mouth, knocking him down again. “Shut the fuck up.”

With his arms cuffed at the wrists behind his back, Woods had no way to break his fall. He hit the ground like a bag of bricks, his head bouncing off the cement. He slumped, eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

“Guess we’re carrying two,” Rook muttered, bending down and picking up Jasper. “Let’s go.” He and Trick started back toward the lights glowing in the distance.

“Get out of here,” Royal told us again, but this time his tone was gentler, his focus on me. “It’s going to be a long night for all of us.”

“We’ll see you soon,” Court told Royal, nodding at his brother.

One of my shoes fell off, and Ryan wordlessly picked it up and carried it for me as we started walking in the other direction.

I barely noticed when we arrived at the car, and it was like I wasn’t connected to my body when Court sat us in the backseat, keeping me on his lap as Ryan drove us away.

“It’s okay, princess,” Court said, his lips against my hair. “Just rest. We’re all okay.”

Exhausted, I closed my eyes.

CHAPTER 47

BEX

The steady hum of the car engine went silent. Panic speared through my chest, and I jolted awake. “Cami,” I gasped.

“Easy, baby,” Court murmured against my head, his hand stroking my back.

I twisted away, putting a few much-needed inches between us. My eyes felt heavy and swollen as they filled with tears all over again. “Court—”

“They found her, remember? She’s at the hospital,” he told me, not moving as Ryan exited the car.

“I need to see her.”

Court’s expression tightened. “We will, but first we need to get you cleaned up.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my eyes going wide as every worst-case scenario pummeled my brain.

“She’ll be fine,” he added, his voice reassuring and somber.

But would she? Would any of us? Right now it just seemed so overwhelming.

Ryan knocked lightly on our window before pulling open the door. “Maybe we can talk about this inside?” His blue eyes flashed as he looked around the street for threats.

Aside from a couple walking away from us to the intersection at the end of the block and a taxi rolling by, the side street next to the hotel was empty. But I understood his unease.

Court helped me slide off his lap and onto the pavement, wobbling on one heel.

Ryan reached out and steadied me. “You okay?”

I peered up at him. “No.”

He gave me a grim nod, letting me go as Court got out of the car. Once he’d closed the door, Court tugged me to the curb and turned around. “Jump on.”

It had been years since I’d hopped on him for a piggyback ride. When I was little, my legs had been so much shorter than all of theirs that it had become our go-to mode of transportation when we were all together.

He was a lot taller now than we were as kids, and I was still a lot shorter. I had to jump, but I threaded my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his hips, losing my second shoe in the process.

“I’ve gotcha, Cinderella,” Ryan muttered, grabbing my other shoe so he now carried the pair.

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