Page 140 of Shades of Loyalty
I stand back, the medical kit still clutched to my chest, my gun awkward in my hand, never aimed. I’m not meant for this. I’m not a soldier. I’m not a killer. I’m anurse, goddamn it.
I catch Daniel’s eye for just a moment, and I see the flicker of something there—a storm of emotions too complex to unravel. He’s in his element, but there’s a question in his gaze, a silent, tortured question. Why am I here?
He doesn’t ask it, but we both know the answer. I’m here because heneedsme. I’m here because, for some reason, I’m the only person he trusts. But this world? It’s not my world.
I glance at the fallen bodies, the blood pooling around them, and I wonder: what the hell am I even doing here? Why did I insist on coming?
Before I can even process the thought, I feel it. The push. The violent shove.
Vittorio. He shoves Daniel away, and my mind doesn’t register it at first, but then the sound—bang—rips through the air.
And I know. I know what this means.
“Get down,” Daniel growls, shoving me inside the warehouse, his hand gripping my arm with terrifying strength.
I crash to the floor, pain shooting up my spine, and look up at him, helpless and confused. Why? Why would he do that? Why would he push me away like that?
“Jennifer—” Hayden starts, but I’m already moving, my hands trembling as I grab my kit and rush back to Vittorio.
But it’s too late.
He’s been shot.
Vittorio.God, Vittorio.
His blood is spilling everywhere, soaking the floor, his eyes half-closed. He whispers something I don’t even hear at first.
I can’t breathe. The blood won’t stop. It’s pouring out of him like a river, and I’m losing him, just like I lost the first man.
“Daniel…” Vittorio coughs, his voice weak. But the words barely reach me.
I have to save him. I must.
But his wound—it’s too much. It’s too deep.
I press my hands to his chest, trying to stem the flow of blood, but it’s hopeless. The pulse beneath my palm is slowing, fading with every breath. I know. I know there’s nothing I can do.
But I can’t fail him. I can’t fail Daniel again.
“Jennifer...” Vittorio whispers, barely audible. His hand shakes as it reaches up to touch Daniel’s face. “Marry her. Daniel... please. Listen to your…mother.”
And just like that, the world falls apart.
I can feel my heart breaking as I look into Daniel’s eyes. He doesn’t say anything, but I know. He knows what’s coming next.
I failed again. And this time, I couldn’t save the man whoprotectedme.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the words strangling in my throat.
But Daniel, ever the stone, doesn’t respond. He just stares at his father, watching him slip away.
And just like that, we’re back to square one.
We don’t know who did this.
And I don’t know how to cope with the feeling of losing someone I was supposed to save.
When I look up at Hayden and Julian, I can tell that Daniel isn’t the only one hurting.
