?Chapter 827:


    Without waiting for another word, she pushed open the car door and jumped out, charging at the soldiers with a fierce roar.


    I couldn’t just stay in the car while Grace fought. Anxiety hit me like a wave, and I knew I had to help.


    Jett, as quick as a sh, grabbed me and locked eyes with me, his expression hard as stone. “Listen! Staying here will do us the most good!”


    Before I could protest, Jett practically shoved me into the driver’s seat, buckling me in with no room to argue.


    “I’m going to help Grace,” he said firmly. “Once you see an opening, don’t hesitate. Drive. Get out of here.”


    “I can’t just leave you both!” I tried to stand, but Jett’s iron stare held me in ce.


    With a click, he locked the door and charged straight for the soldiers.


    Makenna’s POV:


    Outside the car, the chaos only escted. Soldiers swarmed in like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey, forming an imprable wall around us. Jett and Grace stood back-to-back, fighting like cornered lions. But exhaustion was creeping in, slowing their strikes and making their footing unsteady. Still, they weren’t giving up. Every punch, every kick, was a desperate attempt to carve a way through the sea of enemies—just for me.


    “Get out of here! Now!” Jett bellowed, his voice raw with urgency. “This is it! It’s do-or-die time!”


    Grace, dodging an iing strike, threw her voice over the chaos. “Don’t hesitate, Makenna! Step on it!”


    I clenched my jaw, the weight of their words sinking in. Staying would be a p in the face to their sacrifice. Gritting my teeth, I mmed the gas pedal to the floor. The car roared to life, surging forward.


    As I barreled past them, a split-second decision gripped me. Kicking open the car door, I hollered, “I’m not leaving you two behind! Get in!”


    Grace and Jett shared a quick, silent nce, their eyes shing with determination. Seizing a brief pause in the chaos, they dove for the car door and scrambled inside.


    Then, in a sh, the unthinkable happened.


    A soldier, quick as a viper, lunged out of the shadows, his hand mping onto Grace’s ankle like a steel trap.


    “Ah!” Grace’s scream pierced the air as she was yanked from the car. My stomach dropped. Instinctively, my foot moved for the brake. But Grace’s voice rang out, sharp and desperate. “Don’t stop! Just go!”


    “Grace…” Jett’s face twisted, torn between anguish and duty. But his decision came fast. mming the door shut, he barked at me, “Makenna, drive!”


    “What?” I shot Jett a look of disbelief. “We can’t leave her!”


    Pain etched deep lines into Jett’s face. He shut his eyes, speaking like each word burned his throat. “Grace would never forgive us if we wasted this chance. Your mother saved us once, and we swore to protect her and her family—no matter the cost.”


    My lip trembled, and I bit down hard enough to taste blood. The sharp, metallic tang yanked me out of my spiral. There wasn’t time to argue. Gulping down the lump in my …


    Throat tight, I floored the gas pedal. The car tore down the road like a bat out of hell, leaving a whirlwind of dust and chaos in its wake.


    Grace’s sacrifice wasn’t going to be for nothing. It couldn’t be.


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