Page 64 of A Life Chosen

Come on, come on.

The man rounded the side of the car, and they both fired. Rayan heard the stranger’s bullet ricochet by his ear, almost tearing through his cheek. His, on the other hand, found its target, embedding deep in the man’s chest, sending him toppling backward. Rayan fired again at the twitching figure on the ground, then once more to be sure, and watched as the man’s fingers stilled, weapon falling out of reach. His own gun slipped from his grip, too heavy to hold.

All thoughts were drawn to the pain that had clawed out from under the adrenaline and was now splintering through his body. He howled, smacking the back of his head against the car, pulling air through his teeth.

“Tony!” he yelled to no answer.

He knew the man was dead. Rayan looked down, the ground beneath him a liquid black. In his pocket, his phone began to vibrate. He reached for it, but the life was leeching from him, mixing with the blood pooling on the pavement.

Then everything went black.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Mathias lowered the phone from his ear, Giovanni’s eyes on him. First Tony, now Rayan—they weren’t picking up. Sitting around the meeting table at the safe house on Maisonneuve, the Quintinowere assembled, waiting silently.

Something was wrong. Biding their time, they’d waited too long. Standing, Mathias grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, Giovanni following suit.

“Stay here,” Mathias warned.

“The fuck with that,” the councilman growled. “I’ve known Tony since you were in diapers.”

“And if you’re next?” Mathias hissed. “The family will be torn to pieces without a head. All of this—for nothing. Stay here.”

Giovanni scowled, clearly conflicted. But they both knew the stakes. He turned to his second. “Henri, go with him.”

Mathias descended the stairs quickly, passing the men Giovanni had stationed by the front door. He strode out to the car, Jacques and Henri one step behind. “Start at the Collections office,” he said, slamming the passenger door closed while Jacques started the engine.

As they drove, he tried Rayan again, a knot forming in his chest. He felt the panic encroaching and knew he needed to disassociate, keeping his head clear to tackle what would come next. Yet all he could think about was his apartment a month before, with Rayan lying beside him in the dark, his face so close Mathias could see the sliver of light from the window reflected in his eyes.

“What would you be if you’d never joined?” Rayan had asked, his voice a low murmur as though not expecting a reply.

“That’s a stupid question.”

“Is it?”

“And you?” Mathias countered. “Don’t say ‘pilot.’”

“Would I still have met you?”

“It’s your fucking construct.”

There’d been the pull of a smile at Rayan’s lips, and he’d said nothing further.

Mathias should have gotten Rayan out when he had the chance, but he’d been greedy—had wanted him too much.

Jacques turned into the parking lot behind the office, and Mathias saw the body, face down, unmoving. His blood froze. He reached for his gun, opening the door before his second could stop the car.

“Boss, you can’t go out there!” Jacques cried, but Mathias was already sprinting to the figure and crouching to find a pulse.

“Christ, Tony,” he whispered, taking in the man’s familiar features, the skin already cold.

He heard the shuffle of footsteps as Jacques and Henri approached, weapons in hand, glancing around nervously. Mathias stood, heart pounding in his throat, unable to register the slug of grief as his eyes scanned the lot for Rayan.

“Henri, stay with Tony. Call for backup,” he ordered. “Jacques, with me.”

Did Rayan leave to get help?No. Mathias had seen the Mercedes when they’d pulled in.

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