Page 156 of Fallen Empire

Mills’s body jolted, her fists clenching tight. Her breath hissed sharp through her nose, jaw locked against the pain. Blood welled thick and dark around the steel as he left it there, buried to the hilt.

Something in Koslov’s eyes shifted, like her silence had just cut deeper than the blade ever could.

It lit something in me. White-hot, blinding. My pulse roared in my ears. Every instinct screamed to pounce on him before he could draw another breath. But eight barrels still tracked us, steady and unflinching. One twitch, one wrong move, and Mills’s silence wouldn’t matter.

Because it would be her last.

Then, through the silence, another body hit the ground—swift, final.

Then another.

Until there were only six left standing.

They shifted, bracing, but for what, they didn’t know.

A shadow cut through my peripheral, and I felt Jaxson lean close, his voice a low rasp only I could hear.

“Who the fuck is out there?”

I didn’t answer him. Because I didn’t know.

Maybe it was Jade. Though if it was her, she’d be hauling medical gear, and I hadn’t heard the thump of rotor blades yet. Still, Jade wasn’t just a medic. She’d been trained for battle, too. If the need arose, she could put a man down as easily as she could stitch him up.

Whoever it was, they were working fast, methodical.

Normally, I gave myself a little time to figure out the angles before making a move. But it wouldn’t be long now—sirens would be in the air soon.

“Move where you’re not a fucking target, you morons,” Koslov snapped, the tremor in his voice betraying him. Fear had slipped past the mask.

Then Mills did something that turned my blood to ice.

She met his eyes… and laughed.

She was mocking him—while her life hung by the single twist of that blade.

He tilted his head, a predator curious about its prey. One moment he was looming over her, the next he was crouched down, face to face. His hand closed over the knife still buried in her thigh. I saw the exact second the decision formed behind his eyes.

He wasn’t going to torture her anymore.

He was going to end it.

Six guns still tracked us, and all I could do was watch as the blood drained from my body, my gaze locked on his hand tightening around the hilt.

And then—

Chapter 32

Savannah

The finger Alex snapped earlier—already broken once before by another man just as evil—throbbed, but I refused to give him what he wanted.

I didn’t scream.

Not for Jaxson’s sake. Not for Millie’s. Not for anyone’s but my own.

The pain was there, clawing at me, begging to be let in. But pain was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not here. Not now. Every ounce of energy had to be banked, stored for the one moment that mattered.

I’d been here before, helpless, trapped under the weight of a monster’s will. Bruce had taught me the truth no one tells you about surviving: it’s not about being unbreakable. It’s about letting themthinkthey’re breaking you… while you’re quietly sharpening your blade.