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“I don’t believe you,” the bastard said all too calmly. “I think your problem is that you haven’t had the proper incentive to finding the art collection.”
Rough hands grabbed Stephen from behind, jerking him away from Ehren. His stomach lurched and the air burst from his lungs in shock. Somehow he’d forgotten the two bodyguards standing behind them.
Ehren shouted and grabbed for him, but the other heavy placed a hand in the center of Ehren’s slender chest and shoved him backward. His lover stumbled and fell hard on his hip. Stephen instinctively tried to go to him, but the hand on his shoulder tightened, pushing him to his knees.
In a heartbeat, the world slowed to a crawl. He was on his knees, facing Ehren, and a gun was pushed hard against his skull. He blinked and drew in a breath, willing himself to push away all the fear and panic. Calm swept over him, and he opened his eyes again to find tears streaming down Ehren’s face as he kneeled on the floor, facing Stephen. The criminal mastermind was several feet away, looking bored by the entire affair.
“It’ll be okay, Ehren. I promise. It’ll be okay.”
“Stephen, oh God, Stephen, I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault,” he continued over Ehren’s desperate cries.
“It will be your fault, Ehren, if you don’t give me the art collection this second,” GQ argued.
“I don’t know where it is!” Ehren shouted. His voice was broken and trembling in his growing panic. “Please, I don’t know. Leave Stephen alone.”
The bastard was utterly unmoved. “You have until the count of three to tell me what I want to hear.”
“Please…”
“One.”
“Don’t do this. He doesn’t deserve this,” Ehren begged. Stephen’s heart was breaking as he listened to Ehren’s pain. His own panic had fallen away, and he clung to one thought—Charlie would not let this happen.
“Two.”
“Please! I don’t know!” Ehren screamed.
The bastard took a breath to speak, but the word never left his throat. There was a soft clink sound like a large piece of glass fracturing. Everyone froze.
And then the hand on Stephen’s shoulder fell away, and the gun pressed to his skull disappeared. The floor shook as the large man fell forward, nearly taking Stephen down with him. He blinked and stared at the large hole in the back of his skull, blood and brain matter clinging to his black hair.
West. The sniper had gotten him.
The bastard was shouting in Turkish now, and the other bodyguards were still frozen in panic. Stephen didn’t hesitate a second longer. He shoved to his feet, ran right to Ehren, and lifted him up. His poor boyfriend was pale and dazed. He wasn’t moving, was barely breathing.
With everything he had, Stephen shoved him into the old sofa and dove with him. They hit the back, tipping it over onto the floor so that the legs were sticking up. They landed with a hard thud that rattled his teeth in his head. The ratty cushions wouldn’t offer them much protection, but it was enough for now.
The second they were under cover, the room plunged into chaos. More glass broke under a barrage of bullets. Both men were shouting, footsteps hammering on the tile floor. Stephen stretched out on top of Ehren, holding him as tightly as he could.
“I’ve got you,” Stephen murmured next to his ear, not knowing whether his lover could hear him.
The door exploded inward and there was more gunfire, but it lasted for just a couple of seconds. Then only silence.
Stephen held perfectly still, his arms wrapped so tight around Ehren, he wasn’t sure Ehren could even breathe. Muscles ached and his head throbbed, but he wasn’t letting go. Footsteps approached, and Stephen flinched. He didn’t want to look up, didn’t want to risk moving and being found.
“It’s okay, Stephen. We got them.” He swore he’d never heard Charlie sounding so gentle in all his life. Well, at least not since he’d been a kid.
Lifting his head, he found Charlie squatting just a few feet away, a warm but worried expression on his face. He smiled, relief flooding through him so fast he was giddy. He’d known Charlie was there. Believed it with every ounce of his being. His brother might drive him absolutely crazy, but he would never let anything happen to him. He would always be there.
“Everything is secure, but we need to move if we want to avoid the cops,” Edison said from somewhere in the room.
Yes. Moving would be good. Leaving an abandoned apartment filled with dead bodies was an excellent idea.
Stephen loosened his hold on Ehren and gently touched his cheek, wiping tears away. “We’re safe, honey. I promise. They’re dead, and we’re safe.”
Ehren lifted his beautiful eyes to Stephen, looking a little less dazed. He then turned to Charlie, and Stephen was taken aback by the rage that rushed forward.
