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I flinched as he slammed into Vernon, knocking him into a wall with a force that I knew would leave him disorientated long enough for me to escape.
Vernon made a strangled sound at the back of his throat, though his surprise lasted only a moment before he pushed back. With a start, I realized that the one thing he had not known about was Taeyong—which was almost shocking, considering how well-informed he had been, knowing even about my mother being from the same clan as him.
Maybe he had known. Maybe the only thing he hadn't been aware of included only Taeyong's involvement in Baekhyun's plan.
Despite the intensity of the moment, I couldn't help but marvel at how well Baekhyun had managed to cover all possible obstructions—though they hadn't all been perfectly accurate.
"You," Vernon snarled, lips curled back in a hateful sneer as he grappled with Taeyong, trying to reach the discarded gun before he could. "You're the reason she's in even more trouble now."
The muscles in Taeyong's face were pulled tight, as if he knew exactly what Vernon was talking about, but wasn't pleased with him bringing it up. I pressed my back against the wall, watching the two helplessly, wanting to help but not sure who I wanted to help.
I can't choose.
The redhead restrained himself from speaking, the hatred in his own expression matching that of Vernon's with equal intensity. Both of them must have known that I wasn't prepared to pick either of them, which was probably why they seemed completely invested in each other rather than paying attention to the gun in my shaking hands.
"Go," Taeyong managed to choke out from his difficult position, his shoulder pushed against Vernon's lower torso in a tackling attempt to push him up against the wall. Vernon kicked up his knee, driving it into his abdomen and forcing him to let go with a pained grunt before he dived for the gun.
But I was frozen, too terrified for both of them to move from my position. The two options were clear in front of me—stay with Vernon, or leave with Taeyong. My priority at the moment was not my own escape, but keeping both of them alive, somehow.
Through the screams echoing inside my head, I tried to weigh both situations carefully. It was obvious that Vernon was the more skilled fighter of the two, probably having dealt with far worse than Taeyong. If I stayed behind, there was no way of knowing that he was going to let Taeyong leave the saw house alive, not after knowing that he was one of the heirs to the Lee clan.
If I left, I still had a chance. Though there would still be no guarantee that Taeyong would be able to escape the racers, the least I could do was buy him more time, maybe enough for him to find a safe hideout.
Breathe, Hwang, breathe.
"Stop," I called out, aiming straight at Vernon's chest. Both of them stilled, Vernon's fingers inches away from the gun lying on the ground. "Or I will shoot."
