I can’t take my eyes off Vincent as Dad gently removes my gag and cradles my face.

“You okay?” He winces as he looks at the wounds on my forehead and cheek.

His eyes are glistening. His fingers on my face tremble while he gazes at me.

“I’m fine,” I murmur and lick the edge of my aching mouth. “Vincent,” I whimper.

Dad gasps, racing back to my boyfriend and shouting his name. “Vincent!”

He quickly inspects his shoulder before whipping off his jacket and then pulling his shirt off. Balling it up, he applies pressure to the wound, then forces Vincent into a sitting position. He groans and my heart constricts.

As soon as he’s resting against the wall, Vincent opens his eyes and whispers, “Untie Chloe. I’m fine.”

“Keep pressure on that wound.” He makes sure Vincent’s hand is steady and holding before leaping back to me. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he frees my wrists and legs.

I can’t help a small cry as I move my arms. My muscles are screaming in agony.

“Just stay put until the paramedics get here.” Dad tries to stop me while yanking out his phone and making a call.

“No,” I whimper, shaking his hand off my arm and scrambling to my feet.

I try to walk to Vincent’s side, but the world turns sideways on me again. I drop to my knees and end up crawling across to him.

As soon as I’m within reach, he lets go of Dad’s shirt and holds his good arm out for me. I scramble into his embrace, quickly picking up the shirt and reapplying pressure to the wound. He’s been shot in the shoulder. I have no idea how bad it is or if he’ll need surgery.

The thought makes me blubber, tears streaming down my face as I rest my head against his good shoulder. His arm curls around my back and his lips brush my forehead. I close my eyes and let the tears flow. I’m completely exhausted and now that it’s over, I want to shatter like glass hitting ceramic tiles.

“Yeah, I need an ambulance at Club Matrix,” Dad’s voice is low and hollow. He looks over his shoulder and stares at Mayor Carter. The man’s gone quiet, his cheek lying on the wooden floor as he stares across the room. He’s not seeing anything. His expression is one of complete desolation.

He’s probably just as shocked and horrified as the rest of us.

He’s been caught. There’s no way out now. No cover.

I can’t believe this is happening.

Holden’s father.

My body convulses as the aftermath hits me. The repercussions are huge, and a lot of people are going to be hurting over this one.

Will they try to pull strings and cover it up again?

Will someone get threatened?

Or will justice finally be served?

Feet thump on the stairwell. I don’t know who’s coming, but two bodies jerk to a stop in the doorway.

I glance up to find Holden and Maddie gaping into the room as they quickly figure out what happened. Holden’s face puckers with surprise. “Dad?”

Mayor Carter flinches, his eyes shooting up to his son before he frowns and turns his head the other way.

The dawning realization is brutal.

Maddie’s blue eyes fill with tears as Holden rushes across the room.

“Dad!” He lands on his knees, forcing his father onto his back and gripping his collar. “No! What did you do?”

My dad walks over, calmly placing his hands on Holden’s shoulders. “It’s okay, son. Let him go.”

“You shit!” Holden sobs, shaking his father as anger distorts his handsome face.

“Let the law deal with him.” Dad’s voice is soft and calm. “He won’t get away with anything else. We’ll make sure of it.”

Holden’s upper lip curls with disdain as he lets his father go. Mayor Carter thumps back to the floor. I flinch and Vincent holds me a little tighter.

Maddie kneels down beside us, covering her hand with her mouth as she looks at the blood oozing between my fingers. Dad’s shirt is now saturated with blood.

I push it against Vincent’s wound.

He lets out a feeble grunt but I don’t let up. He’s losing too much blood.

“Where’s Max?” Dad asks while guiding Holden back to us.

“She and Cairo are downstairs with the police,” Maddie murmurs. “Luisa tried to flee the scene, but we kind of stopped her before she could. We were going for a citizen’s arrest, but then a squad car pulled up and they took over. They’re taking statements and I told them I thought you were in the building. As soon as backup arrives, they’re going to sweep this whole place.” Maddie frowns. “Dad, I don’t know if they’re going to arrest her. If she’s anything like her brother, she might have the wrong people in her back pocket.”

“I’ll go down and give them an update, make sure she gets taken to the station. Don’t worry, they won’t get away with it this time.” Dad’s voice is somber as he points down at Vincent. “Keep pressure on his wound. I’ll send the paramedics up as soon as they arrive.”

He walks through the door, his footsteps loud on the stairs.

Holden crouches down beside us, scrubbing a hand over his face before muttering to Vincent, “He shot you?”

“Rather me than Chloe,” Vincent rasps.

A fresh set of tears fills my eyes, my chin bunching as I try to hold in my sob.

Holden nods, quickly assessing the situation and taking charge of Vincent’s care.

“It’s okay. I’ve got it.” He gently removes my hand from Dad’s shirt and continues to plug Vincent’s wound.

Maddie comes around to me, assessing my forehead. “That looks nasty.”

“I’m okay.”

“Are you dizzy? Blurry vision?”

I want to say no, but I can’t lie anymore. “Yeah, a little.”

“I’m going down to wait for the paramedics. I’ll lead them up here.” Maddie squeezes her boyfriend’s arm and they share an agonized look before she jumps up and disappears.

Gently gripping Vincent’s side, I nestle my head into his shoulder, aware that his hold on my back is going slack.

Sitting up, I gaze down at his pale face and panic starts to rise to the surface.

“Vincent?”

He responds with a groggy groan and struggles to open his eyes.

“He’s losing a lot of blood,” Holden whispers, his eyes brimming with sympathy.

“No!” I whisper. “He’s going to be fine. It’s just a shoulder wound. Vincent!” I grip his shirt, begging him to open his eyes. “Come on, stay with me! Vincent!”

He’s still not opening his eyes and the panic is now in full bloom. My erratic heart is threatening to explode if he doesn’t answer me.

“Vincent!”

Footsteps arrive on the stairwell, rushing up to meet us.

I let out a strangled cry as two paramedics burst through the door. Holden moves aside, telling them what he can while I crumple on the floor and turn into a useless quivering mess.

They get busy administering to Vincent and Holden’s soon crouched beside me, his arm wrapped securely around my shoulders.

He doesn’t say anything. All he can do is hold me tight and stare across the room at his shame-faced father. A paramedic is checking out his wound as two officers enter and stand guard beside the fallen mayor.

“Step back, please.” A paramedic orders us aside and before I know it, Vincent is being rushed out to an ambulance.

Holden supports me down the stairs. My legs act like cooked spaghetti and he basically has to pick me up and carry me.

Two steps onto the empty dance floor and I’m soon surrounded, being fussed over by loving family as they cart me out to the second ambulance.

The first one is pulling away, its sirens blaring as they transport Vincent to the nearest hospital. It kills me not to be with him.

Tears trail down my cheeks as I watch it drive away without me and I start to pray that Vincent will be okay.

Although, right now, I can’t see how anything will ever be okay again.

* * *

I sit in the treatment room, my legs swinging back and forth as I wait for the nurse to find me a room for the night. They’re making me stay for observation thanks to the concussion I scored last night. And there’s a chance I may have a CT scan in the morning, just to double-check that everything in my brain is okay.

My superficial wounds have all been treated. I have bandages around my wrists and balm on my ankles.

Mom’s been in here fretting up a storm, but I finally managed to persuade her to go and check on my sisters. I need a second to breathe.

Holden’s in shock. Maddie’s with him while they wait for his mother to arrive.

Max and Cairo have been freaking amazing, wiping up a constant stream of tears and being the quiet oak trees everyone needs to lean on. Cairo’s parents arrived at the hospital before we did. They must have driven like a tornado was chasing them. It’s a good fifty minutes from Armitage to Cullington. They must have done it in forty. I’m glad Mr. Hale floored it, because he and his wife have been on hand to help with any requests. I know my mom spent a few minutes crying in Mrs. Hale’s arms while a nurse cleaned up my wounds.

I can’t stop asking for updates on Vincent. He’s in surgery now and I’m sick with worry.

I don’t even know what the operation entails, but he better make it out alive.

Yet more tears sting my eyes as I relive a few harrowing moments of my ordeal.

I can’t believe Milo Carter covered up Todd McCrae’s murder and framed Nick Mancini. I can’t believe he threatened to kill me. I can’t believe he shot my boyfriend!

Shit, if Vincent hadn’t jumped in the way, that bullet would have gone straight into my father.

I pull in a ragged breath and grip the edge of the examination table.

Dad’s apparently at the station, making sure the arrests go through without a hitch. He’ll have a battle on his hands. Luisa Garcia is connected to some powerful men. They’ll be hard to take on, but Dad’s got it in him. He’ll be worried about our safety, but he can’t be bought and he won’t be scared off.

I, for one, will not be running to the hills or hiding myself away.

Luisa Garcia and Milo Carter will be tried and convicted for their crimes. I don’t care how good their lawyers are. They’re not getting away with it this time.

I’ll happily testify against them.

The door eases open, and I flinch at the sound.

“It’s only me,” Dad murmurs, slipping into the room.

My lips curl into a sad smile as he slowly approaches the bed.

“How you feelin’?”

I shrug.

“They’ll be transferring you to a room soon. Mom’s fought to get you some privacy, so you won’t be sharing.”

I snicker and look down at Dad’s black shoes.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry for this whole mess. I never should have gotten on that bus, and broken your rules. I was just so desperate to find you some proof.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetie.” Dad’s voice is thick with emotion.

I glance up and notice the glistening in his eyes.

“You tried to tell me to reopen the case. I should have listened to you.”

My throat is thick and gummy, making it impossible to respond.

“You girls are…” He lets out a broken kind of snicker. “I’ve made liars out of you. I’ve been so hard and judgmental. I pushed so much that Max couldn’t tell me she was over baseball and you couldn’t tell me that you were dating Vincent Mancini. My own daughters are too scared to talk to me about what’s going on in their lives.” He shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m a police officer and you couldn’t even tell me what you were trying to do for Vincent and his brother. You nearly died today!” His jaw works to the side. It’s trembling as he sucks in a shaky breath. “I should have listened. I should have heard you, read between the lines.”

“I probably could have been clearer.” My shoulder hitches. “But I figured you wouldn’t understand. That you’d stop me somehow. People never give Vincent a chance because they hear his family name and take one look at his face and then make all the worst assumptions. They don’t want to hear that his brother’s innocent because they want to look up to people like Milo Carter.” I scoff and press my quivering lips together. “But Vincent saved your life today. He’s the hero.”

“I know,” Dad rasps, his shoulders slumping forward like he’s run out of fight for a minute.

Easing off the bed, I shuffle across to him and wrap my arms around his thick torso. “I love you, Dad.”

His arms come around me in an instant, cradling me against him while we quietly sniff and cry in each other’s arms.