𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄

ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ

𝗞aedyn knew that this was the end.

—this was the last piece of their puzzle.

He had faith in his comrades—that Rayne would return to the safety of Rueben's arms, and Matteo would make sure Lilly was in his. He put his trust and confidence into his comrades, knowing they would leave the battlefield in one piece and that no one important to him would die here today. No one else would be subjected to the cruelness of Evelyn Torres.

He breathed easily, inhaling and exhaling a melancholic pattern, keeping up with Jase as they darted up the spiral staircase to the roof of the Tower of Death. Kaedyn knew they had to get there first, that the electronic system sat at the top, and if Enzo got his hands on it, he could cause their deaths with the seating entrapments of the long-forgotten ride.

But he was fast—faster than them.

"Jase, slow down," he said between inhalations, "Don't overexert yourself!"

"I've almost got him—!"

Jase reached a hand out, narrowly missing the fabric of Enzo's clothes. He cursed out loud, pissed at himself for losing the traction they needed, but his complaints were short-lived. Just as Jase began to recoil and collect his composure, Enzo spun on the ball of his foot and landed a kick in the center of Jase's chest, sending him flying backward.

His back connected with Kaedyn's chest, and as desperately as he wanted to stop the blow, the force of Enzo's attack, combined with the steepness of the staircase, prevented him. Kaedyn let out a howl as he bent over backward, falling to the ground, while Jase went over his shoulders.

"Goddamn it, Jase!" he called after him.

He turned in time to see his partner tumble down twenty steps, barely stopping the force of his motion with the heel of his boot against the plastic interior wall. Kaedyn clutched his chest, groaning in pain, and moved down to help his friend over chasing Enzo, deciding that there was no other place for Enzo to go, but Jase put up a bloody hand and stopped him.

"Focus on Enzo, Kaedyn," he demanded, "I'll be fine."

"Fuck that, you're more important to me."

"I appreciate it, but that doesn't matter. Getting Enzo has always been bigger than us, remember? Think about Kai and Franki, Lilly and Rayne, not me."

Kaedyn wired his jaw shut, hating for that a moment, he'd removed those people from his brain and concentrated solely on the friend in front of him. Jase put his hand down and rested his forehead on one of the steps, crawling to his knees. More blood poured from his previous injuries, leaking over his face like he'd been invited on the set of Carrie. The man at the merry-go-round had done him in well.

His face was almost unrecognizable.

Kaedyn glanced up, hearing Enzo hit the top step and disappear to the roof. He gazed at his partner one more time, growling under his breath because, logically thinking, there could be a fail-safe exit on the other side of the damn building, and Enzo could escape once again.