A single, deafening CRACK split the air.
The sound was so immense it felt like the world had cracked in two.
A scream I didn't know I was capable of tore from my throat—raw and endless, a release of all the terror, the guilt, the love, and the fury of the past days and years.
But I felt no new pain.
No impact. No bullet.
Instead, Carter's body went utterly rigid behind me. Every muscle locked.
Then a sound. Wet. Gurgling. Like something vital had ruptured.
A hot, wet spray hit the side of my neck. My face. Warm and sticky.
His blood.
The iron bar of his arm went slack. The gun clattered to concrete with a metallic ring that went on forever.
The weight of his body began to slump, pulling me down.
My head lolled to the side. My vision swam.
I saw James in the doorway. His pistol held steady. A wisp of gray smoke curling from the barrel.
His face was carved from stone. His eyes locked on the space where Carter's head had been.
Then his eyes found mine. And his facial expression softened. Something human flooded back in.
"Anna," he said. Just my name. But it carried everything.
My eyes, blurry with tears, found the tiny green weed.
Still there. Vibrant. Unbroken.
Life finds a way.
Then time crashed back in.
Strong hands caught me, pulling me away from the collapsing weight. Multiple hands. Gentle but urgent.
"I got you," a voice said. Calm. "I got you, ma'am. You're safe now."
The world dissolved into chaos.
The building was filled with callouts, officers rushing into the building, "Clear!" "Medic!" "Get the child!" "Get these ties off her!"
Someone cut the zip ties. The pressure released. My arms fell forward. Pain exploded through my shoulders. I cried out.
"Sorry, sorry," the voice said. "Had to get them off. Medic's coming."
But I didn't care about the pain.
"Daisy!" Her name tore from my throat. "Where's?—"
Then I heard it.
Rising above the chaos, one clear, piercing sound:
