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“You don’t know shit about me.”

“We both know that isn’t true.” I shake my head slowly, and I notice his gun is lowering because he’s unfocused. He’s mildly insane. And he wants to spar with me mentally.

Which I can give him for about two minutes.

“I know that you’re pissed that your father left half of his money to me.”

Because he saw something in me and knew that I could carry on his legacy of business far better than his own son could.

“You didn’t deserve it.”

“Probably not,” I agree with a nod. “Didn’t make it less mine.”

“Stop moving,” Damien barks out, his gun coming back up and pointing at my chest.

I stop and see that his back is to Rina now, his attention diverted, and she sees it too.

I shake my head, but she moves anyway, getting his attention, and I run and tackle Damien to the floor.

His gun skitters away, and I punch the fucker, sending his head cracking into the cement floor. He’s stronger than I give him credit for, and he manages to slither out from under me, and then Rina’s there, holding the gun on his head.

She’s wobbly as fuck, but she has that gun.

I stand and wrap an arm around her, press my lips to her head, and then her feet are pulled out from under her, sending her to her ass, the gun falls, and Damien recovers it, points it at me, and fires.

Rina screams.

I fall back and hit my head.

And everything goes fucking dark.

Fifty-Three

RINA

“No!”

Carson is lifeless where he lies on the floor, and I swear to God, my soul leaves my body.

“No no no no no.”

Damien turns to me, that gun still raised and a mask of rage and hate all over his face, but before he can shoot, more men flood into the room and manage to unarm him.

“Carson!” I’m screaming. I can’t stop screaming, and I crawl over to my husband, but I’m so weak, so dizzy. I think I’m losing my mind because there’s no blood.

He got shot, and there’s no blood.

“No, baby, you stay with me, okay. You can’t leave.” I’m sobbing and screaming and losing my mind.

I’m literally losing my mind.

There are voices, and someone tries to pick me up, but I start to flail and kick and punch because they’re trying to take me away from Carson and they’re going to kill us both and Charlie won’t have us anymore.

My wound is open again. I can feel the warm blood running down my arm and dripping onto Carson as I try to reach for him.

He won’t open his eyes.

“Look at me!”