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“Whoa, there.” Oliver raised his hands so the kid could see them. “Lorcan, right? Put that down.”

Addison turned, her eyes widening as she recognized him. She took a small step forward.

No. She just put herself closer to the gun, and with Caroline between him and Lorcan, he couldn’t grab for the weapon.

Despite the panic in her features, Addy’s voice was soft as she regarded the teenager. “Lorcan, sweetheart, you don’t want to do this. Set down the gun.”

Lorcan’s cheeks were splotched with red. His lower lip trembled as he focused on Kyle. “You hurt my sister. You threatened her. Patty’s gone and left her, and now she’s in hospital. The baby is coming early, and it might not make it—she might not make it.”

“Listen—” Mrs. Buckley raised her hands too.

Lorcan swung his gun at her, then encompassed everyone in the room in one shaking arc before returning it to Kyle—and Addison still between them.

Dammit, if only he could get around Caroline. Oliver stepped closer. “You don’t want to do this.” Come on. Focus away from Addy.

“Don’t you feckin’ move!” screamed the teen, swinging the barrel to Oliver. “I’ll shoot you too, but I don’t want that. It’s him who needs to be stopped.”

“He’ll be arrested,” Oliver assured him. “I have enough evidence against him. So do they. You don’t want his blood on your hands. Your sister needs you, Lorcan.”

“My sister could die!”

From the corner of his eye, Oliver saw Plum shift her weight. No. He shot her a look. Don’t. But she was already lunging. Lorcan saw it too.

Kyle leaped to his feet, the chair thudding against the wall.

Oliver dove for Lorcan, but the teen spun back toward Kyle, closed his eyes, and fired.

Addy—

Oliver had never moved faster, tackling Lorcan to the ground. The teen lay beneath him, sobs racking his bony frame. Oliver pulled the weapon from his slack hand, handed it to Mrs. Buckley, and moved toward the crumpled bodies on the floor, blood pooling around them.

Kyle lay across Addison—and neither moved.

Chapter 51

Lorcan’s whimpers faded to the background as Oliver fell to his knees in the blood. It soaked through his pants, hot and slick. Grabbing Kyle, he hurled him off Addison with enough force to send him a good few feet away.

Kyle groaned, but Addison didn’t make a sound.

Blood turned her white sweater a vivid, unbearable red. Where had the bullet hit? Had it punctured an organ? Was it still lodged inside her somewhere? Straddling her, he pushed up her sweater and tank top, searching for the entry wound.

Where the fuck was it?

Was she bleeding out?

“Oliver. Oliver.”

Her voice, lost in the roaring in his ears.

“Oliver!”

This time, her tone was sharp enough to reach him. He looked up.

She blinked at him with slightly dazed eyes. “I’m fine. Just startled. Now, let me up.”

He nearly collapsed over her with relief. Catching her mouth under his, he cupped her face as he kissed her. The scent of her, under the metallic tang of all that blood, was still her. Marshmallows and orange blossoms.

She was alive. Unharmed. And she kissed him back, her arms tight around him.