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My phone falls out of his limp hand and bounces underneath the nightstand.

“LEO!” I scream, dropping to my knees and pressing both hands over his wound, desperate to keep him alive, but he’s bleeding too fucking much.

“Don’t die, Leo. Please don’t die,” I beg, tears running down my cheeks, and Julian laughs.

I turn to him, glaring with all the hate I suddenly feel for him. “What did you do?! Björn—!”

Julian grabs Finnian by the hair, dragging his head back and pressing the bloody knife against his neck. “Make a sound, and Finnian dies right here.”

“Don’t! I’ll do whatever you want! Just don’t hurt him,” I sob, my hands pressed to Leo.

Without removing the knife from Finnian’s throat, Julian takes out his phone, writes something, and then puts the phone back into his pocket.

I want to strangle him and make him regret ever hurting the people I love, to help Finnian… but if I lift my hands, Leo will die.

So I stay here, useless and terrified, watching Julian drag Finnian toward the open balcony doors.

Julian kicks the doors open wider, looking back at me. “Stand up and jump to the balcony below.”

“No. I can’t jump from this height,” I say, but Julian laughs.

“You forget I’ve watched you climb and jump balconies for years. Stop fucking stalling.”

“No, Julian… If I let go of Leo, he’s going to bleed out and die!”

“He will, but if you don’t, then both Leo and Finnian will die. So what do you want? One friend dead or two friends dead?”

No, I can’t.

I can’t let go of Leo.

But then I see the terror in Finnian’s amber eyes, and I don’t want him to die…

I am so sorry, Leo.

I lean down, pressing my forehead against Leo’s. “Please hold on,” I choke out before letting go.

I run to the balcony, hoping that the faster we leave, the faster Finnian can run for help and save Leo.

I look around, but it’s getting late, and the place is too dark to find help, so I hold the balcony railing with my bloody hands and jump over it.

“Good. Now say goodbye to Finnian,” the sociopath laughs as he raises the blade, ready to stab him in the chest.

“Stop!” I beg. “If you hurt him, I’ll yell right now. And when the twins come in, you won’t make it two fucking steps alive.”

Julian’s eyes snap toward the doorway, and his face twists with anger.

He knows I’m right.

“Fine,” he hisses, slamming the handle of the knife against Finnian’s head, knocking him unconscious to the floor.

Julian throws the knife toward Leo, then grabs me by the back of my shirt and drags me over the edge.

As soon as we hit the lower balcony, someone starts shooting.

Then more and more shooting.

So many screams and bullets that it feels as if we’ve jumped off the balcony and teleported into a war zone.