Page 166 of Promises in the Dark

There was no getting out of this one. But I wasn’t scared—not of dying, at least. What scared me, what tore me apart inside, was the thought of never seeing her again.

I’d always been good at shutting shit out, burying my feelings so deep I didn’t have to face them. But lying here, with blood soaking into the dirt and my body fucking quitting on me, I couldn’t run from it anymore. I’d fought it for so long—kept her at arm’s length, convinced myself it was just lust, just survival. But now… now I knew.

I loved her.

Even if I’d never been able to name it before, I knew it now. It hit me like a bullet to the chest, right alongside the one that was killing me. I fucking loved her, and I didn’t say it. Not the way she deserved to hear it.

I tried to smile again, tasting blood.

“Because... I fucking love you, Harper. Have for a long damn time. Wanted you to know the real me. Before...”

“No,” she cut me off fiercely. “No ‘before’. You’re not dying, you hear me? Youcan’tdie. I love you too, you stupid, brave, wonderful man. I love you, and you’re not allowed to leave me.”

Suddenly, her body jerked, like she’d been hit by something invisible. Her eyes went wide, a small gasp slipping out. I watched, horrified, as a dark red stain began to spread across her chest.

“Harper?” I croaked, panic giving me one last burst of strength. “Harper, what the fuck…?”

She looked down at her chest, then back at me, shock written across her face. “I... I think I’m hit,” she whispered.

I followed her gaze and saw that piece of shit Captain, sprawled on the ground, his gun still smoking in his lifeless hand. The motherfucker had gotten one last shot off.

“No,” I growled, trying to sit up, trying to do something, anything. But my body was useless. “No, no, no. Harper, stay with me.”

I forced myself to reach for her, my fingers trembling, brushing her shoulder, as if that small touch could pull her back to me. “Fuck, don’t you dare. Stay with me!”

She slumped forward, her body half-covering mine. I felt her blood mixing with my own, soaking into our clothes. “Cole,” she murmured, her voice weak. “I’m scared.”

I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the flare of agony the movement caused. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

She nodded against my chest, her breathing becoming more labored. “I love you,” she whispered, her voice broken. “I’m sorry... we didn’t have more time.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, tasting salt, blood, and everything in between. “I love you, too,” I whispered, the words almost too faint to hear. “Didn’t want to... tried not to... but I love you, Harper.”

I felt her weak smile against my skin. “Promise?”

She tried to move, body trembling like she was hanging by a thread, and I could fuckingseeit—the effort, the way every breath seemed like it was dragging her deeper into the pit. My chest felt like it was being torn apart as I watched her fight for air.

The darkness was coming for me too, fast as hell. I could barely keep my eyes open, barely hold on to the sound of her voice. But I had to say it. I had to let her know.

“I fucking promise,” I murmured, holding her as tight as I could. “We’re in this together. Always.”

We lay there, clinging to each other as our life blood seeped away. I could feel myself slipping, vision turning into a black tunnel. But I wasn’t afraid anymore. Harper was in my arms, and whatever came next, we’d face it side by side.

Or not. Either way, it didn’t fucking matter.

“Harper?” my voice was barely more than a breath.

“Mhm?” She sounded distant, fading.

“See you on the other side, sweetheart.”

I felt her press a weak kiss to my chest. “It’s a date... Cole.”

The world started to disappear around us, the pain dulling, replaced by this heavy numbness, like someone just turned off the lights. I tightened my grip on Harper, feeling her do the same, both of us holding on to whatever the fuck we had left.

Then her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing slowed, and my heart—if it hadn’t been torn apart already—shattered into a thousand fucking pieces. She was slipping, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do. Not one goddamn thing.

She was gone.

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