006 | The Target

        Malakai didn't think. He dived for Harper, barely pulling her down in time for the bullet to whizz past the exact spot her head had been. Screams tore through the air as the bullet struck metal. His heart raced as he held Harper in his arms, his mind reeling.

Another gunshot went off, and more chaos broke out. Still, he refused to move, shielding her with his body. A sharp pain lanced through his left arm, and he winced, holding her tight as a warm liquid seeped into the sleeve of his shirt.

He regretted everything. Every lie he ever told. Every condescending word he ever uttered. Every pain he'd caused her.

Now he would protect her with his life. No matter what.

"Malakai."

His breath caught in his throat when he heard her call his name, her voice calm. He could hear her heart going wild. So, he slowly pulled away enough to look into her eyes.

The noise had reduced drastically. The shooting seemed to have ceased as well.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat, hating himself for thinking the worst about her. How could someone so adorable hurt him?

She blinked, her grey doe eyes staring at him with an expression akin to wonder.

"You're bleeding," she said softly and he looked down.

Only then did he register the painful throbbing in his arm.

"Malakai!" Maddison cried where she was lying on the floor, curled up with tears in her eyes. "The baby! Something is wrong with our baby!"

Harper glanced at her, unsure whether to laugh or ignore her. She could see right through Maddison's miserable acting.

She felt a sense of satisfaction watching the scene unfold before her. Since he didn't value her when she'd been with him. Perhaps, he would work harder for Maddison.

"You should go to her. She looks like she's in a lot of pain," Harper stated but he didn't move. He kept staring at her. Then his gaze roamed over her body. She felt her cheeks heat up as those intense eyes of his bore into her skin. She wasn't used to having this much attention from him.

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" He asked her and she nodded, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Thank you," she mumbled and he sucked in a sharp breath, awed by how adorable she was when she was flustered.

"What are you doing, Malakai! Get over here!" Maddison cried.

Harper sighed when she realized he still wouldn't move. So she eased away from him, went over to Maddison and ripped a piece of fabric from her silk dress.

She wouldn’t mind, right? Harper thought. After all, she was helping her baby daddy.

Maddison's eyes bulged in their sockets, hatred and disbelief burning in her chest. She gritted her teeth as she watched Harper tie the strip around Malakai's bleeding wound.

"You should get that checked," Harper said and straightened.

Then she turned away to leave.

A hand shot out to grab her hand and when she turned, he looked worried.

"The target was you, do you realize that?" He rasped and she looked around the lobby. Security officers were already moving to identify where the shooting had come from.

A chill slid down her spine. She couldn't think of anyone who would want her dead.

"They might be lingering around to finish the job. I just want to make sure you're safe," he said and she pulled her hand out of his grip.

"How? By shielding me with your body again? I appreciate your concern, Malakai. But, I don't need your help."

Harper walked away, and Malakai's heart shattered as he watched her go.

She didn't need him anymore. The words felt like a burning knife stabbing him in the chest. He could still remember all the times she'd asked for his help. And every time she did, he either turned her down or asked her to get it from someone else.

Behind him, Maddison coughed uncontrollably, whimpering. Only then did he turn to her. His eyes widened when he saw the blood on her lips, unaware that she had bitten herself on purpose.

Malakai hurried to her the moment she coughed again, harsher this time, her body curling in on itself.

"Maddison." His voice cracked as he dropped beside her and gathered her into his arms. She clutched his shirt, trembling dramatically, her breaths coming in shallow sobs.

"It hurts," she whimpered. "Something's wrong—Malakai, please."

Panic gripped him. He had promised to be responsible for her and their baby, yet he'd neglected her.

He hated how disorganized his life had become. Still, there was no one he could blame. Except himself.

He lifted Maddison easily, cradling her against his chest as he spun towards the growing crowd.

"Doctor!" he shouted. "I need a doctor now!"

Security scattered, radios crackling to life as he carried her towards the emergency wing, his jaw clenched tight. Blood still dampened his sleeve, but he didn't spare it a glance. For the sake of the child in her womb, he was desperate.

Behind him, unnoticed, Harper disappeared into the elevator.

The doors slid shut with a soft ding, sealing Harper inside the small mirrored box.

The moment they closed, her strength vanished.

Her heart slammed wildly against her ribs, each beat too loud. Her knees buckled and she sank into a crouch, one hand braced against the wall, the other pressed hard to her chest.

She sucked in shaky breaths.

'You're safe,' she told herself. 'You're fine.'

But her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

The image replayed over and over—Malakai's body covering hers, the sound of the gunshot, the heat of his blood soaking into her fingers. The knowledge that someone out there had aimed a weapon at her.

Tears stung her eyes, slipping down her cheeks. Becoming strong was more difficult than she thought. She just wanted peace...yet, something so horrifying had happened.

The elevator slowed.

Harper barely had time to scrub at her eyes before the doors slid open.

"Harper?"

Her head snapped up.

Dr. Tyson stood just outside the elevator, his usually relaxed posture gone, his brows drawn tight with concern. The second he saw her crouched on the floor, colour drained from his face.

"Oh my God." He stepped in immediately, crouching in front of her. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said too quickly, pushing herself upright. "I just—lost my balance."

She tried to move past him and he caught her hand, firmly.

Harper froze.

"Don't," he said softly. "Don't hide your pain."

She looked up at him then.

His eyes were dark with something heavier than concern. It was as though he could see right through her.

Her pulse pounded harder as a cold thought crept in, uninvited.

The anonymous message.

Her breath caught as her mind raced.

Was it... him?