Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
The wall slides open.
He yanks me into a narrow chamber, and Leo leaps in behind us. A dim light flickers on overhead. The door seals behind us. My breathing is ragged.
Justice’s arm clamps around my waist, holding me steady. “Hold on.”
The chamber is metal, every edge perfect. He shifts me behind him with one quick motion, keeping my body shielded. His palm presses against another mirrored wall and it unlocks, revealing an arsenal stacked tight. He grabs two weapons, one for each hand.
The elevator drops without warning. My stomach flips, and I yelp. The chamber is a hidden elevator buried inside the skyscraper, carrying us away from the burning wreck above.
“I can’t believe this thing exists,” I gasp against his back. This box isn’t on any plans and nobody knows about it. We’re dropping way too fast for an elevator.
“Hold on to me.” He braces his feet.
I clamp my eyes shut and wrap my arms around his waist, plastering my body to his. The landing is going to be rough.
It is.
We smash onto the floor, bounce, slam again. Metal screeches. My teeth snap together, pain shooting up my jaw. I nearly lose my grip but force my arms tighter around his waist, refusing to be thrown.
I let go only when the chamber stills. Going on instinct, I reach into the storage compartment. My fingers find a weapon, heavy and certain. A Glock. I rack the slide. A round spits free. It was already chambered, but I want to be sure.
“Don’t shoot me,” Justice says, voice clipped.
The building trembles, rolling with muffled blasts.
Explosions. The ground shakes and I nearly fall but regain my stance. Someone just attacked the Malice Media headquarters with a missile. How many more do they have?
Gunfire echoes above us. Shouts rip through the night. His men are holding the line.
The chamber opens into a hidden garage with room for two vehicles, but just one is here. Not just any car. A Rezvani Tank, matte black, angular and brutal, armored with clean lines and military-grade plating. Rare, modern and built for survival as well as dominance.
“Get in,” Justice snaps.
I don’t hesitate. I run to the passenger side, let Leo jump in and move to the rear, and then throw myself inside.
Why isn’t this space under attack already?
Then I see it. Thick walls surround us that are reinforced and seamless, with no visible door. “How do you plan on getting this out of here?”
Justice drops into the driver’s seat and punches a sequence on the console. The floor dips forward, grinding open into a downward ramp.
“Holy crap,” I mutter.
The engine roars alive. He drives hard, tires screaming against polished concrete. A tunnel stretches ahead, walls tight on both sides.
We’re flying.
I shake my head. I’ve studied the schematics of Silicon Valley my entire life, hacked into servers and systems most people don’t know exist. There is no record of this tunnel. None.
What kind of power does Malice Media really have?
The tunnel veers. Justice takes a hard right, then a left. The incline shifts and we’re climbing again. A detonation slams through the passage, deafening. I twist in my seat, panic seizing my throat.
Leo barks twice. Sharp and loud.
Through the back window, fire surges forward. A roaring wall of flame, racing straight for us.
I scream.
Justice climbs farther, slams the brakes, and throws the vehicle into a hard spin to stop abruptly. I smash into the dash and bounce back.
“Get out!” he yells, grabbing my hand. He flings his door wide, drags me across his side, and yanks us both into the open to drop fast.
Leo launches out right after us, nails scraping concrete.
We land hard in a smaller garage. I hit with my knees and keep my grip on the Glock as Justice jerks me to my feet. Leo circles once, ears pricked, then bolts for the door at our side. We chase him out into the night.
Trees. Wet earth. We’re in a wooded area, nowhere I recognize.
Justice sets a punishing pace, boots driving into mud. Rain slashes down in sheets, soaking us instantly. I gasp, coughing on the cold air.
The fireball explodes behind us. The SUV, the garage, everything erupts. Metal shrieks. Shards of glass, wood, and more metal whistle through the air.
Justice barks a curse, tackles me, and drives me down behind a tree. His body covers mine as burning debris rains past. Leo growls low, teeth flashing, and crouches against us. A hubcap slams into the ground a few feet away, making him growl at it before he steadies again.
Rain pours into my eyes, blurring the ruin and beating the fire easily.
Justice looks back, jaw tight. “Nobody is coming for us through there. We’re safe but need shelter.”
I push to my feet, brushing pine needles off my jeans. His chin is split, blood mixing with water. He wipes it away, fury glittering in his eyes. That’s twice he’s thrown himself on top of me. Twice he’s taken the brunt. He must really need me alive.