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Everything around me slowed to a crawl.

One second, Thomas was standing—whole, breathing, alive, and the next, he was falling backward in a silent collapse. His eyes shut tight, body limp, like the life had been ripped from him. The gunshot rang out, sharp and final, slicing through the air. He vanished from my sight, swallowed by chaos.

But before the echo of the shot had even faded, Gabe moved.

With a roar of pure instinct, he launched himself at the shooter—his own brother. Gabe tackled him to the ground, knocking the gun from his hands as they crashed into a table. The weapon skidded across the floor, spinning out of reach.

The two struggled briefly, but Gabe overpowered him, rage and grief blazing in his eyes as he pinned the man down.

He had stopped the second bullet, but not in time to stop the first.

"Thomas!" I screamed, my soul shattering with the sound of his name.

I bolted toward the broken window, but arms seized me from behind, tight and unrelenting.

"Bell, don't! It's not safe!"

"Let me go," I shrieked, thrashing wildly. "P-please, I have to see if he's alright!"

John held on with everything he had. "No! You'll get hurt, Bell!"

"I can't leave him in there to bleed out!" My voice cracked with fury.

Before John could even speak, Jason came sprinting toward us, his footsteps pounding against the pavement like gunfire. His chest heaved, his face pale and drawn tight with panic, sweat glistening at his temples. His eyes scanned the chaos, wide and frantic, until they landed on me.

"Isabella!" he gasped, rushing to my side, his hands hovering as if afraid to touch me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened to you?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came. Everything was still spinning too fast. My voice caught somewhere between my chest and throat.

"She's okay," John said behind me, stepping forward, placing a steadying hand on Jason's shoulder. "Thomas found her just in time."

Jason's eyes were still locked on mine, wide and filled with relief, then narrowing with something else. Fear.

"And where is Thomas?" he demanded.

I forced the words out. "He's inside... he—he's been shot."

Jason froze like the words had slammed into him.

"What?" he whispered. Then louder, more frantic, "What do you mean he's been shot?"

"He's inside... he got shot trying to save me," I shouted, voice breaking.

"Fuck." Jason turned to the building, fists clenched. "I'll go in—"

"No!" John grabbed him too. "We need to wait for the police. We don't know if it's clear. Someone else could get hurt."

Then came another scream—high-pitched, terrified.

Amanda came barreling toward us, arms flailing, eyes wide and streaming with tears. She skidded to a stop in front of me, chest heaving. "Isabella, I was so worried! Are you okay?"

I couldn't speak, I could only nod. "Yes, but-but Thomas..."

"What!? What happened to Thomas?"

Suddenly, flashing red and blue lights bathed the street in chaos, painting the pavement in pulsing streaks. The loud wail of sirens split the air, echoing off the buildings like a warning cry. One by one, police cruisers skidded to a stop, tires screeching as they boxed in the area like predators closing in on wounded prey.

Doors flew open in rapid succession. Officers spilled out, weapons drawn, moving in sharp, practiced formation. The air buzzed with urgency and adrenaline.

A commanding officer stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "Secure the perimeter! Nobody moves until I say so!"

He raised a hand, sharp and deliberate, then pointed toward the building.

"Team One, breach and clear. Go!"

Boots thundered across the asphalt, a storm of motion and shouts as armed officers rushed toward the doorway. Guns drawn, backs straight, they vanished into the jagged opening of the building, into whatever darkness still waited inside.

Seconds felt like hours.

Then, the door creaked open.

The first one out was the older brother, Andrew. His hands were cuffed tightly behind his back, but he still thrashed, his face contorted with rage. His mouth moved in angry curses, but the words were drowned out by the sirens and commotion. His face was swollen and bloodied, jaw bruised from Gabe's earlier tackle, his lip split. It looked like Gabe hadn't held back and honestly, I was glad he hadn't.

Gabe came next, flanked by two officers. He walked in silence, head lowered, the weight of everything on his shoulders. His hands were cuffed too, though he didn't resist. His expression was unreadable, ashamed, maybe.

Behind him came their father, stiff and silent, his cold eyes scanning the scene like it was beneath him.

As they stepped into the open, a sharp gasp escaped both Amanda and Jason, standing frozen beside me.

"Is that—?" Amanda whispered.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Gabe?"

I saw it click in their faces—our classmate. Jason and Thomas' friend. The same guy who had helped kidnap me... but also the one who had helped save me. Who risked everything to protect me from his own family. If it hadn't been for Gabe, I never would've been able to contact Amanda. I might not even be standing here.

The realization hit Jason and Amanda like a slap, their stunned silence heavier than any words. Their shock hung in the air like thick smoke—dense, choking, and impossible to ignore.

But I couldn't focus on any of that, not when the paramedics appeared in the doorway.

And then—

They brought out Thomas on a stretcher.

My breath caught. The world narrowed to the sight of his still body. Strapped down. Pale. Motionless. He was barely conscious, blood soaking his shirt. He looked... limp. Lifeless.

"Thomas..." I whispered.

The air left my lungs all at once, my knees buckling slightly.

Nothing else mattered. Not the sirens. Not the crowd. Just him.

I bolted forward. "Thomas!"

"Bell, wait!" John shouted.

Jason lunged forward too. "Move, that's my best friend!"

We both pushed past officers, but I made it to the stretcher first. "Please. You have to help him!"

A paramedic looked at me with heavy eyes. "He's been shot in the back. We don't know how deep it went yet, but we're losing time."

"No, no, please. Save him!" My voice shattered as tears fell freely.

"We're going to do everything we can." He nodded once, then carefully pushed me back. "But we need to get him to the hospital first."

The ambulance doors slammed shut with a cold finality, cutting me off from Thomas once again.

My chest caved inward. "We're going after him." I spun to John, my feet already moving. "We have to go. Now!"

Without missing a beat, Jason broke into a run, heading for his car. "I'll follow behind you guys!"

John turned to Amanda. "Take Thomas' car. Let my parents know what's going on and that Bell is safe. We'll meet you there."

Amanda nodded quickly, eyes wide but determined. "Got it."

Then John reached for me, gripping my hand tightly—anchoring me.

"Come on, Bell," he said, his voice fierce but soft. "Let's go."

And then we ran. We ran toward the unknown, toward the flashing lights disappearing into the night... praying Thomas would still be breathing by the time we reached him.

Beeping machines echoed like warning bells, each one a reminder that time was running out. Shouted orders ricocheted off the sterile walls, overlapping voices lost in the chaos. Nurses and doctors rushed past in a blur, weaving through the hallway like a storm of white coats and urgency.

They wheeled Thomas ahead of us, paramedics shouting codes I didn't understand. I caught one last glimpse of his face—ghostly and still before the double doors slammed shut.

My chest caved in.

I rushed forward, grabbing the nurse's arm. "Just let me speak to him, just one second. He needs to know I'm here!"

"Miss, I'm sorry," she said gently but firmly, shifting to block me. "He's going into emergency surgery. You'll have to wait."

"Please... please..." My voice cracked, my hands trembling. "He has to hear me!"

She softened slightly. "We'll keep you updated. I promise."

And then he was gone. Again.

I collapsed to my knees, the sterile hallway spinning around me as sobs tore through my chest. It felt like something inside me had broken open, a fear so deep it made my skin ache.

John knelt beside me, his hand steady on my back. "Bell... he's strong. He's going to pull through. He has to."

Amanda dropped down next to me on the other side, her voice thick with emotion. "Just remember, he loves you. He won't die before he tells you himself."

I choked out a breath. "He already told me..."

Amanda froze. "Wait... he did?" Her eyes widened. "Did he admit that he knows you're an Ace too?"

"Wait, what!?" I gasped.

Behind us, a sharp inhale broke the moment.

Jason, who had been pacing with stiff shoulders and furrowed brows, turned to us. "He knows?"

Amanda winced, biting her lip like she regretted having to say it. "Oops... I guess he hasn't told you that part yet. Rachel already spilled everything to him. That's why she's been blackmailing him, forcing him to break up with you."

I knew it! I felt a cold weight settle in my chest. No wonder why he went back to Rachel after everything. Now more than ever, I needed to see him, awake, alive, and whole.

Jason blinked, stunned, then looked at me. Jason's gaze flickered, a storm behind his eyes. "Oh. Right." He looked away, jaw clenched. "Makes sense."

Then, with a shaky smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he said, "Isabella... that's incredible. Thomas forgave you. Even after finding out your secret."

I shook my head slowly, my eyes fixed on the double doors where Thomas had disappeared. "No. It's not incredible if I can't even say it back..."

Jason's voice broke through the silence, rough, tight, and quieter than usual. "You love him too?"

I looked up, catching the flicker of something in his eyes. He wasn't angry, not exactly. There was something heavier, buried deep beneath the surface. Hurt.

There was a time when Jason had been everything I wanted—my safe place, my steady ground. My Jay. But now... my heart couldn't stop beating for Thomas.

Thomas, the guy who had fought for me. Who had saved me. Protected me. Took a bullet to keep me breathing. How could I look at anyone else the same after that?

Nonetheless, the weight of my decision pressed down on me, a bittersweet ache that tangled guilt and love into a knot too tight to untangle.

"Yeah," I said softly.

He nodded once, jaw tight. "Lucky guy."

Amanda and John exchanged a glance but stayed silent, sensing the tension that hung between us.

Jason shoved his hands into his pockets, voice quieter now, edged with something hollow. "I just hope he gets to hear it back."

I swallowed hard, the image of Thomas on that stretcher flashing in my mind. His pale face, the way his body had gone still, too still. The dark stain crept across his shirt, soaking into the fabric like it was quietly trying to erase him from the world.

What if he doesn't make it? What if that was the last time I'll ever see him? What if I never get to tell him my feelings?

A sick, cold feeling twisted in my stomach.

I whispered, barely breathing the words, "Not if he dies..."

The silence that followed felt suffocating.

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