He unfastened his vest. “Here, put this on.”
 
 “What? No.” I couldn’t take it. He had a daughter at home. I had, well, I had me. That was it.
 
 “You’re wearing it. Don’t argue with me,” Jaxson said. His voice firm. He had already made up his mind, and I wasn’t going to convince him, no matter how hard I tried.
 
 The truth was, I didn’t try very hard.
 
 I was terrified, and Sergio wanted me dead.
 
 He probably wanted Jaxson and Jayden dead too, but those guys were former special forces. They had military training. I had nothing.
 
 I lay cowered on the ground, and Jaxson was quick to help me secure the vest.
 
 He was risking his life for me.
 
 “Wait,” I whispered, pulling him tight and close. My lips crashed against his.
 
 If this was goodbye, I didn’t want it to be without him knowing how I feel.
 
 “I love you,” I breathed against his lips.
 
 Jaxson pulled back and cocked a sideways grin. “Yeah? I know. I love you too, Freckles.” His lips devoured me one more time before he pulled back. “Stay here and stay down. I need to know where to find you. Don’t move. No matter what. Okay?”
 
 I nodded in understanding and watched as he took off, disappearing into the night to save Jayden and stop Sergio from killing all of us.