Page 121 of Tragic Empire

I hope the blood is coming from Armani accidentally smearing it and not from inside his mouth. Because either he bit his tongue when he was shot… or he’s bleeding into his fucking lungs.

“Shut the hell up before you bleed out,” Nico snaps back.

Colton doesn’t care that Nico appears pissed with him, he uses what little strength he has to grab the front of his shirt and tugs him down. Their lips meet in a harsh crash, more like a punch than a kiss, but Colton sighs like it’s the greatest thing he’s ever felt, and Nico freezes for a moment before shoving back.

“Goddammit, why would you fucking do that!”

“Just in case,” Colton whispers, a new kind of relief in his voice. Like dying doesn’t feel so horrible now that he’s kissed my brother.

Nico looks like he wants to hurt him for pulling that stunt—he looks like he’s malfunctioning like a robot with a glitch. The two men aren’t together. Nico has never beentogetherwith anyone, but it seems that Colton doesn’t care.

“Don’t do it again,” Nico demands in a cold tone.

“Uh-uh. Gonna kiss you so much more if I don’t die,” Colton slurs with an attempted smirk.

“You’re not going to fucking die,” Nico snaps.

“Hopefully,” Colton agrees. He’s starting to doze off and I’m growing more concerned. My brother is too.

“If you die, I’ll kill Dustin,” Nico threatens. “You hear me? You stay awake or your little brother is joining you in the afterlife, asshole.”

“God,” Colton swoons. “You like me soooo much.”

“We need to move him,” the medic reports. He’s packed the wound, but they’ll need blood to give Colton and to repair any internal damage before sewing him up properly.

“Let’s go.”

Apollo joins in on the effort, helping to lift Colton onto a board and get him the hell out of here. Remo is helping Armani to his feet, allowing him to lean on him and limp toward the exit. They can go ahead, but I need to see my girl before I go anywhere.

Ana is done hacking up her stomach contents by the time I stumble over to her. She’s wiping her mouth with one of Dad’s handkerchiefs while he checks her over, making sure she isn’t hurt.

“Cassio,” she breathes out, tears swimming in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. For what I said, and what I did, I was just trying to?—”

“Shut up,” I mutter tiredly, pulling her into my chest by the back of her neck. “Don’t ever apologize for what you just did, Ana. You saved us.”

My shoulder screams at the pressure of having her against it, but I don’t give a fuck. Nose dropping into her hair, I inhale deep, breathing in her familiar scent. I could hold her like this for hours—days, even—fucked shoulder and all.

“Colton,” she cries, shoulders shaking. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He will be,” I say, though I’m not one hundred percent sure.

“Let’s get you both to the hospital,” Dad suggests, softly patting Ana’s arm. “I want to torch this building.”

“Is it over?” Ana sniffs.

“It’s over,” Dad assures her. “All the guards are taken care of. The ones Nico wanted alive will be relocated to a more secure warehouse, and the others will go up in flames with this wretched place.”

“Good,” she husks.

Putting my good arm around her, I follow as Dad guides us out of the building and into the cool city air. Dusk is quickly fading as morning chases the shadow of darkness from the sky.

We climb into an SUV together, refusing to be separated again so soon. Dad takes the driver’s seat and begins the journey to whatever hospital Nico, Apollo, and Armani are headed toward to help Colton.

“I hear you put trackers on me,” I whisper, my hand stroking her shoulder as I tuck my wife in closer.

Ana flushes, looking sheepish. “Just in your watch. And some of your tie clips… and some of your shoes.”

I laugh incredulously, unable to help it. “Myshoes?”