Shit.

Enrico took Eden. I felt it the second she was gone. The bullet fire slowly started to subside, and Enrico was nowhere in sight. He stole her from me. I won’t let him live.

I’m going to kill Dierk for not keeping Eden locked up where it was safe.

I race back to where Arlo lays on the ground, with Nina over him, trying her best to close his wound and undo the rope around his wrists.

I bend down and place my hands on him, but Nina tries to fight me off.

“Get the fuck away from him!” Nina yells.

“Calm down. I’m helping him.”

“Get away!” she cries again.

I turn to Arlo. “Will you tell her to stop so that I can help you?”

Arlo studies me a minute and then looks at Nina. She stops screaming, and I look down at his wound. I pull thread and a needle out of my pocket I always keep with me when we are going into battle, and I start closing his wound.

“You did this all on purpose, didn’t you? Why?” Arlo asks, finally understanding I was scheming this whole time.

“Because Enrico was alive after you left. And he wouldn’t stop until he got his revenge. You protected Nina by running. I protected her by setting a trap for Enrico.”

“By using us as the bait?” Arlo asks, his voice raised.

“Yes.”

Arlo head butts me. “You put Nina’s life at risk!”

“I had to; it was the only way to get Enrico to come to me. I needed to ensure that he was killed.”

“You stabbed me and didn’t include me on the plan.”

I roll my eyes. “I barely stabbed you, and you know I missed any major organs. You’ll be good as new in a few weeks.”

Arlo growls, and Nina crosses her arms with a pissed expression.

“Why did you steal Eden? Why keep her so long?” Nina asks.

I wince, not wanting to answer. “I found you guys within a few weeks of you leaving. I needed it to look like I hadn’t though so Enrico would think you were so off the grid, he wouldn’t bother looking. So I pretended that I needed Eden’s help to find you. I planned on using her to get him to think I was struggling to find you and keep you safe until I came up with a plan. But then…”

“Then you fell in love with her,” Nina finishes.

I nod. “And now she thinks I hate her.”

Nina places a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll earn her love back.”

She slaps me across the cheek. “But don’t ever hurt her or stab my boyfriend again.”

“I won’t,” I say, rubbing the spot that barely stings.

“He’s headed north. We think he has a cabin he’s renting about thirty miles from here,” Clive says as he jogs over to me.

Nina’s eyes grow big as she takes a step in front of Arlo, who still has his arms tied behind his back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Arlo asks, looking at Clive.

Clive cocks his head to the side as he grins as Nina. “Matteo needed my assistance.”

Nina and Arlo turn their gazes to me.

“I needed more help to ensure that Enrico was dead. I’ve been busy with Eden and the baby—”

“Baby?” Nina squeals.

I smile. “Eden’s pregnant.”

“Oh my god! I’m going to be an aunt!” she screams.

“Baby, that’s great, and all but our lives are still in danger, and we need to get Eden back and kill Enrico,” Arlo says.

Nina stops squealing.

I turn to Clive. “I found out Clive and Erick were still alive after I almost killed them in an ambush. They have doubled the size of their team, and I thought I could use all the help I could get going against Enrico.

“Enrico thinks Clive and Erick would be the last people I would ever work with, so I knew if they planned this operation, it would mean Enrico would have no clue of the plan. I was afraid some of my men might still be loyal to Enrico.”

I grab Clive by the collar of his shirt. “But it seems that Enrico isn’t dead. And Eden is gone. Your plan didn’t work. You have one hour to fix your screw up, and we’ll be right behind you. Enrico needs to be dead, and Eden needs to be safe. Otherwise, we have no deal. Understand?” I say.

“Yes,” Clive smirks.

I release him, and he runs off.

“What deal?” Arlo asks.

I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is killing Enrico and protecting Eden and our baby.”

I pull a knife out of my pocket and cut the ropes holding Arlo back.

“Thanks,” he says, as the ropes drop from his wrists.

Then he punches me in the jaw.

I close my eyes as the pain radiates through my entire head and down my arms.

“That was for stabbing me,” Arlo says.

“Seems fair.”

He laughs. “I’m not done yet. I still get a jab for risking me and my fiancé’s lives.”

“Fiancé?”

“I haven’t asked yet, but yea, I’m hoping,” Arlo says.

Nina gives him look that says ’yes’ and then jumps into his arms with a kiss.

I sigh. “It’s good to have you back. And as much as I’d love to watch you two make out, can we please go save Eden?”