Page 72 of Fired at the Heart

My body moves on instinct, stepping in front of Raphael, my gun raised and now pointed at Cassian. “Don’t do this. Please.”

Shock flashes across Cassian’s face, followed by hurt. “You’re protecting him? After everything?”

“I’m protecting us both.” I shake my head. “This isn’t who you are, Cass. You’re better than this.”

Resignation settles over his features, followed by resolution. “You chose him. Even knowing he’ll leave again, you still choose him.”

“Put the gun down.” I keep my weapon pointed at his chest, my hand steady. “Don’t force me to do this.”

For a second, I believe he might listen as his features soften, and his shoulders drop. But then Raphael shifts behind me, and Cassian’s jaw hardens once more.

“I would have done anything for you.” His jaw sets. “Anything, but watch him destroy you again.”

Everything happens in an instant. Cassian adjusts his aim to get a clear shot at Raphael behind me, and my finger squeezes the trigger. The deafening sound of the shot echoes through the confined space of the safe house.

Cassian’s expression shifts to surprise as my bullet finds its mark, hitting him in the heart. But his own shot rings out a split second after mine, and white-hot pain explodes through my abdomen as his bullet tears through me.

As the impact knocks me backward, Raphael shouts, “Avery!”

Strong arms catch me as my legs give way, lowering me to the floor. I look up into Raphael’s panicked face, his mouth moving, though the words sound muffled to my ears.

I turn my head toward Cassian. He lies motionless on the floor, staring blankly, a dark stain spreading across his chest. My second-in-command. My protector. My friend. Dead by my hand.

A wave of dizziness washes over me, and I stare down at myself, at the spreading crimson soaking through my shirt. The pain feels both intense and distant, as if happening to someone else.

Raphael’s voice breaks through the fog. “Avery! Stay with me!”

His hands try to stem the flow of blood, and the pressure sends sharp spikes of agony through my body. I gasp, my back arching.

“I need to call for help.” Raphael’s face pales with fear. “Hold on.”

My blood slicks his hand as it lifts, and the sight of it fills me with sudden terror. He’s going to leave. He’s going to walk away again.

“Don’t leave me,” I beg, grabbing his wrist. “Raph, please, don’t leave.”

Understanding glisten in his eyes. “I’m not leaving you. Not for a second. I just need to get my phone.”

He keeps one hand pressed to my wound while the other fumbles in his pocket. The room tilts and spins around me, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision.

“Stay awake, Avery.” Panicking, Raphael jostles me. “Look at me. Focus on my voice.”

I try to obey, focusing on his hazel eyes. They’re the same eyes I fell in love with all those years ago. The same eyes that watched me across countless illicit deals and passionate nights. The same eyes that turned away from me when he chose his family.

Now they’re wide with fear, brimming with unshed tears as he barks our location into the phone, demanding immediate medical assistance.

“They’re coming.” He tosses the phone aside to use both hands to stop the bleeding. “Just hold on. Please hold on.”

I want to tell him I love him. That despite everything, I never stopped. Even when I hated him, I loved him. But the words won’t come. My mouth works silently, my strength fading.

“I’m not leaving you,” Raphael repeats. “Never again. Do you hear me, Avery? I’m staying right here.”

He lifts me, cradling me to his chest as he stands. The movement sends fresh waves of agony through me, and I can’t hold back a cry of pain.

“I’m sorry.” His lips brush my forehead. “I have to move you. We need to meet the medics.”

My blood soaks his bare chest as he carries me through the safe house, past Cassian’s body, toward the front door. Each step jostles my wound, but I bite my lip to keep from crying out again. I don’t want to make this harder for him.

“Stay with me,” he keeps saying, the words broken. “Please stay with me, Avery.”

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