Page 110 of Two Chambered Heart

“Hit him with the last shot of adrenaline and pull him to standing.”

She had to keep wiping the blood out of her eyes, spitting blood from her mouth so she didn’t choke on it, but then she had him on his feet, practically dragging him down the hall to the elevator, her own limbs becoming heavier and heavier as the morphine gripped her in a haze.

The elevator doors opened, and she had to use the force of her whole body to topple the two of them inside. The jazz music was still playing. She laughed while she lay slumped on the floor, a broken, grating sound. Laughed at how stupid she’d been, thinking this had been too easy.

The doors opened again, and Kayden was standing there. A half sob, half whimper left her as she saw his solid frame, perfectly intact in front of her, his face like stone, not willing to crumble again.

Kayden, with his strong arms, scooped Jason’s body from the ground. She tried to get up, but just crashed to her knees, her body dead weight. The pain she’d ignored was consuming her now that Kayden had taken Jason from her, even with the muffling of the morphine.

“Archie, you need to call Sophie.” Kayden’s voice was steady. It was his turn to keep his shit together, Corey thought, because her battery was empty.

“Dude, already done. She’s almost at the penthouse.”

“Come on, Little Fox. We’re so close. The door is right there, and then I can take you both home.”

Corey moaned, clutching her stomach, and coughed out more blood.

“Baby, please,” his voice was louder, less contained now. “I don’t care how you have to get there. Crawl if you need to, but get yourself out that door. I can’t carry you both.”

Still, she couldn’t move.

“Please, Corey. I need you. I need you to make it out of here.” He was angry now, any semblance of control lost to his growing fear.

She nodded her head, and with her ears ringing and vision swimming, she crawled behind Kayden, unable to make herself stand and it wasn’t worth the effort of trying again. She had to climb over the piles of dead bodies that littered the hallway, her only anchor the sound of Kayden begging her to keep going.

Finally, Kayden had them both in the back of the Range Rover.

“Arch, the explosives are already around the perimeter.”

“Get down the drive and I’ll set them off. Burn this fucking place to the ground.” The words were static in her ear.

She pulled out the earpiece, needing to give her head a break, but the static just got louder.

Once again, Corey was in the back seat of the Rover—only this time, Jason was limp across the back with her, his head in her lap. The Rover swerved and she slumped against the door. They’d come a long way since the first time she’d been in this vehicle. She breathed in deeply, the rich smell of fresh leather mingling with the stench of their bodies. It was putrid and disgusting, and in that moment, it smelled like heaven to her. She was gripping his arm in her hands, holding onto him with the last dregs of her vitality.

She was scared that if she let go, he’d disappear. Or maybeshe’ddisappear. Maybe they’d disappear together.

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe they should both let go.

In her cloudy, pain-filled mind, she realized that something would be missing in that scenario. Not something—someone.Kayden.

It was the last thought she had before everything went black.

Chapter thirty-seven

- Corey -

It was really bright. She squeezed her eyes closed a little more and flung her arm over her face to cover her eyes. She felt good. Like, really good. Outside of the fact that she felt like she could sleep for a hundred years, there was no pain, not even an echo of all the hits she’d taken. Her breathing was even, and her stomach didn’t feel like someone had put a hole through it.

She lifted her arm to check the stab wound. Nothing.

She opened her eyes, glimpsing the iron railing in the condo. But that didn’t make sense. She let her head drop to the side and caught an evergreen gaze staring right back at her, a very Kayden-like goofy grin curving his lips, even as his eyes swam with unshed tears.

“You’re awake, Little Fox.”

She reached for him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling himself into her. He held her tight while everything she’d had to repress broke through. His body was shaking under her, and she realized hers was too with the force of her sobs. She could feel his own tears wet on his cheek as she pressed her skin against his. Her fingers clutched him, worried he’d dematerialize if she didn’t hold on.

He brushed his hands through her hair, whispering into her ear, “I’m right here, baby. I’m with you. I’m never letting you go.”

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