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SEAN

Ellie’s breathing becomes raspy as she looks up at me. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to do but get Aiden out of here. Please. The family needs him.”

“And I need you.” I keep my tone low as I look down at her, taking in the deep bruise on her cheek and ignoring my father’s dead body slumped against the wall.

The gray stone is stained with red and as blood seeps into the mortar, it shifts to the color of rust.

Dad should have known better than to put his hands on my wife.

With Noah’s back turned, now’s my moment.

I get to my feet and creep behind him, wrapping an arm around his neck and dragging him backward and forcing him to drop his gun.

Jace spins, the gun pointed at me. “Let him go.”

I move behind Noah, keeping him in front of me as a shield. “Not going to happen. You’re going to leave, and then I’m going to kill your boss.”

Noah laughs. “Guard the hallway, Jace.”

Jace glares at me before stepping just outside the cell and into the hallway.

The moment he does, something sharp sinks deep into the outside of my thigh.

Pain shoots up my leg, blood pooling around the black hilt of the knife and seeping through my pants, mixing with the other bloodstains that cover them. I groan, struggling to stand.

Ellie gasps and reaches for the gun, grabbing it before Noah has a chance to get it again. She aims it at him, but she doesn’t shoot.

This revenge is mine to take.

Noah smirks and spins to face me, hands coming up in front of his face. “You’re going to regret siding with the Lyndes.”

I grit my teeth, circling Noah and trying to get him as far from Ellie as possible. “No, I’m not.”

With a groan, I lunge for him, ducking beneath his arms, wrapping mine around his legs as I send him toward the ground.

I roll to the side as we fall, trying not to lodge the knife deeper in my leg.

Noah groans, his head bouncing off the floor as I get on top of him, slamming my fist into the side of his head.

Ellie turns the gun on Jace the moment he tries to step into the cell to help his boss. “Stay there.”

He freezes, gun aimed at her and hatred in his eyes. “Just wait until I get my hands on you. I was nice before.”

Noah spits blood at me. I grab the sides of his head, slamming it into the floor.

He groans, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

With one more hard impact to the floor, he’s out cold and now there’s only one man standing between me and getting Ellie to a hospital.

Ellie holds out the gun to me as I stand, but I shake my head. She scowls, but keeps the gun trained on Jace. Her finger wraps around the trigger, the gunshot cracking through the cell.

Jace drops his own gun as his hands fly to the bullet wound now close to his ribs.

I kick the gun away, sending it sailing in the direction of Aiden so he can protect himself if he wakes up while I’m gone with Ellie.

I smirk, hands balling into fists. “I was nice before.”

My tone is mocking, throwing his words back at him as my fist slams into the side of his head, sending him into the wall.

He trips over Dad’s body, sprawling on the ground, then Ellie gets on top of him, despite her broken leg. He throws her to the side and slams his fist into the broken leg, her screams echoing through the room. He scrambles from beneath her, looking like a wild animal trapped in a corner.

Noah comes to with a groan, looking at Jace before springing to his feet. He races out of the cell before I have a chance to get to him. His body slams into the wall, sending him careening to the side.

As he disappears, there’s a part of me that wants to go after him, but the other part recognizes that Ellie needs me more right now.

It’s fine. Royce will take care of him when he sees him.

Ellie shuffles back to the wall, leaning against it as tears roll down her cheeks. She looks down at the gun in her hand before holding it out to me.

“I need you to take this,” she says, her voice wavering, tears coating her dark eyelashes and rolling faster down her cheeks. “I haven’t killed someone in nearly a decade. I was going to kill him. I need you to take this.”

Kneeling beside her on the ground, I groan when the knife in my thigh shifts to the side. I take the gun and flick the safety on before sliding it into my waistband.

I cup her face in my hands and wipe the tears, gentle around the huge bruises. “I know this is awful, but we’re going to get through this, okay? Everything is going to be fine and we’re going to get out of here.”

She flinches as the gunshots upstairs grow louder before her gaze lands on the two dead bodies in the cell. “I don’t think this is ever going to end. Look at what happened here.”

“I know, but we need to ignore that right now and get you out of here.”

Ellie shakes her head, curling closer to the wall. “I can’t walk. You can. I’ll stay with Aiden, and you go get us help.”

My hands drop. “If you think that I’m going to leave without you, you’re insane. I love you, Ellie, and you’re not going to sit in this cell alone without being able to defend yourself.”

Her bottom lip quivers. “Aiden is going to die. I want to be with him.”

“I’m not dying,” he says, though his words slur together as he reaches for the gun. “Go with Sean.”

“No.” Ellie juts out her chin, her tears drying as she focuses on the argument she’s about to have with her brother.

Even though we really don’t have time for their sibling shit right now.

I pull off my shirt and sit down, stretching the leg with a stab wound in front of me.

Ellie looks at me like I have three heads. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

I tie the tourniquet quickly and rip the knife from my leg. “Carrying you out of here.”

Ellie’s eyes bulge out of her head as the screech of the door opening at the top of the stairs is followed by the sound of boots on steps.

I draw the gun and move closer to her, heart hammering in my chest.

Royce appears in the doorway of the cell, blood splattering across his clothing. “There you are.”

Lowering the gun, I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck. Can I get Ellie out of here without being shot?”

“Yeah.” Royce steps to the side, motioning more men out of the way. Noah and Jace are gone, but everyone else who was here is now dead. You have that guy Oscar to thank.”

I stand and stoop enough to scoop Ellie up despite the glare she gives me. “I’ll do that after I get her to the hospital.”

Ellie smacks a hand into my chest. “You’re being stupid. Let one of the others take me out of here so you don’t hurt yourself more.”

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I hold her closer. It feels like my arm is on fire as her back presses into the brand. “Not letting you out of my sight.”

“You’re going to have to when we get to the hospital.” She leans her head on my shoulder, her eyelids drifting shut as I make my way into the hallway and toward the stairs.

The sound of gunshots ringing out fades and comes to a stop as I take the stairs one at a time, trying not to fall.

I press a kiss to her temple when we get to the top of the stairs. “We’re almost there, okay? And then you’re going to get checked out and you’re not going to lie to the doctors about how much pain you’re in.”

“I wouldn’t lie about that.” She looks up at me with mischief shining in her troubled eyes.

At least she’s still able to make a joke.

“I love you.” I hold her closer as I navigate around the crumpled bodies on the floor, moving slowly to avoid slipping on the blood.

Ellie’s eyes shine with more tears. “I love you too. You have to promise me that you’re going to get yourself taken care of at the hospital too. You can’t stand over the doctor’s shoulder and intimidate them while I’m patched up.”

My foot hooks on something as I get closer to the door.

Biting back a shout as my injured legs screams in protest, I catch my balance, shoulder slamming into a wall to do so.

Everything hurts, but I can put up with it a little longer to get her to the hospital.

Driving with my right leg like this is going to be hell.

I keep the thoughts to myself as Ellie presses her hand against my cheek.

She shakes her head. “You should’ve let someone else take me out of here. You’re only going to hurt yourself more.”

“It’s my job to protect you, El, even if I want to be the one to throw you off a bridge some days.” I give her a teasing smile as I step out of the building and into the sunlight. “Now, you’re going to stop wriggling in my arms; otherwise, both of us are going to go face-first into the ground.”

Ellie stays still in my arms as I check the first car, pulling on the handle. It doesn’t budge.

I move to another one that’s parked just outside the building, and sure enough, the keys are hanging from the visor and the door is unlocked.

Keeping a tight hold on her, I open the back door. “You’re going to slide in here, and then we’re going to get to the hospital.”

“Bossy.” She helps me get her into the car, wincing and grinding her teeth together when her broken leg shifts. “That doesn’t feel great.”

“I know it doesn’t. The hurting is going to stop soon and I’m never going to let it happen again, but the drive is going to be hell.”

Ellie nods, lying back against the seat. “I know.”

As I close the back door and slide into the driver’s seat a few moments later, I know I have to hurry.

Even though I didn’t tell her, the color is draining from her face. I don’t know if she can feel the sweat beading on her forehead, but everything in me is urging me to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

The stench of antiseptic fills the waiting room as I sit in the chair, picking at the bandage wrapped around the brand.

It’s been too long.

Ellie’s been missing long enough for the doctor to stitch me up and give me a round of antibiotics to fight whatever infection I might get. I refused the extra tests for now, needing to be with Ellie, but all the nurses will tell me is that the doctor is with her.

With a sigh, I get up and pace back over to the nurses’ station.

A woman with a blond ponytail lifts her head to look at me. “We already told you that your wife will be allowed to visit with you as soon as the doctor says.”

“She looked like she was dying when we got here.” I slam my hand down on the counter, irritation surging. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on with her and you’re going to tell me now. I won’t be kept waiting any longer to find out what’s happening with my wife.”

“Mr. Andino?” a soft voice calls from behind me.

I spin and find the nurse who took Ellie from me. “What is it?”

“Ellie is being rushed back to surgery. She has some internal bleeding.”

The entire world falls away from my feet as I stand taller, trying to hold myself together. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Right now, it remains uncertain, but we’re hopeful.”

Though, when I see the tears gathering in her eyes, turning them to glass, I don’t believe her.

“We’re praying.”