She jumped to her feet, pulled her weapon, and fired at the men on the rooftop.
“Inside!” Jesse screamed over the gunfire. Emilia, Alistair, and Rachel scrambled toward the door Jesse had just come from.
But they only made it a few steps.
Gunshots fired from the rooftops and Abi’s heart pounded against her chest as she stayed where she was, firing at anything moving on the rooftop. When she saw them run inside, she could breathe again.
Jesse reached into his back pocket, pulled something out, and hurled into the sky.
“Down!” he said, knocking her to the ground as an explosion thundered through the courtyard. Jesse pulled her up and they scrambled back, taking shelter in the loggia.
“Where is everyone?” Abi screamed over the high-pitched whine in her ears. “Where are all the teams?”
“The palace is under siege,” Jesse yelled back. “Everyone is cornered and being held!”
“And Asher?” Abi asked quickly as the ringing started to slowly fade from her ears.
“With James!” Jesse said. “Now, I need you to focus. Put this in,” he ordered, handing her an earpiece.
Abi grabbed it gratefully, pushing it into her ear.
“Good work, Abi,” came Samuel’s voice over the noise. “I’m going to direct you now.”
“Okay,” Abi said shakily, then looked to Jesse. “What are you going to do?”
“Kill those bastards on the roof,” he said grimly. “I’ll see you at the meeting point Samuel creates.” There was a promise in his eyes, but Abi couldn’t begin to fathom the number of circumstances outside of his control right now.
“On my command, run to the second window on your right. Three, two, one. Go!” Samuel said as another explosion crackled through the air.
Abi’s heart leapt into her throat as she sprinted for the window. Her legs felt light, fueled by adrenaline. She stole one quick look over her shoulder and saw the palace rooftop on fire.
She tried to open the window but it was locked. Slamming the butt of the pistol into the glass, she climbed through, hissing as her leg caught on the shards left behind.
After getting through, she briefly looked over the room—a sitting room of some kind, but she’d never been in this room before—and sprinted for the hallway, breathing hard. She scoped the hallway and decided it was clear, or clear enough.
“Left!” Samuel said.
She obeyed, sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her.
“Take the next right, and then to the end of the hallway, straight down to the end. It’s clear, but you need to move fast,” Samuel said with urgency.
Abi pushed her legs faster and her lungs burned. Gunfire echoed so heavily it sounded like a thunderstorm, and it was coming from inside, of that she was sure.
“Keep going, faster!” Samuel said but Abi didn’t think she could run any faster. She’d always been good at sports but admittedly she hadn’t spent much time in a gym recently.
“Go! Go! Go!” Samuel said and as Abi skidded around the corner she saw why. There were two men behind her.
“Next door on the left!” Samuel said.
Abi almost tripped over her feet as she skidded on the polished concrete floor of the hallway. Samuel hadn’t given her much notice.
She entered the room, an office, and looked around desperately.
“Right, into the living room and up the stairs. Go!”
Abi ran and took the steps two at a time, finding herself on a spiral staircase that never seemed to end.
“You’re on level three,” Samuel said as if he could read her mind.
Abi hadn’t realized the palace even had three levels. Was she in the tower?
“Climb out the window.”
Abi’s heart skipped a beat, but it wasn’t at Samuel’s instructions. She heard footsteps on the stairs below her. She pressed on, unlocking the window and opening the window doors. She climbed through, swaying when she realized how high up she was.
“Run along the ledge, carefully. It’s wide enough—and this is the only way out,” Samuel told her, and it sounded like an apology.
Abi exhaled a shaky breath but when she saw a figure dart past the window, she knew she didn’t have time to be nervous. She pressed her back flat against the wall, her fingertips gripping the thin moldings on the wall. She shuffled over but the ground beneath her swayed. She stopped, catching a breath that seemed to always escape her.
“Move,” she whispered to herself as fear rose up in her throat—fear of falling, fear of dying, fear of never seeing Asher again.
“Keep going, just a few more—”
“Samuel?” Abi said, tapping the earpiece furiously. “Samuel?”
But the earpiece had gone quiet.
Asher’s heart drummed in his chest.
“James, four men at the end of the hallway. You need to retreat!” Samuel said through his earpiece.
James’s head snapped in the opposite direction, but Asher couldn’t see what he was looking at from his position inside. James pulled a mirror from his back pocket, using it to look around the doorframe.
Asher guessed they had a few seconds at most.
“Is the parallel hallway clear?” James asked quickly.
“Yes, from what I can see. Abi’s on the rooftop. She’ll be right above you,” Samuel said, speaking so quickly Asher struggled to understand him.
“Stay in communication with Abi. Alert me if we’re running into trouble. I’m taking Asher into the parallel hallway,” James said.
James looked over his shoulder again and turned to face Asher. “We need to move. I need to get you into the other hallway, but we’re going to have to run across the courtyard to get there,” he said, gesturing to the window. “When I say go, sprint! Don’t look around and don’t stop if you hear gunfire. Run, and stay close to me!”
Asher nodded.
“Let’s go!” James said as he closed the door, bolted it, and ran to the window, sliding it up, cutting out the screen.
He turned to Asher with focused eyes. “Ready?”
Asher swallowed the lump in his throat. “Ready.”
“Go!” James said as he put one hand on the frame and jumped through the window. Asher mirrored him, eyed the door across the hallway and sprinted. Time seemed to slow down and his labored breath echoed like he was in a tunnel.
Asher almost stumbled as gunfire chipped the concrete path they were running on through the courtyard garden, but James turned and fired, not slowing down for a second.
Asher focused on the door, pushing his legs harder. He needed to get to Abi.
James raised his weapon again, this time firing at the window. It shattered and James made it to the window first, pulling his sleeve over his fist and opening a hole big enough for them to climb through.
“Put your foot on the ledge and climb in!”
Asher followed the instruction and jumped into the room. James followed him and sprinted to the doorway, checking that the hallway was clear.
“Let’s go,” James said. “We’re going left, right to the end of the hallway, and then up the stairs.”
Asher nodded as he ran forward.
“Go!” James said and they sprinted into the hallway.
The windows shattered as they ran, one by one, only a second behind Asher and James.
The glass seemed to be shattering before they passed it now and the end of the hallway didn’t look to be getting any closer.
“Keep going!” James screamed, firing as he ran.
“Go, go, go!” James said as they reached the stairs, climbing them two at a time. Asher fought to breathe, to keep his mind calm, but it was getting harder with every step.
They sprinted through the hallway and into the formal dining hall.
They were almost at the tower when James skidded to a halt—and Asher’s breath caught in his throat as six men with guns emerged from the kitchen.
Abi
“Keep moving. Come on, Abi,�
�� Samuel said. “Grab the bars of the balcony and pull one knee up, and then the other and stand. You can do this.”
She grabbed onto the black iron bars of the balcony and grunted as she pulled herself up. She managed to lift one knee, but she wasn’t high enough, and she dropped down, panting.
“Again, come on!” Samuel said.
Abi took a deep breath and jumped up, hauling herself up, one knee on the ledge and then another. She stood, not daring to look down.
“Shuffle toward the rooftop,” Samuel said. Abi shuffled across, breathing hard, fighting the panic constricting her throat. She made it around to the edge without falling and climbed onto the adjoining rooftop.
The last time she’d been running on rooftops it had been dark, and she’d only been one or two stories high. But now she was three or four—she couldn’t even remember—and she could see the ground below. She felt unbalanced and shaky on her feet.
“Run!” Samuel shouted and Abi surged forward with no idea of where she was going. She heard glass shattering below her but didn’t stop to look.
She ran as fast as she could, careful not to slip or lose her balance on the roof tiles. She risked another look down, but the ground seemed to blur below her. She kept her attention up, focused on where to place her feet.
“Stop! Go back!” Samuel yelled, and Abi’s head snapped up to see two men climbing up onto the rooftop.
She spun around, running the way she’d come but she’d only taken a few steps before she saw a man climb up to the rooftop, blocking her path. He held an automatic weapon in his hand.
“Stop!” the man commanded and Abi came to a halt. She looked between the men, frantically searching for a way out but she was trapped.
The man closest to her took a step forward, and then another.
Abi choked on her breath. Unless she slid down the side of the building, they would capture her. And she was almost certain she wouldn’t make it to the edge before they shot at her.
“Samuel . . .” Abi said warily, unsure exactly what Samuel could do to help her right now.
“Don’t move. Stall them,” he said, his words laced with determination.
She looked over the edge of the building. It was a long drop to the ground, but it might be her only option.
“Drop your weapon,” the man commanded.
Abi raised her hands in surrender as she took a look over her shoulder at the man behind her. He was moving fast. She only had a few seconds to make a decision.
She looked down again, hoping she’d be able to use the moldings on the wall to lower down, but she wasn’t hopeful.
Bending her knees, she pretended to surrender. Her weapon was on the ground and the man was closing fast when she heard the echo of gunfire.
The man in front of her fell, and then a second shot fired and Abi looked over her shoulder at the other man—also down.
She grabbed her weapon and jumped to her feet as she looked over the rooftop and saw someone running toward her. He was impossibly light on his feet, and she knew who it was: Reed.
Abi sprinted in his direction, never so happy to see him.
“Tower!” Reed shouted, pointing as he surged forward.
Abi turned and ran parallel with Reed, heading for the tower in front of them. She hurdled over the fallen man, but her foot caught on a broken tile. She fell, reaching out her hands. Pain shot through her palms as she landed and it took her a moment to clear her head and jump up again. She ran forward, but everything ached. Her body was tired and sore and she was sick of running, but right now she didn’t have a choice. She set her eyes on the tower, refusing to focus on anything else. She blocked the pain, the fatigue, and the fear from her mind.
Reed reached the tower before her, but she was only a few seconds behind. He fired at the lock on the door and then yanked it open. The lights activated as they stepped inside and ran down the stairs. Reed checked the hallway, and then motioned her forward. “Slowly,” he said with a hushed voice.
Abi took a calming breath but her eyes darted to the ticking wall clock that sounded impossibly loud and had to be all in her mind. She shook her head, the irony not lost on her.
Focus, Abi.
Reed peered around the corner and then righted, like he’d seen someone, and Abi held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
She stayed still, not moving an inch, but her heart slammed against her ribs as if it were trying to escape without her.
Suddenly, Reed stepped around the corner, raised his weapon and fired before screaming, “Go!”
Asher
Panic flowed through his body like a poison.
James skidded to a halt but he didn’t lower his weapon.
Asher looked around, frantic. There were men behind them and in front of them. Every hallway they turned down, they were met with more men. Asher didn’t know how many bullets James had left, but it couldn’t be many.
“When I yell ‘down,’ look at your feet and close your eyes,” James said under his breath.
“Okay,” Asher said as James threw a black ball into the air.
“Down,” James said and Asher squeezed his eyes shut. He heard a loud bang and then James was pulling on his arm, tugging him through the closest door.
They ran at full speed through the library. James stopped at a bookcase and leaned in, grunting as he pushed it.
Asher’s eyebrows lifted as the bookcase turned, revealing a secret door. “I had no idea this was here,” he said, confused.
“It wasn’t until we arrived,” James said with a tight grin. “Go!”
Asher darted inside to see a wooden staircase that had been built into it, leading down to the floor below. “You’ve been busy,” he said as he ran down the stairs.
“Just taking precautions,” James replied. “Follow me,” he said as they stepped off the last step. He turned to the door and slowly turned the knob, paused again to listen, then peered around the corner.
“Clear,” he said quietly—perhaps for his team’s benefit.
He held up two fingers, curling them toward the door, motioning them forward.
James led the way with Asher right behind him. Asher found himself in the storeroom for the maintenance staff. James grabbed a bottle off the shelf and poured it behind them, creating a trail, then grabbed a small pair of shears.
Asher had no idea what was going on.
They crept forward, barely making a sound. It had been a long time since Asher had been down there so he’d lost his sense of direction. He had no idea which way they were headed.
“We’re near the panic room,” James said as if he could read Asher’s mind. “Abi is there with your mother and Alistair. My teams have taken control of the east and north wings. I’ll come back for you when the palace has been cleared—” James’s head snapped to the left and he ran to a desk against the wall. “Samuel, a command center was set up in the maintenance store room. Review all related footage.”
“Copy,” Samuel said as a figure emerged from behind a storage rack beside James.
Before Asher could yell out to him, James spun around, pushing the shears into the man’s stomach. The man grunted, falling to his knees before falling forward. Asher grimaced at the sickening sound he made as his body hunched over, propped up only by the shears.
James returned his attention to the desk, searching it quickly. He looked to the shelf, tucked something into his pocket, and then ran back to Asher.
“We need to move,” he said. “That guy was running some sort of command center. When he stops communicating, they’re going to realize he’s down and someone—or a team—will come to replace him.”
James, not waiting for Asher, darted his eyes from side to side, searching for something. He pressed up suddenly, grabbing a small bottle from the shelf before filling it with the chemical he had picked up earlier.
“This way,” he said, setting the larger container to the side while he screwed on the lid of the smaller bottle.
Ash
er nodded and James went ahead, scoping between the storage units then motioning Asher forward. They moved as fast as they could, but James seemed even more alert than usual.
They ran into the service elevator and Asher got his bearings. James pressed level one. When they emerged from the elevator, they had to make it down two hallways to reach the panic room.
The doors opened and James held up his hand, signaling to wait. He crept forward, pressing the button to keep the doors open.
James held a finger to his lips and then pointed to Asher’s right.
Asher’s pulse continued to race, but the longer they were running, the less frantic it was. He didn’t know if the adrenaline was wearing off or if it was fatigue settling in.
They moved quickly—not quite running, but not walking either—and they were almost at the end of the hallway when Asher heard footsteps behind them.
James spun around, pulled a box of matches from his pocket, lit one and threw it on the ground. Only when a line of flames flickered before them did Asher realize what that bottle James was carrying had in it, and why he’d been trailing it behind them.
Asher couldn’t see what was happening, but he heard their chaotic cries.
“Retreat!” a voice called out, but judging by the sound of the agonized screams that followed, Asher assumed some of them didn’t move fast enough.
Their victory was short lived as another group of men barreled around the corner, backing them against the flames.
James fired through the flames, making sure no one retreated.
“King Asher,” one man said with a smug grin.
Asher met his gaze, refusing to back down. “How will your family feel when they learn you attempted to assassinate the king? They will be rejected from their communities. You have brought shame to Santina, and Santina will not forgive you.”
James spun around, keeping his weapon raised. But they were outnumbered.
VALIANT REIGN (The Royals Book 3) Page 17
