06: Shoot out

AIDEN'S POV

"Boss! What's wrong?" Stephan rushed to my side, deep concern etched into his features. I had drifted off once more, my body fighting the residual toxins.

"Lana... She—" I choked on the words, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Make sure she never steps foot into this house ever again."

She had actually dared to drug me. It was a foul, lethal game to play with a mafia don. I was currently locked in a brutal feud with the Martins; vulnerability was a luxury I absolutely could not afford right now.

"Yes, sir." I could see him fighting the overwhelming urge to ask what had happened.

"Avery... Where is she?"

"Last I saw her, she was asking for your whereabouts. I'm guessing you must have run into her earlier."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. The haze vanished. She had seen me. She had seen Lana.

"She's probably in her room," Stephan continued. "Her security team and vehicle are still here."

He practically carried me down the hall, guiding me onto the mattress. I didn't even know how I had managed to move my legs, and now, my arm felt entirely locked around his neck for balance. My head throbbed with a vicious, blinding pain.

"I've got you, boss," Stephan muttered.

I mouthed a silent thank you, struggling just to keep my eyelids open. The drug, coupled with last night's reckless drinking, was doing a number on my system.

"Boss, our intel says the Martins are planning an immediate attack and robbery at our warehouse in the Bronx," Stephan whispered, his voice turning dead serious. "I've already mobilized my team and alerted the men on-site, so security there is tight. We're rolling out in an hour for heavy reinforcement."

I tried to heave myself off the bed the second I heard the news, but my muscles refused to cooperate. "Stephan, help me up."

"Don't worry, boss. We've got this handled. Rest up, and I'll fill you in on everything the moment we lock it down." He turned and walked away, and before I could protest, I drifted straight back into a heavy, suffocating slumber.

A continuous, piercing ringtone dragged me awake. Fortunately, the fog had cleared, and I felt significantly better.

I snatched the phone. "Yes? What's the situation, Stephan?"

"It was a trap, boss. A total distraction," Stephan’s voice came through, strained and breathless. "The mansion is under attack. We won't make it back in time—most of our perimeter guards were pulled to reinforce the Bronx defense." He paused, swallowing hard to catch his breath. "I've already contacted the Moralis. They're closer and will arrive sooner. I know you're incapacitated, so I had to make executive arrangements for your safety and the madam's. Security at the hospital where your grandmother is staying has also been heavily reinforced."

"Did you take Simon with you?" I demanded, needing to know if I at least had my second-best enforcer on the grounds.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, boss... I should have anticipated this. I've been trying to reach Mrs. Armstrong, but she isn't answering her phone. I was hoping she might be hiding out in your quarters. Berry claims he can't find her anywhere."

I was off the bed before my brain could even process the movement. Adrenaline surged through my veins, wiping out the last remnants of the sedative. I had to ensure she was safe, hidden away from this madness. I stormed down the hall to her room and threw the door open without knocking.

"Avery, are you—"

Empty. I checked her bathroom, then lunged out onto the balcony. Nothing. My heart began to hammer against my ribs. I had never been this careless in my entire life. The one time I let my guard down, Avery was the one paying for my mistake.

"Berry, have you located her yet?" I growled into the phone, gripping the device so hard the glass threatened to shatter.

"No, sir."

"I'll find her myself." I stormed past him on unsteady legs, completely driven by pure instinct.

"Boss, I can't let you go out there like this," Berry protested, stepping into my path. "You're still compromised. It's too dangerous."

"What's dangerous is you trying to dictate my actions," I snarled, stepping into his space. "You had one single task. How difficult is it to secure one petite human being?"

The venom in my tone sent a clear message. He stepped aside immediately, lowering his head.

The exact moment I crossed the threshold into the night air, my phone buzzed violently in my palm. It was Avery.

"Hello? Aiden, I'm outside... somewhere in the garden," she cried, her voice trembling with sheer terror. "I can't explain exactly where. I'm being hunted. I don't know what's happening, and my arm hurts so badly—"

*She's been shot.* The thought turned my blood to ice.

"When are the cops getting here?" she whimpered. "I'm not sure I can stay conscious much longer, I—"

The line went completely dead.

"Avery! Avery! No, no, no... Avery!!!" I roared into the receiver, but there was only static. The absolute worst-case scenario flashed through my mind.

I had to get to her before they did. "Berry, get every available man down to the gardens right now!" I shouted over my shoulder. Hurrying as fast as my battered body would allow, I sprinted blindly into the dark labyrinth of the estate.

**AVERY'S POV**

I have to admit, the estate's private chef always prepares incredible meals. Desperate to clear my head, I had taken my dinner outside to the edge of the pool, hoping the open air would numb the pain. I still hadn't heard a single word from Aiden. It stung that he hadn't even attempted to track me down or offer an explanation, but honestly, it wasn't surprising.

The cool night breeze and the music drifting from my phone worked wonders for my frayed nerves. Before long, exhaustion crept in. Deciding it was finally time to face my bedroom, I stood up—and that was when I caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette moving past the hedge. I whipped my head around, but the shadows were empty. *It's just your mind playing tricks on you,* I reasoned, trying to calm my racing pulse.

Suddenly, the estate's alarm system shrieked to life. Distant shouts echoed across the grounds, followed closely by the unmistakable, terrifying crack of gunfire. It felt exactly like a scene from a horror film. Panic locked my throat, and to make matters worse, my left arm chose that exact moment to flare up with a throbbing, intense ache.

*God, please. Please, God.*

Whoever was out there staging an assault, I just needed them to stay far away from me. I had no desire to catch a stray bullet or lose my life over some brutal mafia war.

Heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel nearby. "Security?" I called out, taking a frantic step forward. "Help! I'm over here!"

But when the figure stepped into the light, it wasn't one of Aiden's suited guards. The man was a stranger—burly, heavily armed, and carrying a lethal expression that made it instantly clear he was here to eliminate targets.

I turned on my heel and ran faster than I ever had in my life. Dodging behind the thick stone pillars, I managed to slip into a dense section of the garden to buy myself some time. I fumbled with my phone, trying to call Berry—the head of the security team Aiden had assigned to me—but the call refused to go through. Desperate, I dialed the one person I had sworn I wouldn't speak to again. Aiden.

He answered on the first ring. "Hello? Aiden, I'm outside... somewhere in the garden," I sobbed, the words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "I can't explain exactly where. I'm being hunted. I don't know what's happening, and my arm hurts so badly... When are the cops getting here? I'm not sure I can stay conscious much longer, I—"

The screen flashed black. The battery had died.

"No, no, no... why right now?!" I cried out, desperately pressing the power button, but the display remained lifeless.

I was completely on my own. I had to find an escape route. Peering through the dense foliage to ensure the coast was clear, I bolted down the stone pathway, only to skitter to a halt as a massive silhouette materialized directly in front of me. I gasped, spinning around to sprint in the opposite direction.

"One more step and I'll put a bullet through your spine," a gravelly voice boomed behind me.

I went completely rigid. Ice-cold fear tore through my veins. Was this really how my story was going to end? Loveless, miserable, with a list of unaccomplished goals, and without ever having a family of my own? I closed my eyes and whispered a final, desperate prayer.

A deafening blast shattered the silence. *This is it,* I thought, bracing for the impact. *This is the end.*

"Avery!"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of that familiar voice. I spun around. Aiden was standing at the end of the path, a smoking gun leveled in his hand. The massive enforcer who had trapped me was already crumpled on the gravel, completely motionless.

The sheer terror holding my muscles hostage finally broke. I ran toward Aiden as fast as my shaking legs could carry me, my knees threatening to buckle with every stride.

Aiden closed the distance, catching me before I hit the ground. "Stay with me, Avery! Don't you dare close your eyes!"

Why on earth was he shouting at me? My head was pounding violently, and his booming voice was only making the vertigo worse. I wanted nothing more than to tell this man that he had absolutely no right to dictate when I could or couldn't sleep.

He reached down, his fingers gripping my right arm tightly to pull me against his chest, and a white-hot agony flared through my upper body.

"Let go!" I choked out, my words slurring heavily. "It hurts... why does it hurt?"

More gunshots erupted in the distance, the sounds muffled as a heavy darkness began to creep into the edges of my vision. When would this nightmare finally end? Would I ever actually be safe here? Aiden's frantic, booming commands were the last things I heard before the world went completely black.