This Time, I Survived Their Plot

Donelia snapped, "You ungrateful asshole! Snake! We say go—you go!"

I jerked my arm free.

She slapped me, hard.

Vincent grabbed my hair, yanking me toward the door.

Before, I took it for Lana.

Not anymore.

I kicked them both down.

Lana froze—then lost it. "You hit my parents? I'll kill you!"

She grabbed a speaker and swung.

I twisted, not fast enough.

It slammed into the back of my head. Warm blood ran down.

Then she slapped me.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed her wrist, and slammed her to the ground. "Lana Ramsey, you're crazy? Or you and Felix been hooking up this whole time, setting me up?"

Right then, Felix grabbed my phone and called his dad—Uncle Caleb.

The call went through. He started crying. "Dad, Mom, help me! Landon hit Vincent and Donelia and said I'm messing around with his wife..."

He shoved the phone at me.

Uncle Caleb blew up. "Landon! You animal! After your parents died, we raised you! Trusted you to look after Felix, not bully him! You touch him again, we'll dig up your parents and ask how they raised a son like you!"

My fists tightened. I forced it down. "Go ahead. Try touching my parents' graves."

I hung up and shoved the phone back in my pocket.

Lana lunged again. Felix held her back.

He went to the car, dug around, then came back. Stopped in front of me, impatient. "Fine. I'll go with you. Happy?"

Snowlight hit his face. Something in me went tight.

My phone rang.

I answered.

Sadie's voice came through. "Mr. Lloyd! I reached the rescue team. We'll be there in ten minutes!"

Ten minutes?

My eyes narrowed.

In that second, it all clicked.

No time to think.

I turned and ran.

Behind me, Felix's footsteps closed in. "Why're you running? Slow down! I can't keep up!"

He was five years younger. Fed, warm.

I hadn't eaten all day. I was frozen stiff.

A few steps in, he grabbed my coat and yanked me down into the snow.

In the pale light, he pulled a crowbar.

"Landon, you're getting old. Why not hand everything over to me?"

The greed in his eyes—clear as day.

The crowbar came down at my chest.

No time. I threw myself down the slope with everything I had left.

I rolled through the snow, slammed into rocks. Pain ripped through me.

Lucky—this slope wasn't as steep as last time.

I ignored it, forced myself forward.

But I was running on nothing.

I dropped face-first into the snow. Couldn't get up.

Then ahead—a voice I knew.

"Mr. Lloyd! We're here!"