Betrayed ✔️

Chapter 29: "Countries"

ADA

"We have to go. Now," I said, pushing my chair away from the table and standing.

"Wait, Ada," Jay protested, grabbing my arm. I glared at him and he immediately backed away, palms raised. "We need a plan."

"No. We don't have time for plans!" A sentence I never thought I'd say. "We have to act now. Our friends and colleagues are there!"

"And what do you propose we do?" Jay said, with an edge of panic in his voice. "Stride in there and demand the hijackers leave?"

"What else can be done?"

"At least fifteen other things! No, literally- I'm counting them in my head right now."

"Well go on then!" I spread my arms wide, sarcasm oozed from each syllable.

The door opened and a young man scuttled in, nervously glancing between us. He stopped and whispered something to Zaza before leaving.

Zaza let out a harsh bark of laughter, shaking with barely controlled rage. "Well, it looks like the decision has been made for you. Some people are storming the building- dressed in red and have loads of weapons."

My eyes widened and I swore. "That's the Sanguis! We have to go. Now."

Ryder nodded. "We'll cover you. You remember where the secret passage is?"

"How could I forget?" I grinned, despite the situation. I looked at Zaza. "We'll see each other again."

She gave me a slightly sad smile in return. "Whether it's on Earth or Hell."

There was no time to get our stuff. Jay and I were supplied with a knife and gun each, but I wasn't sure how long that would last with a goddamn assassin squad on our heels.

"You've been here before?" Jay whispered as we went down the winding paths flooded with Zaza and Ryder's workers gearing up for a fight.

"Oh the things you don't know." I laughed, pulling Carter into a room full of paintings. "If we make it out of here alive, I'll tell you how I got blacklisted in five countries."

"Five countries?"

"Well technically six." I ran my hand along the top edge of a large and probably rare painting, wincing as pain flared up my side. "But Italy wasn't really my fault."

Jay muttered something under his breath, but we had no time to bicker. I pressed down on the right corner and let out a triumphant shout as the painting swung away from the wall.

I grabbed Carter's sleeve and pulled him in. The idiot was too busy gawking at the passage, his Special Agent brain already working to try and understand the mechanics behind it.

"Now I can't exactly remember where this passage leads us," I whispered, shutting the door behind us. "Hopefully somewhere in London and not in Scotland."

We were plunged into darkness, the only sounds penetrating the air was our heavy breathing. I gripped Carter's sleeve and pulled him down the twists and turns, hoping I wasn't leading us both to our deaths.

"Hey Ada," Carter said quietly.

"What?"

"I haven't told Nate you're our sister... I think we should do that soon."

"Yeah, sure," I replied distractedly, running my free hand along the smooth walls of the corridor. The ground suddenly dipped underneath my feet and I stumbled, but Jay's quick reflexes caught me before I could fall.

"How much further?" he asked. I couldn't see his expression and his tone was steady, but his tight grip on my arm betrayed his worry.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, pulling him down another long passage. My mind was still stuck on the message Carter got from his- our?- brother.

Finally, we reached a dead end.

"Now what?" Carter hissed. "We're stuck!"

"When life gives you a wall, Carter." I pushed against the flat stone. "Shove it 'till it gives."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Just shut up and help me push."

I shoved with all my strength, but felt incredibly dizzy. The drugs the doctors had given me were wearing off. Sweat beaded on my forehead and upper lip and the darkness became a swirling mass of colours.

I cannot give up. I thought, pushing harder.

Finally, finally, the stone wall pushed through, creaking on metal hinges like old bones in the cold. The sudden influx of light made me wince and blink rapidly, but I had no time to adjust.

"They're over here!" A voice yelled and a rough hand grabbed my arm and pulled me down.

Revulsion washed over me and I screamed, "Don't touch me!"

I swiped my knife and managed to draw blood from the person holding me, but they didn't even flinch. They grabbed my hand and twisted the weapon out of it and I heard it clatter some way in the distance.

The physical contact felt like a thousand bugs were crawling over me. I suppressed the urge to vomit and tried to remember Diane's instructions. They echoed in my brain, but my body refused to comply. I just wanted them to take their fucking hands off me.

"Ada! Ada!" Jay yelled and I saw him being dragged back by two attackers. They seemed to want to avoid harming, and were purely focused on restraining him- which didn't make any sense.

A fist collided with the side of my head and I could hear Jay yell. Someone pressed a cloth to my nose and I held my breath, violently thrashing about in the person's grip.

Black spots clouded my vision and I was forced to breathe. My throat and mouth dried up as a slightly sweet smell invaded my nostrils. My eyes fluttered close and my knees buckled.

I'd take this over getting hit with the head any day.

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