“Mir—“
Stan crawled and grabbed the gun. “You stupid bitch, this is all your fault.”
“Gun!” I shouted, pointing.
Stan rolled and brought the weapon up.
Sebastian still stood by the door but didn’t hesitate.
He stepped in front of me as the gun went off.
The sound was deafening, filling the whole apartment.
Sebastian staggered, a sharp sound tearing from his throat as he absorbed the impact. His hand flew to his side, blood already seeping through his fingers.
“No—” I screamed. That bullet had been meant for me.
Stan stared at the gun like he hadn’t meant to pull the trigger.
That moment of shock was enough.
Sebastian turned and lunged at him, tackling him to the floor with everything he had left. The gun clattered away again, this time sliding under the couch.
Thuds came from down the hall, then shouting.
“Police! Hands where we can see them!” Two heavily armed officers entered the apartment, scanning the entire apartment.
I brought my hands up, but their focus snapped to the men on the floor.
A third officer entered behind them and came straight toward me. “Ma’am, are you hurt?”
“I—I don’t know,” I said, because all I could see was Sebastian and I needed to know if he was okay.
He tried to push himself upright, one hand braced against the floor, the other slick with blood. He raised both hands slowly, grimacing.
“Sir, stay down,” one of the officers ordered.
Sebastian shook his head once, eyes never leaving mine. “When she’s okay,” he said hoarsely. “Check her.”
One of the officers, weapon still trained on Stan, glanced toward the officer beside me. She scanned me over, then nodded to her colleague and he turned back to Sebastian.
“Ms. Rhodes is okay.”
Only then did Sebastian exhale.
His shoulders sagged as the fight drained out of him. He let himself sink back to the floor, one hand pressed hard against his side.
“Now,” the officer said firmly, stepping closer, “you stay down.”
Sebastian didn’t argue this time.
I stayed where I was, hands shaking, watching as they moved in around him, around us, finally taking control of the space.
And for the first time, I believed it was really over.
Everything blurred, but when they verified Sebastian’s identity, he moved to stand. Our gaze met as he grabbed his side. His shirt and jacket were soaked in blood. The color drained from his face.
“Mira!”
