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Although I was over the fucking moon that Indie was safely in the car when the bullets started flying, she didn’t share my sense of relief. As soon as we were inside our apartment, she threw herself into my arms as sobs racked her body.

I pull her onto the sofa, letting her crawl into my lap, whilst I reassure her as best I can. She tells me she was scared of losingone of us, and that she didn’t know how she’d cope. I just held her while she cried.

Truthfully, there’s not much I can say to reassure her. The line of work we’re in is fucking dangerous. It’s not the first time we’ve been shot at, and I’m almost fucking certain it won’t be the last, but that’s not something she needs to hear.

Though I can’t make empty promises I know I won’t be able to keep, I tell her that me and Miles do our best to stay safe. And for us, knowing she’s safe is all that matters.

The conversation became heavier than I would have liked, given the fucked up day we had, but I’m glad she trusts me enough to talk about her fears. It also sends a shiver through me, knowing she cares so much about us both.

“Do you think Miles is okay?” she asks after a long period of silence, her tears finally having dried up.

I continue running my hand up and down her back, whilst using my other hand that’s wrapped around her body to pull her close. Her head is resting against my chest, but she’s looking up at me, her big beautiful emerald eyes searching mine for the truth.

“Yeah. I’m sure Marcus just wants to go over everything that happened today. He’s a debrief kind of guy.”

I mean, I’m not lying about Marcus liking to recap the meetings, and the plans moving forward, but I deliberately missed out that something was wrong.

As soon as I hear the door to the apartment open, I sit forward a little, instantly on edge, as I wait for Miles. My nerves are prickling and I can feel my heart thumping, as fear of the unknown makes me anxious.

Once he enters the room, I run my gaze over his face, trying to see if I can pick up on anything before he speaks. Although he’s a little pale, with dark circles under his eyes that reflect the stress of the day, there’s nothing overly noticeable.

His dark hair is sticking up at all angles, like he’s been running his fingers through it repeatedly, and he looks exhausted. His normally bright-blue eyes are now a shade darker, appearing a tad duller than usual, and he pulls his lips into a tight line.

As soon as he sees us, he smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and that makes the nausea worsen. I also notice that while he’s looking at Indie on my lap, he’s very deliberately avoiding eye contact with me. My stomach sinks, and I close my eyes for a moment as I focus on keeping my breathing normal.

I feel the couch dip beside me as Miles takes a seat. He’s close enough that I can feel the warmth from his body beside mine, and I open my eyes to see him looking at us both.

Indie shuffles on my lap until she’s facing Miles, then leans over and presses a soft kiss to his lips. The tension seems to leave his body as he sags beside me. “Are you okay?” she asks him.

Miles nods at her, but his expression is more of a grimace when he looks at me. Indie casts her gaze between the two of us, clearly able to read that there’s more going on than Miles is saying.

I give him a tight smile, hoping it will be enough to encourage him to speak freely. The silence between us seems to stretch on forever, making my nausea and nerves worse, until finally Miles lets out a sigh.

“Marcus was unhappy because when the shots were fired earlier, I threw myself in front of you instead of him,” Miles explains.

“Fuck,” I mutter, before I’m able to stop myself.

Obviously, I knew Miles had rushed to me when the gunshots sounded, but I was too busy trying to make sure he was okay too, so the rest of the situation barely registered. All I cared about was making sure the two most important people in my world were safe.

“Is that…bad?” Indie asks, sounding a little confused.

“I’m employed to protect Marcus. He has always been my priority, and he always should be. If shots are fired, it’s my job to make sure he gets out unharmed, even if I have to sacrifice my life for his,” Miles explains.

Indie’s face scrunches up in disgust as she sits up straighter on my knee, glaring at Miles as she does. “No fucking way should you give your life for anyone else’s.”

He shakes his head as he reaches out and takes hold of her hand. She tries to pull away with a pout, but he refuses to let go. I reach up and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“That’s his job, Baby. But I think you’re missing the point. In every scenario in the past, Miles has always saved Marcus first, but today, he didn’t.”

“He tried to save you,” she finishes.

I nod, and she turns back to Miles, who suddenly looks exhausted. “He knows.” I meant for it to come out as a question, but the statement was clear.

Miles nods, looking grim as he says, “He asked me why, all of a sudden, your life was more valuable to me than his.”

“What did you say?” Indie asks.

“I tried to deny it at first, said I was just acting on instinct and that Jake was closer, but he didn’t believe me. He started to yell, which Chloe heard, and she came running in,” he explains, wincing at the mention of my sister.