Page 52 of Betrayed

I glance over my shoulder.

Nothing.

No movement. No shadow. Just the empty stretch of cobblestone street and flickering lamplight. A car passes slowly, headlights sweeping across the alley, and I step deeper into the shadows.

I can feel them watching.

The Kings.

Somewhere on the rooftops or crouched in shadows. Bayne wouldn’t let me walk into this alone. Not completely. But it still feels like I’m the only one exposed. My nerves are strung tight. My skin is electric.

I take a breath. One more.

And then the back door opens again.

This time, it’s her.

Mary.

Her mascara is smudged. Her jaw is tight. But she gives me a slight nod as she walks past, barely slowing down.

That’s my cue.

A doorman eyes me as I approach, a flash of interest in his gaze before his expression flattens. I flash him a smile and slip inside.

The club is loud. Dark. Smoke coils through the beams of colored light, cutting across the room. A low thrum of bass pulses through my bones as bodies move like liquid, drowning the air in sweat and tension.

I scan the room.

Then I see him.

Not Caleb.

Someone worse.

Caleb’s father is from Glasgow and is supposed to be there now. He’s one of the leaders of the Hoax. An angry ginger whose name literally means, ‘red king.’

Rory.

My stomach flips. This was not a part of the plan. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Last time I saw on my social media stalking, he was in Glasgow.

It never crossed my mind that he would be here.

We were going to get Caleb, kill him. Make it fast, make it clean, and leave the Hoax wondering who took him out.

I’d be the last suspect on their list.

Now that Rory has seen me, killing Caleb tonight is out of the question. He’ll know it was me, and he’ll know I had the Kings’ aid. It’ll start a war.

The Kings did not agree to that. And I wouldn’t ask it of them.

What do I do? I can’t just walk away. I’ve dragged Bayne and his men out here for this. We have Caleb cornered. And if we don’t do something tonight, I’m not the only civilian at risk.

I’ve got Gregory to think of now, too.

I remember Cass on the floor, the blood, the pain, and I know—I never want Lucian to feel the agony of seeing his sibling hurt, especially not after everything he’s done to protect his brother.

I need to think. Fast.