Page 125 of Undone

John’s gun wavered slightly, his grip uncertain as he studied Sawyer. Sawyer’s chest rose and fell as his focus locked on John—but there was something else in his eyes when he glanced briefly at Ellie.

“Ellie,” Sawyer murmured, so low it was almost a whisper. His fingers brushed her arm. He turned his full attention to her, his gaze softening for just a heartbeat. “Trust me.”

Before any of us could react, Sawyer reached for her, his hands framing her face. Then he kissed her.

Ellie froze for a split second, her eyes wide with shock. But as if pulled by some invisible thread, she leaned into him, her hands clutching his jacket. The room seemed to suspend in time.

John blinked, his grip on the gun loosening ever so slightly. “What the hell?” he muttered.

The lead agent seized the opportunity. “Now!” he barked, his voice slicing through silence.

Chaos erupted. The agents surged forward in a blur of motion, colliding with John and wresting the gun from his hand. He thrashed, shouting in rage, but the team was on him, forcing him to the ground. In seconds, they had him pinned, his wrists cuffed, and the weapon kicked out of reach.

I needed to get to Dorian.

Sawyer’s grip tightened on Ellie as he looked over at me, his face set with grim determination. “Go straight down the tunnel. Find him, Noah.”

My heart hammered in my chest, blood pounding in my ears. I started running.

Every beat was dragging me further from the moment I could reach Dorian and make sure he was still breathing. I gasped, barely able to catch my breath as panic clawed at my throat.

“I’m coming with you.” Officer Ramirez’s voice came from behind me, sharp and commanding. His eyes locked onto mine, calculating as he caught up.

He turned, running backwards and yelled toward an officer standing nearby. “You, with me. We’ve got a GSW, and I need backup until the EMTs arrive.”

He moved quickly, no questions asked, but all I could focus on was getting to Dorian.

My body continued forward, each step an eternity.

I’d never run like this in my life—faster than I ever thought possible—every step pushing me closer to him. He had to be okay.

I wouldn’t accept any other possibility.

Officer Ramirez kept pace beside me, while the other officer trailed behind us.

Ramirez said something—probably an instruction—but it was drowned out by the roaring in my ears, my pulse deafening as my mind raced ahead, imagining what I would find.

The tunnel stretched out before me, endless and suffocating. My lungs burned. My throat was dry, as if the air was thick, too thick to swallow.

What if I’m too late?

No.

I couldn’t think like that. I wouldn’t.

Ramirez seemed to sense my spiraling panic, glancing at me as we sprinted down the dark corridor. “We’re almost there,” he said, but I could barely hear him over the chaotic pounding in my ears.

I nodded, my mind barely registering his words. All that mattered was Dorian. Nothing else.

Ahead, I spotted him.

My heart stopped. There was so much blood. It pooled around him, seeping into the ground. His leg… his leg. The belt he’d tied around it was barely holding, stained through with red.

My body moved before my mind could process it, and I was at Dorian’s side in an instant, dropping to my knees beside him. The blood—his blood—waseverywhere.

I knelt by Dorian’s side. His breath—thank God—was there. Shallow, ragged, but still there. I checked his pulse and sighed in relief as I felt a small, steady rhythm. I closed my eyes briefly in relief, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Ramirez was already springing into action. He was on his phone, speaking in low tones to dispatch, updating them on Dorian’s condition and requesting more backup. I barely registered their movements, my focus solely on Dorian.

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