Page 266 of Entangled

And I suddenly realize where all that flickering light is coming from.

When Julian threw it, the flare apparently managed to land directly on my pack—and it is currently flaring brighter and brighter as we watch in deathly, diabolic flames.

“The danger pack is on fire,” I say dumbly.

“You infernal, ridiculous brat,” Jasper hisses, then he shoves me toward the door and shouts, “Everyonerun.Now!”

Chapter60

Jasper

Survival tip #308

If you elect to have a life partner,

try to choose one who won’t get you killed.

Werun.

Our team skids out the door of the warehouse and bolts down the street in a cloud of dust and limbs,awayfrom the burning bag of military-grade explosives we left behind us. Panic seizes my lungs. Those explosives were meant to be used for several buildings in carefully measured amounts, set off when we were a safe distance away. We arenota safe distance away. How long do we have?

Sweat gathers along my hairline, and I sprint faster.

Lucien flicks on his kit’s radio, panting. “Uh, Beau! Hey, buddy. Funny story, but—run like your life depends on it.”

I glare at him as we run, having no breath to snarl at him the way I want to right now, and he nods like he’s remembering something and flicks the radio back on to add, “Over!”

“What did—? Shit. Roger. Over and out.” Beaumont’s voice is muffled through the radio, but at least he heard.

“Did not copy. Say again. Over,” Dominic demands through the line.

Adrenaline courses through my veins. Jennifer jumps over a fallen bin in our path, and Julian stumbles over it, scrambling to get to his feet. I swerve around it, pulling him up as I go, and the sharp motion makes something creak uncomfortably in my back.

I’m not even sure where we’re running, just that stopping means death.

“Hard right. In here! Go, go, go!” Lucien darts to the side and into a heavy-set stone building that I think might have been a bank.

I follow the turn and throw myself inside just as the shockwave shudders the ground and slams against the building in a great, rushing ripple. The remaining windows in the room explode, and Lucien yanks me down and out of the doorway, rolling on top of me as the deafening roar of the explosion finally hits my ears.

The building trembles, and I grip Lucien tightly, breathing him in and counting his heartbeats as brick dust rains down on us. He holds me back just as forcefully, panting into my neck.

The quaking settles, and Lucien pulls back, his beautiful blue eyes scanning my face. His hair is powdered with dust, and he’s too pale by far, but he doesn’t seem hurt. His lifeblood isn’t spilling over my hands this time. There are no gaping holes that whistle with his fading, gasping breaths.

I can’t hear anything but a high-pitched ringing in my ears, and I know we should move before the Sinners come to investigate, but the icy memories won’t be banished.

Cupping his face, I kiss him fiercely. I need him. I need to feel his warmth and taste his breath and drown in each and every assurance that he’salive. I plunder his mouth until the heat starts to push back that frigid blast of fear.

Lucien pulls back first. I watch his lips move, but I still can’t hear. After a second, he grimaces too, rubbing his ear.

He gets to his feet quickly, yanking me up and waving around to the team. We’re dirty and disheveled, and Julian has a bleeding cut above one eye, but we’re otherwise unhurt. The numb distance from sound is disorienting. The pressure in my head makes it feel as though it’s about to burst, but I keep my focus on Lucien’s rapid movements. Ill-thought-out pranks aside, he knows what he’s doing.

Lucien pushes toward the door urgently, and fresh apprehension nips me into motion. What does this mean for our plan? We’re nowhere near where we were meant to be positioned. Is Beaumont’s team intact?

Is Beaumont?

We need to regroup and re-plan somewhere secure before the Sinners have a chance to catch up to us. This has gone too far off the rails.

When the last person clears the room, I head toward the door quickly, my rifle ready... and I notice everyone is standing in the middle of the street, curiously still. Is there too much debris? Lucien is framed by the doorway, staring down the street.

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