“This isn’t about Lily,” Carson said evenly. “This is about you making choices. Bad choices. And they end right now. Let Nora go, drop the knife, and we can end this without anyone else getting hurt.”
“Like you ended it with Eugene? You shot him. He’s my cousin. My family.” Dan’s voice rose. “You took him from me just like Nora’s father took my uncle!”
“Eugene attacked Nora. He was going to kill her. I did my job.”
“Your job.” Dan laughed. “Is that what you call it when you bring her to your apartment? When you kiss her? When you play hero so she’ll fall for you?”
Nora’s eyes widened slightly. Dan had been watching them. Had seen everything.
“How long have you been surveilling me?” Carson asked, buying time, waiting for an opening.
“Long enough. I’ve been patient. Careful. Not like Eugene. He let his emotions get the better of him. But me?” Dan pressed the knife harder against Nora’s throat. She whimpered, and Carson saw a thin line of blood appear. “I’m going to finish what he started.”
“You’re going to die if you hurt her.” Carson’s voice was ice. “I will hunt you down, and I will make sure you never see daylight again. Let her go now, and you get to live. Hurt her, and I promise you, there’s nowhere you can hide that I won’t find you.”
“Big words from someone who doesn’t have a shot. I’ve got her. You shoot me, I cut her throat on reflex. You know that. You’re trained for this.”
He was right. From this angle, with Nora directly in front of Dan, the risk was too high. Carson couldn’t take the shot without potentially hitting her.
But Dan had made a mistake. He was focused on Carson, his attention divided. The knife was against Nora’s throat, but his grip wasn’t perfect. His stance was off-balance.
And Nora—brave, smart Nora—was looking at Carson with understanding in her eyes. Like she knew what he needed her to do.
“Nora,” Carson said quietly. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she said immediately.
“Then when I say now, you drop. Straight down. Can you do that?”
Dan’s eyes widened with realization. “Don’t you dare—”
“Now!”
Nora dropped like a stone, her legs giving out, her body weight pulling her down and away from the knife.
Dan’s arm swung through empty air, off-balance, exposed.
Carson fired.
The bullet hit Dan in the shoulder—the knife hand, the same shot he’d made with Eugene. Dan screamed and stumbled backward, the knife clattering to the floor.
Carson was on him in seconds, kicking the weapon away, forcing Dan face-down on the carpet, knee in his back, weapon still trained on his skull.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Carson growled, pulling out his cuffs and securing Dan’s hands behind his back. “And you better use it, because anything you say right now is going to make me want to shoot you again.”
Backup burst into the room—Finn and two uniforms, weapons drawn.
“Suspect is secured,” Carson said, his voice still tight with barely controlled rage. “Get him out of here. And someone call an ambulance for Euton. He’s down in the hallway.”
The uniforms hauled Dan to his feet. He was crying now, the adrenaline wearing off, the pain setting in.
“This isn’t over,” Dan spat. “You can’t protect her forever. There are others. Others who blame her father. Others who—”
“Shut up,” Finn said, shoving him toward the door. “You’re done.”
They dragged him out, and suddenly the room was quiet except for Carson’s harsh breathing.
Nora.
