Page 69 of Rise To Power

“Helping.”

I couldn’t hold on. My fingers slipped.

All at once, breath swooshed from Knox’s lips, he cursed, and finally collapsed with a grunt with me landing on top of him.

“What happened to you?” he asked. “My badass, fighting best friend is weak.” He shoved me off.

Rolling to my side, I trembled with laughter.

We scooted onto our butts and leaned against the wall. “I’m not getting back in the way I got out.” I glanced up the street to the gatehouse in the distance. “Shit.”

“Want me to cause a distraction so you can slip past the guards?”

I turned to him, my scowl giving away my opinion on his idea. “This is what I’m talking about when I worry you’re going to do something stupid. I’ll be fine.”

“Text me that you’re okay.” We stood. “But don’t text anything about today or the situation with Dee. Never use her name or your name.” He brushed a smudge of dirt from my cheek. “They could check my phone at any time. You’re under Mila Kunis.”

“Seriously? Don’t you think they’ll wonder who it is? Or do they think you have a three-way thing going with her and Ashton?”

“Yeah, so Snapchat only going forward. Now that Marco is back, or will be back again, you should delete any messages. Change my name in your phone.”

I pulled my phone from my pocket. I held the button to delete all of our messages from today. Like Knox, I never saved the messages. He watched over my shoulder as I did an edit on his contact.

His laugh tickled my belly.

I smiled at him. “Be good, Ashton.”

“Always.”

“And forever,” I said back to him for the thousandth time in our lives.

“Text me, Mila.” He jogged back toward his bike, and I popped my buds into my ears and ran toward the guardhouse as if I had been out for a ten-mile run.

As I approached, the moment of lightness I felt with Knox grew heavy in my gut. Not because I was worried about the guards. They could bitch all they wanted. I was home, and I needed to speak with Deidre.

Even if I hadn’t just run the two hundred yards, my heart would be racing. Adrenaline flashed through me, firing into my muscles, and sending a surge of energy into my feet. I sprinted the last few yards.

I didn’t know every soldier on the property, but they recognized me. I jogged in place at the gate.

“Miss Allegra.” The gate swung open. “Is something wrong?”

“Of course not. I’m just finishing my run. Thanks.” I didn’t pause for chitchat, but one of the soldiers was instantly on his radio.

By the time I approached the house, Tim stood on the porch with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

I stopped at the bottom of the stone steps and waited for the ass-chewing about to happen. “Sorry. I ran farther than I expected.”

“You need to take a walk to cool down.” He strode down the steps and started toward the tree line.

I had no misconceptions. He was pissed and expected me to follow him. I rushed to catch up, falling into step beside him.

“Care to tell me what the fuck that was about today?” He ground out the words.

“I just went for a run to clear my head.” I stuffed my hands into the front pouch of my hoodie.

We were safely in the shadows of the trees. “Start talking. Where did you go? Who were you with? And you better not fucking lie to me because it’ll be both of our asses.”

I swallowed, but the lump immediately climbed back into my throat.

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