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She aimed the tranq dart, but Cody moved like lightning. His hand deflected hers, wrenching the gun from her grasp. In a heartbeat, she found herself staring down the barrel of her own weapon.
“We have to get out,” Cody insisted, his voice low and urgent. “Now!”
The tables had turned so quickly, Paige’s head spun.
Cody’s eyes darted around frantically. He yanked the vault door open and shoved Paige outside, his grip on her arm unyielding.
The hallway stretched empty before them. No sign of Mason or Tai. Her stomach dropped.
She tapped her earpiece. “I need extraction. Little emergency going on here.”
“On it,” a male voice crackled back. Bridger? Graham? She couldn’t be sure.
But no one appeared as Cody hurried her back through the service corridor and up the stairs. He shoved the door at the top open and they burst onto the casino floor, the cacophony of slot machines and chatter assaulting her senses. Men in dark suits converged on them, their movements too precise, their eyes too alert.
“They’re Consortium,” Paige breathed, her heart racing.
“Yup,” Cody confirmed, his voice grim.
The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. “Not part of the plan.”
“Nope.”
Suddenly, Cody pulled her into his arms. For a split second, the familiar warmth of his embrace overwhelmed her. Then his fingers found her earpiece, plucking it out. He dropped it to the floor, crushing it beneath his heel.
“Sorry,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear.
Before she could react, he was dragging her through the casino, weaving through the crowds toward the casino entrance. They burst into the cool night air, feet pounding on pavement.
A sleek black car loomed ahead. Paige’s mind whirled, trying to piece together an escape plan, but before she got past the first step, the world exploded.
Heat seared her skin as the car in front of them erupted in a fireball. The concussive force knocked them back, Cody’s arms tightening protectively around her.
As debris rained down and screams filled the air, one thought crystallized in Paige’s mind: nothing was going according to plan.
5
Cody’s armtightened around Paige’s waist as he steered her away from the flaming wreckage. The acrid smell of burning rubber and fuel filled his nostrils, making his eyes water. His ears rang from the explosion, muffling the chaos around them. Beneath his palm. Her rapid breathing matched his own frantic pulse.
His mind raced, calculating their next move as they sprinted down the neon-lit strip. The Consortium goons would be closing in fast, and Paige’s team wouldn’t be far behind. He cursed inwardly, kicking himself for not searching Paige thoroughly in the vault. Amateur mistake.
Now his carefully laid plan had been blown apart. Literally.
“We need to move,” he growled, releasing her waist and grabbing her hand as he guided them down a smaller side street. The garish casino lights faded, replaced by the dim glow of pawn shop signs and flickering streetlamps.
Paige matched his pace, her breath coming in short gasps. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“Your idea of safe or mine?”
“Just trust me for once, would you?”
Her laugh was sharp, cutting through the din.
He ignored that, holding her hand tighter as he pulled her between two neon Ferraris and tore off down the sidewalk. He took the first corner at speed, skidding wide onto a side street between the high-rise casino and its equally tall parking garage. At least they had some shelter from sniper sight lines.
The night air was cool against his skin, a stark contrast to the heat of the explosion still lingering on his back.
