This was it. I was about to die. It was kind of fitting, considering what a horrible person I’d been for most of my life. My main regret was not having more time with Bella.

“I love you, Bella,” I said, speaking as quickly as I could. “I’ve always loved you. I searched all these years, hoping to hear information about your condition and what happened after I hurt you. I’m so glad that, in the end, I can do something to help you. Never forget that I love you. Be happy.”

“What?” Her eyes were wide, and she shook her head. “What do you plan to—”

“Ah, ain’t this touching?” The gunman asked, laughing. “Too bad it’s the end for both of you. No more love here.”

Shoving Bella away from me as hard as I could, I directed her to her father. “Run!”

With only that one word, I turned, knife raised as I rushed the gunman. I’d protect Bella. If it was my last act on Earth, so be it.

BELLA

“No!” The anguished scream ripped from my throat and I tried to chase after Damian, wishing I could stop what was about to happen.

Strong arms held me back and yanked me away from the gang members as gunshots rang out.

I glanced up into my dad’s face, though it was blurred with the tears in my eyes. “I have to save him!”

“He wants you to run.”

Dad continued pulling me and I finally gave in, racing around some nearby machinery until Dad came to a stop, pulling me in a crouch to hide where the dim factory lights didn’t reach. I glanced around for my brothers, but none of them had kept up with us. Did they get caught? What was going on? I’d never heard the gun go off a second time. Did that mean Damian got the gun away before Nameless could shoot him? Or did it mean he was...?

“Dad, we have to go back,” I pleaded. “The boys didn’t come either. They’re all in danger. Those guys won’t hesitate to kill them. We have to do something!”

Dad shook his head, holding me to him. “I thought you were already dead, butterfly. My heart can’t handle this. The boys are tough. They’ll be okay. Damian’s not going to let them be hurt.”

“I’m going back,” I said. “If the gun hasn’t gone off again, that means they have a fighting chance. Maybe I can help.”

Without giving my dad an option, I slipped from his arms and raced back to the sounds of men grunting and fists meeting flesh. Just as I was about to walk into the space, Dad caught me again, yanking my hand and pulling me to the floor.

I struggled against him. While I understood why he wanted me out of the fight, I couldn’t sit back anymore and just let life happen. I had to take control and get the life I wanted.

“They’re okay,” Dad whispered, voice sounding pained. “Look.” He pointed with a shaky hand, and I followed along.

Between the machines, I could see the boys all fighting the gang members. Elias and Brandon fought together against the bigger guy that was there for muscles. The man had a knife out, brandishing it toward the boys who both had knives of their own. Muscles was bleeding, so the boys must have been doing an okay job.

To the far left, Kyle took on Tony, but he obviously had the situation well under control. Tony was on the ground, wailing like a baby while Kyle punched and kicked him. It would only be a matter of time before Tony passed out.

That left Damian and Nameless. Not able to see them, I crept forward, though Dad’s arm kept me from going too far. I finally glimpsed Damian toward the conveyer belt Rider had originally placed me on. He and Nameless fought, both bleeding heavily. Damian’s face looked like nothing but a mass of bruises.

With a whimper, I tried again to get away from my dad, only wanting to help Damian. The men were struggling over the gun, but it seemed inevitable that Nameless would gain control. He was already getting the upper hand. I had to help before Nameless killed my husband.

“I’m not letting you go,” Dad said, firming his grip.

“But he’s going to kill Damian.” I shook my head, frantic to get away but also not willing to punch or hurt my father to do it. “Let me help him.”

While we argued, a dark shadow suddenly crept onto the conveyer belt near the feuding men. I gasped as I recognized him. Just as Nameless regained control of the gun and fired off another shot, a board came down across his head, knocking him out cold.

I let out a cheer when Damian darted forward to grab the fallen gun.

Dad grinned. “That James is pretty amazing. Your husband has some good people around him.”

Hugging my dad tight, I nodded. “He does, and I do too.”

DAMIAN

After the gunman fell, I scooped up his weapon. Ignoring the burning pain in my arm, I looked around the room. Tony was totally out of it, Kyle standing over him to make sure he didn’t move again. He certainly had things well under control. Elias and Brandon continued battling the remaining man. Even though they outnumbered him, he was a good fighter. Maybe too good for the boys to beat. I took a step toward them, brandishing the weapon.

“That’s enough,” I call, steading my aim toward the man’s head.

When the boys saw the gun in my hand they both grinned, backing away from their guy. While they were both a bit blood spattered, they seemed no worse off than a few shallow cuts. Thank goodness. I had no clue what I’d tell Bella if I’d let her brothers become seriously injured.

“It’s over,” I said to the last man, holding my finger against the trigger. “Make one more move, and I’ll shoot.”

“Dammit!” He gritted his teeth, but finally raised his hands in surrender.

James walked up beside me, holding rope in his hands. “I found this while waiting to help out. Let’s tie them up and call the cops.”

“Way to go, man,” Kyle said, taking a rope and trotting back toward Tony to tie him up.

Elias and Brandon took some of the remaining ropes, and once they had the last guy tied up, I shakily placed the gun on the ground. The pain in my arm was pretty intense, but I ignored it, looking around to try and find Bella and Ed.

The sudden patter of footsteps behind me could only belong to one person. With a smile, I started to turn to face her. Before I could get all the way around, feminine arms surrounded me from behind, squeezing me tight.

“You’re okay!” Bella cried, hugging me as though I’d disappear. “Wait! You’re not okay. You’re shot!”

I shifted around, holding her in my good arm. Without being asked, James stepped away from us to give us privacy. I buried my face into her hair, breathing in her scent and then kissing her wherever my lips could reach. “I’m okay,” I finally manage to say, forcing myself to pull away a bit. “It’s not a bad wound.”

“I’m so glad.” Tears streamed down her face. “I thought you might die.” She pulled back even more, looking me up and down. “Are you really okay?”

“The bullet only grazed my arm,” I assured her. “It hurts a little but I’m fine, your brothers are fine, and most importantly, you look okay.” I noted the bandages on her wrists, but at least she was in one piece. “Did anyone... do anything to you.”

She shook her head, tipping up on her toes and kissing my cheek. “You got here in time. I had to deal with a bit of touching from those pukes, but no one actually did more to me than that.”

Relief surged through me, and I gently cradled her against my chest. “Thank God. I was so scared they’d hurt you or worse.”

I didn’t have the right to hold her like this, but for the moment it was the only thing I wanted. When she heard the whole truth later, she wouldn’t smile at me again like this, so I’d be a bit selfish and savor the moment. It would have to get me through a lifetime of loneliness without her.

“Hey,” Kyle called, “what about your brothers? You know we came to rescue you too, right?”

With a giggle, Bella stepped away from me, going to her brothers and hugging them all. “I take it we aren’t fighting anymore?” she asked, still laughing.

Kyle wrapped her in a big bear hug, taking her from the other brothers. “We’ll never fight again, sis. I’m sorry for being an ass. I love you, no matter what happens. It’s not your fault you had to leave us before. I really do know that, but I let my loneliness turn into anger over the years. I missed you so much. Now, I’m just grateful to have you back in our lives and in one piece.”

I couldn’t help but smile, seeing the touching scene. The family would be okay. While I knew they didn’t want my money, my last act before going off to prison would be to give all of it to Bella. She could take care of them, and they could all move on to an easier life than they’d led so far. It wasn’t enough to make up for the pain I’d caused them, but at least I could do something good.

“Hey, son.” James’s hand fell to my shoulder. “Good work. Glad you didn’t die before I got to you.”

I chuckled. “I’m just glad you came when you did. I was almost a goner. Did you call the cops?”

James shook his head. “Not yet. When I heard the fight break out and overheard that he had a gun, I knew I needed to do something right away. The cops wouldn’t have made it in time.”

“I’m glad you did. You saved my life.” With a grin, I gave James a hug, pounding his back a few times before stepping away. “I’m lucky to have a man like you to look up to. I promise I’ll use my time in prison to become a man you’ll be proud of.”

James sighed, but didn’t argue. He knew I wouldn’t back down from my mistake or try to get away with it any longer. If I didn’t take responsibility, I’d never be any better than my parents. Money shouldn’t mean I was entitled to doing whatever I wanted without consequences. I understood more about life now, thanks to meeting Bella again.

“Should I call the cops now, sir?” James asked, returning to his professional persona as though we’d never shared our family-like moment.

“Yeah. I think Rider needs an ambulance.” I glanced at the second-in-command and grimaced. “I think the boys and I got a little carried away, but he was trying to kill Bella at the time, so I don’t even feel bad.”

“Wait,” Bella called, looking over at us. “Don’t call the cops just yet.”

She let go of her brothers and rushed toward Rider’s still-unconscious body. Digging in the pocket of his jacket, she pulled out a cell phone. After punching around the screen for a few minutes, she put it back in his pocket, flashing us all a victorious-looking smile. “Now you can call them.”

“What did you do?” I asked, approaching her slowly, not sure I really had a right to stand near her again.

She seemed to have no such hesitations. She practically skipped to my side, taking my hand in hers and squeezing it tight. “I just deleted a video Rider made of what you did to me back then.”

My mouth gaped open, and for a few seconds I couldn’t form a coherent thought. Finally, I swallowed hard and met her kind, honey-tinged gaze. “You know about that?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry, though. I deleted it, so there’s no evidence. I heard them talking at one point about needing to back up the data, so I don’t think they have another copy right now. Even if they try to say you did it, no one will believe them. I’ll say it wasn’t you if the cops question me.”

“What?” I shook my head, bewildered. “What are you talking about? If you know what I did, you should be the first to want me in prison.” I nodded toward her dad and brothers, who stood close enough to overhear our conversation. “Your family knows, I told them before we found you. They agreed to help me save you, but now I have to turn myself in. I’m so sorry, Bella. I ruined your life. I have to pay for my actions.”

She nodded, still not letting go of my hand. “Okay, I agree. You need to pay for your mistakes.”

Heaving a small sigh, I then forced a smile. “I just hope some day you can forgive me.”

“Oh, I’ll forgive you, but I have one condition.”

Surprised, I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what she meant. How could she already be willing to forgive me?

She stepped even closer, resting her free hand against my cheek. “If you really feel bad for what you did, instead of serving time in prison, why don’t you spend the rest of your life making it up to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Stay with me, Damian. Let’s make this marriage real. Let’s spend the rest of our lives deliriously happy.”

Behind her, Bella’s family broke out in cheers of agreement.

Ed’s beaming grin was almost hard to look at. “Let’s be a real family. We’ll discover more about each other as time goes on. Sorry for the misunderstandings about money. I now understand you were doing that to care for us, not to mock us.”

“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “You’re a good nut. If you’re who my sis wants, that’s okay with me.”

“No!” I shook my head, trying to back away from them all, though Bella kept a firm grasp on my hand. “I don’t understand. How could you say this? I have to pay. I’m a horrible person. There’s no way anyone could forgive what I did.”

Bella doggedly stuck to my side, once again caressing my cheek and drawing my attention to her. “But we do forgive you, Damian.”

“Why?”

She chuckled, running her thumb across my lips. “Because, you idiot, I love you.”