“They’re going that way.” I kicked off my heels and ran off.
“Shit!” Maxwell roared, surely running after me. “Are you crazy?”
Without the heels, I could make good distance. Part of my gown ripped. I shoved a big man out of the way.
“Yo!” Maxwell kept at my side but sounded out of breath.
We left the ballroom and rushed through the kitchen. I jumped over a small table holding a pie. The pie crashed to the floor with other desserts. Slipping on whipped cream and fruit filling, I tripped over the table. My gun dropped but didn’t go off.
“Damn it!” I picked it up and rushed on. Creamy gunk covered the bottom of my gown.
“Yo!” Max caught the lead and shoved through the door. “I see them.”
I rushed after him.
Come on, bastards. Who are y’all with? Sasha or someone else?
“Mysh!!”
Shocked, I glanced behind me. Kaz and twenty men barreled a few feet behind him. It was a scary sight. I thanked God they weren’t chasing after me and made a mental note to never piss Kaz off.
I didn’t look back anymore. They would have to catch up. Other men raced after Red Cape. He shot back. A few fell down. The man in red was good—knew the place, knew how to shoot. We ran through some other eating space in the castle. Max, two of Kaz’s men, and I were on Red Cape’s heels. He knocked over tables. I dodged them. A few fell into it. Max and I remained running forward.
Red Cape sped up, but not before turning around and shooting back. Someone screamed. A shot sounded behind us. Someone must’ve gotten the bullet.
Damn, he’s good.
Running and shooting was damn near impossible, if you wanted to actually hit something. It wasn’t like the movies. But this guy was a professional.
Red Cape ran into a room and shut the door. A lock clicked. Somehow, Kaz got to the door before Max and me. He slammed against it and stepped back. One of his men shot the doorknob.
Kaz kicked it in.
Max and his men ran inside.
“Hell yes,” I rushed in afterwards.
Kaz stopped me from running forward. “No.”
“Are you crazy?” I ducked under his arm and continued. “I’m going in there. He shot X.”
Lucky for Kaz, he didn’t grab me. I didn’t know what I would’ve done. The man had gone after Kaz and shot X. I would be dealing with him just like everyone else.
Kaz muttered, “Sumasshedshaya zhenshchina.”
Everyone stood around and searched the massive room. I scanned the space.
“He left.” Max hurried to the window. “But he didn’t go out here.”
The others checked the windows.
Kaz got to my side as I touched the side of a huge painting, searching for the button that was on the painting in Max’s room.
“What are you doing?” Kaz asked.
“Looking for the hidden passageway.” I went to a huge bookshelf and tried to pull out a book. None would come out. “It’s here.”
Frowning, Kaz got in front of me, touched the sides, and opened the shelf.
I tried to dive in.
Kaz grabbed me by the waist as everyone else went in.
“Are you kidding me?” I shoved him away.
His face went stern. “Calm down.”
My chest rose and fell. Sweat dripped down the side of my face. Curls plastered to my cheeks. I was sure I looked like a mess. I stared down at my gown. It was ripped on both sides and covered in pie and pink cake icing. Holes shredded the toes of my stockings.
Shooting sounded in the tunnel.
“Got him!” Max screamed. “Pick his bitch ass up.”
The others spoke in Russian.
The whole time, I stared at the opened bookshelf.
Kaz’s deep voice cut the silence. “You don’t run after the bad guy.”
I held in my cursing.
“I have men for that.”
If you had men for that, then X wouldn’t have gotten shot.
“Luka is on his way back.” Kaz checked his phone. “He’ll take you to X.”
“I’m not a doctor, Kaz. X doesn’t need me.” I’d held back my bite for too long and now I wanted to sink my teeth into someone’s ass. “I should stay here.”
“Because I need you?”
“I could help, when you talk to him.”
Darkness settled over Kaz’s face. “I’d rather you not be a part of this conversation.”
His men dragged Red Cape out. Max had shot him in his right leg. Blood spilled from the torn pants and streamed down his thigh.
They slung him onto the floor and stepped back.
Kaz walked Red Cape’s way and towered over him. “Take off his mask.”
They did.
I didn’t recognize him. He looked Russian, but I wasn’t sure. Tattoos covered the side of his face. Doves and holy crosses. I didn’t know what they meant, and I didn’t care. I planned on slicing the skin off his face anyway.
“Maxwell.” Kaz turned his way. “Take Emily back to the ballroom. You’ll meet Luka on the way.”
“And do you want me to come back?” Max asked, surely excited to get answers from the man too.
Kaz turned back to Red Cape as if he didn’t need to provide Max with anymore answers. Everyone looked at us, waiting for Max and me to leave.
I swallowed my anger. Max and I were just as much a part of grabbing Red Cape as anyone else. Had we not been there, Kaz might be dead and Uncle Igor too. Even more so, they wouldn’t have even caught the man. It was clear Kaz didn’t know about the hidden passageways.
Fuck. Now he knows I know.
Kaz continued to stare at the man, reeking of violence and fury. “I will talk to you later, Em.”
I fisted my hands and kept my peace. While I had Kaz’s ear and could tell him that I was pissed, I would never do it in front of his men. He didn’t have the right to turn me away, but I damn sure wouldn’t push the fact by arguing with him like a spoiled child.
Still, I felt like some dismissed kid—not his equal, but some frilly, soft female that he simply fucked and worked with from time to time. And perhaps it was all in my head. Maybe he was just used to working on his own.
He was at the top. He hadn’t needed me to get there.
But, the guy shot X!
My chest twisted with pain. I didn’t even want to think about X right now. If I lost him, I would lose myself. I’d already had not dealt with my best friend, Kennedy’s death. And I knew I’d have to mourn Daryl’s oncoming murder.
Not X, God. Not him. You promised. I thought we had a deal. You fucked up my life so much that you wouldn’t take the few people who loved me.
Frowning, Max grabbed my hand and led us away.
He understood what I did. This wasn’t Harlem. We weren’t the top dogs here. This was Kaz’s world, and he ran it. Survival didn’t mean pounding our chests and showing how big our dicks were. Sometimes survival meant shutting the fuck up, when the big dogs came around.
We left the room.
The door closed behind us.
I paced in front of it.
“What are you doing?” Max asked.
“Man.” I tapped the gun against my thigh.
“No, Em. Let’s go.”
My head was a little dizzy. I shook it, turned to the door, and opened it.