Silas collapses before I can respond, hitting the floor hard.
I glance at the gun in his hands. The one I keep in my office. The one Drew begged me not to buy because of what happened… But I did it anyway.
Ivy moans through the gag. I scramble to my feet, adrenaline ripping through me as I rush to her.
“Baby,” I drop to my knees, hands shaking as I tear at the gag. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Once I get the gag free, she wraps her arms around me, body quaking. “Took you long enough.”
Relief crashes through me so hard I almost laugh.
Drew kneels beside me, and we push the chair upright, then work on the restraints.
The second she’s free, I pull her into my arms, crushing her against me. She clings to me, sobbing and trembling.
We stay like that for a few beats before I pull back and press my forehead to hers. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should’ve been faster.”
She grips my shirt with shaking fingers. “You came,” she says. “That’s what matters.”
Sirens wail in the distance.
Drew meets my eyes. “I called them.”
I lift my head. “How did you figure it out?”
He shrugs, a small smile curving his lips. “I thought, ‘What would Sebastian do?’ Turns out, I can think like you.”
We chuckle for a moment before I turn my attention back to Ivy. I kiss her temple, my hands still trembling. “You scared me,” I admit.
She huffs weakly. “Good.” Her eyes lock on mine. “Maybe you’ll finally realize what I mean to you.”
“Trust me, I do.” I push her hair away from her face. “I learned the night you slept in the spare bedroom.”
I almost lost her. And that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Drew looks at me, his face pale. “You guys okay?” He gives me a sad smile. “I should’ve already asked.”
I look at him. He’s shaking, like he’s in shock. He just shot a man, and it saved our lives.
“It’s okay, little bro.” I give him a small smile. “Yeah. Are you?”
He shrugs, then shakes his head.
I pull Ivy from the chair, holding her against me with one arm. The other clamps onto my brother’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do.”
“You saved us, Drew,” Ivy says, her voice cracking.
A small smile slowly blooms on his dazed face. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
I squeeze him against me in a side hug. When I release him, I pull Ivy tighter, cherishing that we’re okay. For the most part.
All that matters is we’re alive.
61
SEBASTIAN
Red and blue lights slash through the windows, bouncing off the walls in sharp, disorienting bursts.
