“What about the body?” Becca asked.

 

Rowan looked past her to Nick’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 Nick himself, watching Becca do it was even better.

 

And, apparently, his dick loved it, too, because he had such a raging hard on, it felt like he’d burst any minute. He almost needed to move Becca 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’ve had to if she kept kissing him and looking at him like that.

 

The way she’d gazed up at him when she knew Nick 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 Nick was dead, she could be his free and clear. No looking behind their backs. No worrying about Nick or Abram 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?”

 

Rowan glanced to Nate. “Drag him back to the fire?”

 

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

 

Rowan nodded and turned back to Becca. “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 Emma is okay.”

 

Rowan nodded. “Of course. Ricky has her, though. She’s safe.”

 

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

 

“Want some help?” Rowan asked.

 

“Nope. Got it.”

 

As they walked, Rowan 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?” Becca 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?” Becca looked up at him with concern.

 

“Well, I had a little mishap earlier.” He put his arm back around her and they continued walking. “Abram 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.”

 

Becca hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

 

Rowan 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. Nick’s dead and Abram’s dead. I think all of his guys are dead, too. We won, Becca. It’s over.”

 

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

 

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 Emma,” he said, gently picking up her head to kiss her. “She must be afraid and worried.”

 

Becca 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 Nate. He wasn’t too far behind. But what if the house went down before they got Nick back inside?

 

He saw his guys standing at the edge of the woods and Emma standing beside Ricky.

 

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

 

“Mommy, the house!”

 

“I know. It’s burning.”

 

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

 

“They can’t hurt us now,” Becca said.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

“Good job,” Becca said.

 

Then Emma 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,” Becca said.

 

“Why?”

 

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

 

“Oh.” Emma 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?”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Rowan took out his gun and the one Becca had shot Nick 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 Nick’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 Nick’s body blackened, the bullet hole from Becca’s shot still subtly visible in his forehead, would replace the image of him holding the gun to Emma’s head.

 

Rowan walked back to Becca and Emma. “All clear.”

 

“Can we go home?” Becca asked.

 

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

 

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

 

Rowan 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 Rebels if they weren’t careful. No sirens were a good thing.

 

“All right, Rebels,” Rowan 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 Becca, 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.

 

Rowan dropped his head, but smiled. “I’ll see you guys over there. I want to check on Marcus 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.” Rowan turned and walked to Becca’s car.

 

She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door, then slid Emma into her booster seat. Rowan stood and watched the care she took in buckling her in and making sure she was comfortable. Emma had Cuddles and hugged her close. Becca 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.”

 

“Emma?”

 

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.” Rowan 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 Emma would be okay. He’d make sure of it. If Becca 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 Becca. 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 Emma. 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,” Rowan 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 Nate sat in his car, making sure they were okay.

 

“You’re right.” Becca 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.”

 

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

 

In his mirror, Rowan saw Emma nod and squeeze Cuddles tight. Becca started the car and drove off, Nate following behind them.

 

###

 

Becca didn’t care what Rowan 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 Emma. Fast asleep. She looked over at Rowan 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 were only 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 Abram had burned his place down. Who did something like that? Was it bad? Rowan 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 Nick. 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 Emma 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. Becca had been slowly rebuying a lot of things, but didn’t have much budget for all that.

 

For Rowan, 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 were 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 Emma 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 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.”

 

“Becca, 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.”

 

###

 

Becca turned into the hospital and Rowan 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 Emma?” 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 Becca scooped Emma into her arms, wrapping her little legs around her to hold her so she could stay asleep.

 

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

 

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

 

Ricky nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

 

Jameson and Rowan bumped fists and Rowan came back to where Becca 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?”

 

“Rowan Luther.”

 

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.”

 

Rowan walked to the closest seat, Becca right behind him with Emma in her arms. They sat and waited.

 

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

 

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

 

Nate nodded. “I’m going to the room Marcus was in.”

 

“Send me an update.”

 

“Will do.”

 

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

 

“Rowan Luther.”

 

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

 

Rowan sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his feet dangling causally from the end. Becca sat by his side in one of the padded chairs, still holding Emma 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 Rowan’s hand. Rowan 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,” he 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 Rowan a small white tube, which Rowan stuck in his pocket. “Come back to see me in a week.”

 

Rowan nodded. “Sounds good. Thanks.”

 

The doctor nodded at him and left the room.

 

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

 

Becca 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, Rowan took out his phone and called Nate. “Where are you guys?”

 

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

 

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

 

“How is he?” Becca asked.

 

Rowan 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. Nate was there watching and Marcus’s girlfriend, Kara, sat close to his bed. Tubes and wires ran from Marcus, who lay in the bed, far too still. It looked like a machine was breathing for him.

 

“What’s going on?” Rowan asked.

 

Nate and Kara both looked at him, but Kara turned her attention back to Marcus.

 

Nate moved to stand closer to Rowan 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.”

 

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

 

She sat and arranged Emma into a more comfortable position on her lap. Emma was fast asleep and Becca 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.

 

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

 

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

 

“We all do.” Rowan walked to the opposite side of the bed to squeeze Marcus’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.

 

Marcus 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 Marcus’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 Rowan 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. Marcus 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, Kara, was nice-looking herself. They would have made some cute babies. Would have. But now? How long would Kara stay with him if he were 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?” Kara asked.

 

“One what?” Rowan said.

 

“Who went in to save him?”

 

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

 

“You did.” She kissed Marcus’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.”

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

He didn’t deserve this praise, though. Not when Marcus 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.” Nate 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 Abram and the Screaming Griffins. And we made them pay today.”

 

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

 

“We took them out,” Nate said simply.

 

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

 

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

 

He nodded. “They’re taking Ricky 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 Abram. A lot of shots back and forth. We got lucky.”

 

Rowan 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,” Rowan said, glad more than ever 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,” Nate said. “Not that I ever did.”

 

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

 

“If I had more land, I would.”

 

A text came in from Jameson. Ricky just got out of surgery. Everything’s looking good. Heading to see Marcus.

 

Me and Nate are here now, Rowan sent back.

 

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

 

“Afraid not,” Nate said.

 

Jameson 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.” Jameson shook his head. “He looks bad.”

 

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

 

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

 

“That smoke was nuts,” Rowan 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.”

 

Nate and Jameson nodded and looked at Marcus’s lifeless body.

 

“He’s gotta wake up,” Jameson said.

 

Rowan’s phone buzzed with a text from Ricky. I’ll be okay. How’s Marcus?

 

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 Marcus. On the heart monitor, there was only a flat line.

 

Rowan looked at Nate and Jameson 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 Marcus’s chest to shock him. His whole body jumped with the electricity. Rowan had to look away. He looked instead at Becca. 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 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 Nate to Jameson. 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?” Rowan said. “You’re done working on him already? You gave up too soon!”

 

Rowan wanted to clock the guy. As if Nate sensed this, he stepped closer to Rowan, 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 Ricky, the one telling him Marcus was still hanging in there, said it was sent forty-five minutes ago. And that had been a very short time before Marcus’s heart had stopped.

 

So that was it. Marcus was really gone. They had worked on him for a long time. They’d done everything they could, but there was just no saving him.

 

He heard Kara screaming. Someone—Jameson, maybe?—went to her and caught her before she fell to the ground. Rowan saw nothing except Marcus’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.

 

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

 

Jameson got Kara out of the room. Becca fell back into the chair, silent tears running down her face as she rocked Emma back and forth. Nate and Rowan 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.

 

Marcus was really dead? Gone forever? It seemed impossible. Rowan 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 Marcus’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.”

 

Rowan nodded absently. But they couldn’t just leave. Just leave and Marcus 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. Marcus’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 Marcus’s, much as he wished it could. To think he’d never see Marcus again, sitting there in his Rebels 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 Kara again. Had they planned to get married? Maybe they’d talked about it. Maybe Marcus was going to propose.

 

He tried to imagine what Kara was feeling right now. Probably the same way he’d feel if something had happened to Becca. 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. Marcus was really gone. And there was nothing else they could do for him now.

 

Rowan looked at Nate. “Tell Ricky. Tell the guys.”

 

Nate nodded.

 

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

 

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

 

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