Page 1 of Wicked Empire (Knight's Ridge Empire 3)

CHAPTERONE

Stella

Idon’t feel the stones and sticks on the ground as I fall to my knees. The only pain that assaults my body as I reach for both Seb and Toby, who are lying on the ground in the darkness, is that of my heart shattering in my chest.

“No, please. No.”

It’s too dark to really see anything, and while I might be silently praying that something else happened here, I know deep down that I’m not going to witness a miracle.

A rattling breath comes from one side of me as a hand on the other grips mine.

“It’s okay, Sis,” Toby forces out, his eyes closed, pain etched across every inch of his face.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Taking Toby’s hand, I squeeze it tight as my head continues to swim from whatever it is that’s in my system.

My body wants to shut down, to give in to whatever it is. But I can’t.

“Baby, none of this is your fault.”

The sound of Seb’s voice fractures something inside me, and the second I look at him and find his dark eyes staring up at me, I break.

Falling onto his body, I cling to him as my tears soak his shirt along with the blood.

I’m completely unaware of anyone else around us, so I startle when a large pair of hands wrap around my upper arms and pull me away from both of them.

“No,” I cry, fighting to break free.

I kick my legs, trying to make contact, but my body barely complies, my limbs flailing uselessly, all my years of training nothing but a distant memory as I’m forced to watch a mass of zombies surround my boys, blocking them from my sight.

“NOOO!” I scream, trying to up my efforts to get away, but my body is having other ideas, shutting down faster than I can control.

“They’re helping, Stella. They know what they’re doing,” a familiar voice says in my ear.

He brings us to a stop on the edge of all the action, and I sense two others come to stand beside us. Ripping my eyes from the scene before us, I find Nico and Alex standing there, shadows making their somber expressions even more harrowing.

A sob rips from my throat, reality slamming into me.

Sensing that I’ve given up fighting, I’m released, although only for a few seconds because strong arms wrap around my body, holding me.

“It’s going to be okay,” Theo breathes in my ear. The serious tone of his voice stops me from arguing despite every inch of my body screaming, ‘How? How can this possibly be okay?’

Falling back into him, I make use of his strength as my legs damn near give up.

In a move that I’m sure as fuck isn’t planned, both of my hands are grasped, both Alex and Nico squeezing, helping hold me together.

Men move around in front of us, some disappearing through the trees, searching for the shooter, I’m sure, as others focus their efforts on Seb and Toby, who could well be fighting for their lives right now.

Silent tears streak down my face as I wait for a sign, anything to tell me that they’re going to be okay.

Someone looks over and gives Theo a nod, and my heart sinks.

“What does that mean?” I demand.

“Come on, Princess. We need to move so the paramedics can do their thing.”

“No. I’m not leaving them. I’m not I—THEO,” I scream as he throws me over his shoulder and pins me in place with firm hands on my waist and marches through the trees, right as two ambulances come to a screeching halt right in front of us.