“What about the body?” Isabella asked.

 

Jace looked past her to Craig’s dead body lying on the ground. He still couldn’t believe she’d done it. She’d killed her ex-husband point blank. And after shooting him in the leg to incapacitate him. Much as he’d wanted to kill Craig himself, watching Isabella do it was even better.

 

And apparently, Little Jazz loved it, too, because he had such a raging hard on, it felt like he’d burst any minute. He almost needed to move Isabella away from him so he could think straight. With her body pressed against his, there was only one thing he wanted. Right here in the woods, he didn’t care who was around. He would take her right now if he could. Might have to if she kept kissing him and looking at him like that.

 

The way she’d gazed up at him when she knew Craig was dead, and when he’d come running into the woods…like he was her savior and she’d come to worship him. Like she wanted him more than anything. Like she’d never leave him again. Like she loved him. His heart was a puddle and he wanted to pour himself into her hands.

 

And now that Craig was dead, she could be his free and clear. No looking behind their backs. No worrying about Craig or Lionel coming after them. Anyone who’d attacked them and anyone who wanted them dead or to hurt them were all dead. They’d survived. They’d come out on top. And they’d done it together.

 

“You are amazing,” he said to her, pulling her close again.

 

She kissed him and rubbed her nose against his. “But you didn’t answer me. What about the body?”

 

Jace glanced to Aaron. “Drag him back to the fire?”

 

“I think that’s our best option,” Aaron said. “Eliminate evidence. We’ll need to toss the guns, too.”

 

Jace nodded and turned back to Isabella. “I loved seeing you hold a gun and shoot. So hot.”

 

She giggled. “Thanks. You’ll have to teach me. I had no idea what I was doing.”

 

“I will.” He put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. “I’ll take care of you forever.”

 

“Can we go back to the farmhouse? I want to make sure Sara is okay.”

 

Jace nodded. “Of course. Alex has her, though. She’s safe.”

 

He put his arm around her and they turned back toward the farmhouse. Aaron tugged on Craig’s feet and pulled him along.

 

“Want some help?” Jace asked.

 

“Nope. Got it.”

 

As they walked, Jace started coughing again. He’d been doing okay. Being out in the fresh air and running like that had cleared his lungs, but now they were acting up and burning again.

 

“Why are you coughing so much?” Isabella asked. She paused to make him stop walking for a moment while he coughed. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Whoa.” She grabbed his hand and held it out, looking closely at the blisters and burned places.

 

The bandage from his injured hand had come lose long ago, somewhere in the fighting. He hadn’t even noticed until now. All the adrenaline and being focused on the fights had taken his mind off it. Now that he looked at his hand, now that he had time to think about it and wasn’t distracted, it hurt badly. Without the bandage, he’d managed to open several of the blisters. They oozed and stung.

 

“What happened?” Isabella looked up at him with concern.

 

“Well, I had a little mishap earlier.” He put his arm back around her and they continued walking. “Lionel and his guys burned my house down.”

 

“What!”

 

He nodded. “One of my guys was trapped inside, so I went in to save him and burned my hand. That’s why I’ve been coughing so much. Smoke inhalation. They wanted me to stay at the hospital and get treated.”

 

“Then why didn’t you?”

 

“Well, my phone had died, but I charged it at the hospital. I was sitting in a trauma room, waiting to be seen, when I got your message. I couldn’t exactly just sit there and do nothing.”

 

Isabella hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

 

Jace stopped. He turned her to face him. “No. Don’t you dare apologize for this. None of this is your fault.”

 

She shook her head. “I should have listened to you. I should have waited for you to get here before going inside.”

 

“It wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. I got there in time. I got you out. We’re all safe, we’re all okay. Craig’s dead and Lionel’s dead. I think all of his guys are dead, too. We won, Isabella. It’s over.”

 

“I should have never yelled at you in the first place. I’m so sorry, Jace.”

 

He hugged her and let her cry. He hated that she was upset, but her tears brought him so much comfort. She did still want him. They would be together. And he wouldn’t let anything keep them apart.

 

“Let’s go get Sara,” he said, gently picking up her head to kiss her. “She must be afraid and worried.”

 

Isabella nodded and they trudged on.

 

The farmhouse finally came into sight. Flames poured out of the windows, smoke rushed from the roof. The whole house looked ready to collapse. He looked back to Aaron. He wasn’t too far behind. But what if the house went down before they got Craig back inside?

 

He saw his guys standing at the edge of the woods and Sara standing beside Alex.

 

Isabella dashed forward and ran to her, then grabbed her into her arms. Sara cried out to her and Isabella held her tight.

 

“Mommy, the house!”

 

“I know. It’s burning.”

 

“Alex said it was going to fall down.” Awe filled Sara’s voice. “All the bad men are inside.”

 

“They can’t hurt us now,” Isabella said.

 

Sara shook her head, then craned her neck around until she saw him. She broke into a smile. “Jace!”

 

He went over and put an arm around her, giving her a sideways hug while she was still in her mother’s arms. “Hi, Sara.”

 

“Cuddles made it, too!” Sara held up the dirty bunny triumphantly. “Daddy wanted to take her, but I wouldn’t let him.”

 

“Good job,” Isabella said.

 

Then Sara seemed to recall what happened in the woods with her father. “Where is Daddy?” she asked, the fear obvious on her face.

 

“He’ll never ever be able to hurt us again,” Isabella said.

 

“Why?”

 

“Well…” Isabella looked over at Jace, then took a deep breath. “He’s dead, honey.”

 

“Oh.” Sara looked straight ahead, then turned back to her mom. “And he won’t wake up?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“So, we don’t have to go back to live with him?”

 

Isabella smiled and shook her head. “No, we don’t. We’ll never see him again.”

 

At this, Jace remembered that Craig’s body was, in fact, rather close. Sara might easily see him, bloody and dead. He turned and saw Aaron dragging him along. Derrick went to help him. As long as Sara didn’t turn around, it would be okay. They weren’t too close to them.

 

Jace made eye contact with Isabella to make sure she saw what was happening. She kept her hand at the back of Sara’s head so she couldn’t turn and see by accident.

 

Derrick and Aaron pulled Craig’s body to the house, then they picked him up. Aaron held his feet, Derrick held his arms. They swung him back and forth, then let go and sent his body flying into the house.

 

Jace took out his gun and the one Isabella had shot Craig with. He wiped them both clean of fingerprints and walked closer to the house. When he was close enough, he tossed them both inside. This fire was nice and hot. It should burn away any evidence they’d left behind.

 

He could see Craig’s body, slumped over just inside the back door. It was already consumed by flames and charred black. He started to cough and had to walk away. But he wanted to stand there and watch the bastard burn. That last image, the one of Craig’s body blackened, the bullet hole from Isabella’s shot still subtly visible in his forehead, would replace the image of him holding the gun to Sara’s head.

 

Jace walked back to Isabella and Sara. “All clear.”

 

“Can we go home?” Isabella asked.

 

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

 

“Oh, you need to go to the hospital, though.”

 

Jace shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine.”

 

“Is your car here?” she asked.

 

“My car is a heap of ash in my garage.”

 

“Oh.” Her face fell. “Well, mine is here.”

 

“You feel okay to drive? I can if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, I’m okay,” she said. “And your hand. I don’t want you to make it worse.”

 

They all walked around the side of the house, back to where the cars and bikes were. He thought sirens should be wailing through the air, but there was nothing. Maybe they were far enough out in the country that no one had seen the fire yet. Certainly none of his guys would call the fire department. They needed the house to burn as long as possible. There wasn’t much to save anyway.

 

The fire would be contained enough. Not like it’d get into the woods and start a huge forest fire or anything. It wasn’t spreading along the grass, and the closest houses were so far away, he couldn’t see any in either direction. The fire department would probably come eventually. Someone would see the smoke and call.

 

But they needed to get out now. Long before anyone came along. With so many dead bodies and bullets and so much blood, this incident could mean a lot of trouble for the Hawks if they weren’t careful. No sirens were a good thing.

 

“Alright, Hawks,” Jace said. They stopped and turned to him. “Good work today, guys. Good work.”

 

Each of them took their turn giving him a fist bump and one-armed hug.

 

“We’ll find a new headquarters and meet soon,” he said. “Make sure you get to the hospital if you have injuries. Keep me updated. I’m going home to rest for a while.” But then he remembered he didn’t have a home. He turned to Isabella, but she had already thought ahead.

 

“He’ll be at my apartment,” she said, and smiled at him.

 

He smiled back.

 

“After we go to the hospital and get his hand cared for,” she added.

 

Jace dropped his head, but smiled. “I’ll see you guys over there. I want to check on Daniel anyway. Anyone heard any news since we got here?”

 

They checked their phones, but no one had anything new.

 

“Okay, well, let’s hope that’s good news, then.” Jace turned and walked to Isabella’s car.

 

She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door, then slid Sara into her booster seat. Jace stood and watched the care she took in buckling her in and making sure she was comfortable. Sara had Cuddles and hugged her close. Isabella kissed her forehead and shut the door.

 

Then she leaned against the car and covered her face with her hands as she cried.

 

He brought her close and spoke softly into her ear. “What is it?”

 

“She’s going to be so messed up.”

 

“Sara?”

 

She nodded against his shoulder. “All that’s happened. It’s too much for a four-year-old. It’s going to scar her for life.”

 

“No.” Jace stroked her head. “How much do you remember from when you were four? She’ll forget over time. And she has you. You give her so much love and affection that it’ll be okay. She’ll be fine. She knows she’s loved and safe. That’s what matters. She won’t keep being abused. It’s over now.”

 

Not like when he was a kid. How badly had his father’s abuse messed him up? Maybe worse than he thought. But that had gone on for years. And he hadn’t just watched his mother get hit and ordered around. His dad hit him and his brother for years before anyone did anything about it. Most of his life. And he’d turned out okay, hadn’t he? Maybe. Maybe not.

 

But Sara would be okay. He’d make sure of it. If Isabella let him, he’d be the best father to her that anyone could be. He’d make sure she always was safe and always felt safe. He’d slay monsters under the bed and in the closet if he had to. Whatever it took to make sure she felt safe, he would do.

 

And the same thing for Isabella. He’d teach her to shoot, get her a gun. Make sure she knew without a doubt that he’d always come for her and Sara. He’d give his life to protect them. He’d do anything for them. He didn’t want her to have any reason to be afraid, ever.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” Jace said.

 

He didn’t want to worry her, but the sooner they left the better. All of his guys who came on bikes had left. But Aaron sat in his car, making sure they were okay.

 

“You’re right.” Isabella straightened up and wiped her eyes. “Getting her back to something normal is the best thing. We’ll go to the hospital, make sure your hand is okay, then get her home.”

 

“We can skip the hospital. Let’s just get her home.”

 

Isabella walked around to the driver’s side and they both got in the car. She looked back at Sara. “All set?”

 

In his mirror, Jace saw Sara nod and squeeze Cuddles tight. Isabella started the car and drove off, Aaron following behind them.

 

###

 

Isabella didn’t care what Jace said. He was going to the hospital. With all they’d been through, the last thing anyone needed was for his hand to get infected or something. It wouldn’t take long. She couldn’t wait to get home, to stand in the hot shower and let the water burn away the stress and dirt of the day.

 

What a long day it’d been. No wonder she was so tired. It was hours after the time she normally went to sleep. She yawned and glanced back at Sara. Fast asleep. She looked over at Jace and smiled.

 

He took her right hand and kissed it, then held it in his. It felt so good to have him touching her. Even if it only was her hand. Any contact with him was like heaven. She fast forwarded through the next hours in her mind. They’d go to the hospital, get him fixed up. Then they’d go home and get cleaned up. Maybe they’d even shower together. And then, they’d climb into her bed together, naked and clean.

 

Her body started to tingle all over at the thought. When they’d slept together before it’d been the best sex of her life. And she wouldn’t mind having it again. And again. And again. Maybe even for the rest of her life. Hopefully it would take a long time for him to get another house or fix his, which meant he’d have to stay with them for a good long while.

 

She couldn’t believe Lionel had burned his place down. Who did something like that? Was it bad? Jace had said someone had been trapped inside. That meant it had to be pretty bad, right? You didn’t get smoke inhalation and get trapped inside the building and burn your hand if it was just a little kitchen fire. He’d said his car was ash. So that meant it had to be really bad. Was there anything left? Had he lost everything?

 

She considered that for a moment. She had left behind most things when she left Craig. Some things were just too big or impractical. Important things like baby photos were easy to carry because they were all digital. They were saved online anyway. Important papers were small and easy, too, but Sara had had to leave most of her favorite toys. They had Cuddles, who’d been her bunny since she was a baby. A few other stuffed animals came along, but her bigger toys had to stay. Her bike, puzzles, most of her books and DVDs. Isabella had been slowly rebuying a lot of things, but didn’t have much budget for all that.

 

For Jace, he might have lost everything. It wasn’t like he’d gotten the chance to pick out his favorite clothing, like she had. If it was gone, it was all gone. Everything from bedding to dishes to books and movies to even his car. Where was his bike? He must’ve been on it if his car was there. So his bike should be okay. But what had he lost? What was valuable to him?

 

She couldn’t imagine having nothing at all except the clothes on your back. How was he handling this all so well? Shouldn’t he be freaking out or losing it right about now? Maybe he was just in shock. She looked over at him. He stared out the window, still holding her hand tight.

 

“You doing okay?” she asked.

 

He looked over and gave her a smile. “I’m perfect.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“As long as you’re safe and Sara is safe, yup.”

 

“But your house burned down today. Is anything salvageable?”

 

He shook his head. “Highly doubtful.”

 

“That doesn’t upset you?”

 

He shrugged. “It sucks, yeah. But the things that are most important to me weren’t inside the house, so it doesn’t matter that much. It’s just stuff. It can all be replaced.”

 

“But you lost everything you own?”

 

“Nah,” he said. “I have my bike. And this shirt and these pants.” He chuckled. “I have insurance. It’ll be fine. You can help me go shopping if you want.”

 

“I do like to go shopping.”

 

“See. It’ll be a fun time.”

 

She let this sink in. Was he really so okay with all this? “Maybe you’re still in shock.”

 

“Isabella, I’m fine.” He kissed her hand again. “Everything I care most about in the world is right here in this car or heading to the hospital.”

 

###

 

Isabella turned into the hospital and Jace gave her a look. “What are you doing?”

 

“You have to get your hand checked out,” she insisted. “And don’t you want to check on your friends?”

 

“What about Sara?” He looked back at her.

 

“She’s sleeping now and she’ll probably stay asleep. She’ll be fine.”

 

They climbed out of the car and Isabella scooped Sara into her arms, wrapping her little legs around her to hold her so she could stay asleep.

 

They went right to the ER. Aaron had been behind them, so wasn’t inside yet, but Derrick and Alex were there. Derrick was talking to the nurse at the window and pointed to Alex, who was sitting in a chair in the waiting area. The nurse came around the corner to him with a wheelchair and they helped Alex get into it.

 

“Hey,” Jace said, and hurried over to Alex. “I’ll come check on you in a bit. Make sure that arm stays attached.” Jace lightly punched the shoulder opposite of the arm that’d been shot.

 

Alex nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

 

Derrick and Jace bumped fists and Jace came back to where Isabella stood near the admittance window. When the nurse came back, he went over to talk to her.

 

“Hi, I was here earlier for smoke inhalation and a burn, but I had an emergency and had to leave.”

 

She looked up at him with an unamused expression. “Your name?”

 

“Jace Peters.”

 

She turned and rifled through a stack of folders. She pulled one out and flipped it open. “Right. You were the one who left without being discharged.”

 

“Yeah, sorry. I had an emergency.”

 

“Have a seat. We’ll give you a call.”

 

Jace walked to the closest seat, Isabella right behind him with Sara in her arms. They sat and waited.

 

Aaron arrived and walked over to them. “Hey, man. Where is everyone?”

 

“Alex is being looked at. Derrick is with him. Haven’t seen anyone else yet. I’m waiting to be seen. Again.”

 

Aaron nodded. “I’m going to the room Daniel was in.”

 

“Send me an update.”

 

“Will do.”

 

Aaron left and Jace slumped back in the chair and closed his eyes. Isabella ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek. Warmth spread through him, drawing a smile from his lips.

 

“Jace Peters.”

 

He opened his eyes and saw a doctor looking around the waiting room. They all stood and followed him to a small trauma room.

 

Jace sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his feet dangling causally from the end. Isabella sat by his side in one of the padded chairs, still holding Sara tight in her arms, as the doctor cleaned his burn. First he sprayed some sort of antiseptic. It was cold and soothed the hot skin, but then he dabbed at the burn with a gaze pad, which took the coolness away. Next, the doctor took out some sort of wipe. Like a wet wipe, but smelling much stronger of medicine and chemicals. He wiped it across Jace’s hand. Jace tried not to react to the pressure and friction as the doctor worked, but it hurt. He gritted his teeth and tightened his other hand into a fist. Finally, it was done. The doctor smeared some ointment on the damaged skin that cooled it and made it feel a little bit better. He relaxed some. The doctor wrapped a bandage around his hand and stood up, finished and satisfied with his work.

 

“Okay,” the doctor said while making notes on his clipboard. “Keep it dry and clean. You’ll need to change the bandage once a day, and use this ointment.” He handed Jace a small white tube, which Jace stuck in his pocket. “Come back to see me in a week.”

 

Jace nodded. “Sounds good. Thanks.”

 

The doctor nodded at him and left the room.

 

“Guess we’re all set,” Jace said, sliding down from the edge of the exam bed. “I want to check on Daniel and Alex real quick, then we can go home.”

 

Isabella yawned, but smiled at him. “Sure.”

 

“Want me to take her? She must be getting heavy.”

 

“No, your hand. It’s okay. I’m used to carrying her.”

 

In the hall, Jace took out his phone and called Aaron. “Where are you guys?”

 

“With Daniel. Room 109. Man. It’s not looking good.”

 

Jace swallowed hard. “We’ll be right there.”

 

“How is he?” Isabella asked.

 

Jace looked at her and the despair must’ve been obvious on his face before he even said anything. Her eyes grew wide. He shook his head tightly. “Not good.”

 

They hurried over to room 109 and went inside. Aaron was there watching and Daniel’s girlfriend, Angie, sat close to his bed. Tubes and wires ran from Daniel, who lay in the bed, far too still. It looked like a machine was breathing for him.

 

“What’s going on?” Jace asked.

 

Aaron and Angie both looked at him, but Angie turned her attention back to Daniel.

 

Aaron moved to stand closer to Jace so he could keep his voice down. “They said his heart stopped a few times. They were able to resuscitate him, but that’s apparently a very bad sign. They don’t think they’ll be able to bring him back a third time if his heart fails again.”

 

“Okay.” He tried to let this sink in. “What are his injuries?”

 

“The burns are really bad and it’s making his body go into shock. And that can cause organ failure. So they’re watching for all that now. To make sure everything keeps working.”

 

Jace pulled up the other chair in the room. “Sit down, babe,” he said to Isabella.

 

She sat and arranged Sara into a more comfortable position on her lap. Sara was fast asleep and Isabella looked exhausted. He was tired, too. The day had gone on far too long and held too much pain and drama. They’d leave soon, but not until he knew his guys were going to be okay.

 

Jace walked over to Angie and put a hand on her shoulder. She gripped Daniel’s hand tight. “If you need anything, let us know, okay?”

 

She nodded. “I just need him to wake up.”

 

“We all do.” Jace walked to the opposite side of the bed to squeeze Daniel’s other hand. “Come on, man. Hang in there. Wake up real soon.” He stood and watched him for a long while, the machines beeping and whirling in rhythm, moving his chest up and down.

 

Daniel looked both pale and too red and black. The parts of his skin that were undamaged were pasty white. But he was covered in patches of bright red, some edged with black. They shined like they’d been smeared with some kind of ointment. Large sections of him were covered in soft, white bandages. Most of his face and arms. The rest of him couldn’t be seen under the blanket, but there were thick lumps there, like something was wrapped around his legs and feet.

 

Little tufts of Daniel’s black hair stuck out from under and between the loops of bandage. But one side of his head didn’t seem to have any hair at all. It was raw and red with blisters. He hadn’t seemed like he was in such bad shape when he’d pulled him from the basement. He couldn’t recall seeing any burns on him at all. But then, there had been plenty of thick, black smoke, and it wasn’t like Jace was interested in a full body inspection of him at the time. He only wanted to get him out.

 

Now it looked like he’d been too late. Daniel was in rough shape and even if he woke up, he must have a long recovery ahead of him. And who knew what he’d look like. He had been a good-looking guy. And his girl, Angie, was nice-looking herself. They would have made some cute babies. Would have. But now? How long would Angie stay with him if he was disfigured? He hoped she loved him, but they hadn’t been together for years. Months, sure, but was that long to commit to someone through this? He didn’t know.

 

“Were you the one?” Angie asked.

 

“One what?” Jace said.

 

“Who went in to save him?”

 

“I went in and pulled him out,” Jace said. “But it doesn’t look like I saved him.”

 

“You did.” She kissed Daniel’s hand and held it tight while tears ran down her face. “Thank you. You risked your life to save him. I’ll always be grateful for that, no matter what happens.”

 

Jace nodded. “He’s my friend. I wasn’t going to just let him die.”

 

“You’re a good man,” Angie said. She looked over at Isabella and gave her a weak smile. “You’re lucky to have a guy like that.”

 

“I know.” Isabella smiled across the room at him.

 

He didn’t deserve this praise, though. Not when Daniel was lying here like this. So close to death. If he would have gotten there sooner, would have found him and gotten them out faster, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.

 

“Hey, man.” Aaron clapped him on the shoulder. “I can see you beating yourself up from across the room. Give it up. You did what you could. You ran into a burning building to pull him out. Plenty of people wouldn’t have done that. You didn’t set the fire. This is on Lionel and the Ghost Reapers. And we made them pay today.”

 

Angie looked up at this. “You did? How?”

 

“We took them out,” Aaron said simply.

 

“Good.” Angie stroked part of Daniel’s cheek that was visible through the bandages and burned patches. “Hear that, baby? The Hawks got them. They took revenge on those assholes for you.”

 

“Yeah,” Jace said. “But revenge won’t make him get better faster.” Nothing would, except a lot of time and hoping for the best. Jace turned to Aaron. “You hear from Derrick or Alex?”

 

He nodded. “They’re taking Alex into surgery to remove the bullet. He’ll be okay, though. They said it was a clean shot. No shattered bones or anything like that.”

 

“Good. Do you know how it happened?”

 

“Not sure, but it was during the fight when you were dealing with Lionel. A lot of shots back and forth. We got lucky.”

 

Jace nodded and dropped his voice. “Did we leave any alive? Any get away?”

 

“Not that I know of. Unless some of them weren’t there at all. We took them all down. It’s amazing how unskilled those guys were. They must not have gone to the range very often.”

 

“That’s why weekly is my minimum requirement,” Jace said, glad more than ever that he’d made that rule. It had seemed a little strong at first. Making every one of his guys practice shooting every single week. Some had complained at first. But they did it. And now they’d all seen why. It kept them sharp and practiced. He’d also made them try out different guns and get varied practice. You never knew when you’d be shooting a gun that wasn’t your own, and they needed to be skilled in all types and ready for anything.

 

“I don’t think anyone will ever question that again,” Aaron said. “Not that I ever did.”

 

Jace laughed. “Surprised you don’t own a range by now.”

 

“If I had more land, I would.”

 

A text came in from Derrick. Alex just got out of surgery. Everything’s looking good. Heading to see Daniel.

 

Me and Aaron are here now, Jace sent back.

 

A few minutes later, Derrick walked in. He took one look at Daniel and dropped his head. “So, no improvement?”

 

“Afraid not,” Aaron said.

 

Derrick came to stand beside them. “I don’t know what happened. We were all in the basement when the smoke started. He was in the bathroom, but the bathroom is right there. How did he not get out in time? It doesn’t make any sense.” Derrick shook his head. “He looks bad.”

 

“We all thought he was right behind us,” Aaron said. “Maybe he tripped or something? I’ve been trying to figure it out myself.”

 

“Alex even went back in. He said the bathroom was empty.” Derrick shook his head.

 

“That smoke was nuts,” Jace said. “If I didn’t know my own house so well, I’d have gotten turned around. I almost did. I walk down there in the dark so often, though, I was able to figure out where I was. Maybe the smoke just got too much and he couldn’t see. They say that happens.”

 

Aaron and Derrick nodded and looked at Daniel’s lifeless body.

 

“He’s gotta wake up,” Derrick said.

 

Jace’s phone buzzed with a text from Alex. I’ll be okay. How’s Daniel?

 

He answered, Hanging in there for now.

 

As they stood together, watching, there was a sudden loud and steady beep. It came from one of the machines hooked up to Daniel. On the heart monitor there was only a flat line.

 

Jace looked at Aaron and Derrick in horror and his heart leapt to his throat. Seconds later, several nurses and doctors rushed in. They shoved them out of the way. The guys went to the other side of the room to stand with the women, since that side was closer to the door and had slightly more room. They stood close together, huddled in a watchful dismay, to give the medical staff space to work.

 

A nurse took out paddles, rubbed some goo on them, and pushed them against Daniel’s chest to shock him. His whole body jumped with the electricity. Jace had to look away. He looked instead at Isabella. Her eyes were wild with fear. He heard the sounds of the machine booting up and they shocked him again. Several times, they tried. They worked and shouted commands back and forth. But after several minutes, they stopped. The room fell eerily quiet. He heard someone say, “Call it,” and he refused to think about what that meant.

 

It had all happened too fast. Just a minute ago, they were standing around his body. His still, but still alive body. Could they be done working on him already? They’d given up far too soon. There had to be more they could do. He looked from Aaron to Derrick. Did they agree? Did they think this was outrageous that the medical staff was done working already? How long had it been? A minute or two? They should give it at least a half hour. An hour even. This was his friend. Didn’t they know how important he was to them?

 

One of the doctors walked over to the group of onlookers. His face was tight, and sweat glistened on his forehead. “I’m sorry,” he said. “He’s passed.”

 

“What?” Jace said. “You’re done working on him already? You gave up too soon!”

 

Jace wanted to clock the guy. As if Aaron sensed this, he stepped closer to Jace, to put himself between him and the doctor.

 

“I’m sorry. We did everything we could,” the doctor said. “But after forty minutes, there’s really nothing else we can do.”

 

Forty minutes? It hadn’t been anywhere near that long, had it? He looked at his phone. The text he’d sent to Alex, the one telling him Daniel was still hanging in there, said it was sent forty-five minutes ago. And that had been a very short time before Daniel’s heart had stopped.

 

So that was it. Daniel was really gone. They had worked on him for a long time. They’d done everything they could, but there was just so saving him.

 

He heard Angie screaming. Someone—Derrick, maybe?—went to her and caught her before she fell to the ground. Jace saw nothing except Daniel’s body, lying still on the bed, hooked up to tubes and wires and not breathing at all. The flat line still ran across the heart rate monitor. A nurse pulled a sheet up over his face.

 

Jace kept watching. Waiting for Daniel to sit up and throw the sheet back. Waiting for him to wake up and walk out of there.

 

Derrick got Angie out of the room. Isabella fell back into the chair, silent tears running down her face as she rocked Sara back and forth. Aaron and Jace looked at each other, both full of shock. They stared at each other for a long time, not saying anything. Not knowing what to say.

 

Daniel was really dead? Gone forever? It seemed impossible. Jace had gone into the house to save him. He’d pulled him out of the fire. He couldn’t be dead. After all he’d gone through to make sure he lived. He had to wake up. There was no other option.

 

He looked at Daniel’s body again. The form under the sheet didn’t move. One of the nurses remained, unhooking things from him discreetly. When she was done, she went to them and said gently, “Why don’t you all go home and try to rest? There’ll be a lot to do in the next few days.”

 

Jace nodded absently. But they couldn’t just leave. Just leave and Daniel would stay there? He’d never come home. He’d never get up and walk out of there.

 

Rage flared up in him for an instant, but it was quickly extinguished. They’d killed the guys responsible for this. They were all dead. They’d gotten their revenge already. Daniel’s death was avenged.

 

But knowing that did nothing to ease the pain he felt. Like he’d said before, their death wouldn’t undo Daniel’s, much as he wished it could. To think he’d never see Daniel again, sitting there in his Hawks jacket during one of their meetings. Beating the pants off everyone at darts. Drinking everyone under the table. Then puking his guts out later. He’d never see him zoom off on his obnoxious yellow bike. Never see him kiss Angie again. Had they planned to get married? Maybe they’d talked about it. Maybe Daniel was going to propose.

 

He tried to imagine what Angie was feeling right now. Probably the same way he’d feel if something had happened to Isabella. She was standing by his side. Her shoulder brushed against his. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

 

He closed his eyes and felt a tear splash down his face. Daniel was really gone. And there was nothing else they could do for him now.

 

Jace looked at Aaron. “Tell Alex. Tell the guys.”

 

Aaron nodded.

 

Jace hugged him. A full-on hug, unlike their usual one-armed bro hug. It lasted several seconds longer, too. Then, when they’d separated, Jace put his hand on Isabella’s back and guided her toward the door. Angie and Derrick were in the hall. Angie was slumped against Derrick, sobbing. Jace bent and hugged her and Derrick.

 

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” Jace said to them. “Angie, we’ll help you take care of everything. Try to get some rest tonight. Call me if you need anything.”

 

He and Isabella, who still held the sleeping Sara, walked out of the hospital and to her car.