Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cooper
Pain. That’s the first thing I became aware of as consciousness slowly returned. A deep, throbbing ache near my chest that seemed to pulse with each heartbeat. I tried to open my eyes, but even that small movement sent waves of agony through my body.
“Cooper?” A soft voice reached through the haze of pain. “Cooper, can you hear me?”
I knew that voice.
Allegra.
With a monumental effort, I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light. Her face swam into focus, beautiful even with worry etched into every line.
“Water,” I managed to croak, my throat feeling like sandpaper.
Allegra quickly brought a glass to my lips, supporting my head as I drank. The cool liquid was a blessed relief, clearing some of the fog from my mind. As my surroundings came into sharper focus, I realized I was in a vaguely familiar room, lying in a bed that was definitely not my own.
“Where am I?” I asked, my voice still rough but stronger .
“Safe,” Allegra replied, setting the glass aside. “We’re at your safehouse. Do you remember what happened?”
The memories came flooding back in a rush. The warehouse. Laurent Rousseau. The gun. His daughter— his daughter —looking at me with those tearful eyes. The way she’d screamed my name as I fell.
Every touch, every kiss, every whispered confession of love—had it all been orchestrated?
“Cooper?” Her voice was soft, concerned. A perfect performance, just like everything else had been.
I turned my head away from her. “Get out.”
“What?”
“I said get out.” My voice was cold, detached. “I don’t want you here.”
“Cooper, please, let me explain—”
“Explain what?” I cut her off, forcing myself to look at her. “How you and your father played me? How you made me fall in love with you while feeding him information?”
“No!” Tears welled in her eyes. “I had nothing to do with what he did. I cut him out of my life years ago. Everything between us was real—”
“Was it?” I laughed bitterly. “Because from where I’m lying—with a bullet hole in my chest, by the way—it looks like daddy’s perfect plan worked.”
“Cooper,” Allegra pleaded, “everything I told you about my past, about living with my grandparents, building my own life—it was all true. I love you.”
“Right,” I sneered, ignoring the way my heart clenched at her words. “Just like you loved the other men your father sent you to spy on? Was Tomas another mark for you? ”
Her sharp intake of breath told me I’d landed a blow. Good. Maybe if I hurt her enough, she’d leave before I could weaken.
“There were no other men,” she whispered. “Only you. I’ve only ever loved you. You know that’s true. You know I’m telling the truth.”
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Deep down, past all my anger and hurt, I did know. The way she’d looked at me in the warehouse, her horror at her father’s actions—that couldn’t be faked. But admitting that would mean facing feelings I wasn’t ready to confront.
The fear of losing her. I wouldn’t survive it. I had to shut it down—move on. Forget the feeling of love.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s true,” I said finally. “True, false—the end result is the same. I got shot. I nearly died. And it happened because I was stupid enough to let myself fall in love.”
“Cooper—”
“Get out, Allegra.” I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted. “Just...get out.”
I heard her quiet sob, then the soft click of the door closing. Only then did I let myself feel the full weight of what I’d done, of the lies I’d told to push her away. The physical pain in my chest was nothing compared to the turmoil in my heart. I had let myself fall for her, had opened up in a way I never had before. And look where it had led me—shot, vulnerable, and more terrified than I’d ever been. Not of Rousseau, but of the depth of my feelings for his daughter. Of how easily she was taken from me. How broken I would be if it happened again.
When the door opened a few minutes later, I hoped it would be a doctor with painkillers. Instead, Steele entered, his face dark with anger.
“I just passed Allegra in the hallway,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“We need to talk about her father first,” I deflected. “I know you’re worried about retaliation—”
“Don’t change the subject—”
“I’m not. I have enough dirt on Rousseau’s finances to destroy him,” I cut in. “One leak about how his empire is crumbling, and his enemies will tear him apart. He knows it too. It’s why he didn’t kill me outright—he needs that information contained. Knows I’ve got it backed-up somewhere.”
Steele studied me for a moment. “You’re sure about that?”
“It’s quite the insurance policy.” I laughed bitterly. “So no, we don’t need to worry about daddy dearest anymore.”
“Fine. Then let’s talk about why his daughter just ran past me crying.”
I tried to maintain my composure. “I ended it. It was never going to work anyway.”
“Bullshit,” Steele spat. “I saw how you looked at her, how she fought to save you. So I’ll ask again—what the fuck did you do?”
“What I had to do.”
Steele shook his head in disgust. “You know, I always thought you were smarter than me. But right now? You’re being the biggest fool I’ve ever met.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” he cut me off. “You’re pushing her away because you’re scared. And you’re using her father as an excuse, even though we both know she had nothing to do with what happened.”
I flinched at his accuracy, but tried to maintain my stance. “It’s not that simple.”
“Actually, it is that simple,” Steele countered. “You’re in love with her, and it terrifies you. You know you’re going to have to change your life. So instead of being brave enough to face that, you’re throwing away the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“Love gets you killed in our world,” I argued.
“No,” Steele said quietly. “Love keeps you alive. Gives you something to fight for, something to come home to. But you’re too busy being a coward to see that.”
His words hit me like physical blows, but I couldn’t let him see how much they affected me. “Are you done?”
Steele stood in the middle of the room, his expression a mixture of anger and pity. “Yeah, I’m done. But let me tell you something, Cooper. That kind of love? It’s rare in any world, let alone ours. And you’re throwing it away because you’re too scared to admit that you might actually deserve it.”
He headed for the door, then paused. “You know what the real irony is? You think you’re protecting yourself by pushing her away. But all you’re doing is ensuring that you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting this moment.”
After he left, I lay there in the darkness, his words echoing in my mind. The pain in my chest seemed to intensify, but I knew it had nothing to do with my wound and everything to do with the look in Allegra’s eyes as I’d pushed her away. But I couldn’t take it back now. Couldn’t admit that every word had been a lie, that I was terrified not of betrayal but of the depth of my own feelings. It was better this way, I told myself. Safer.
Even if safer felt like slowly dying inside.
The next twenty-four hours passed in a blur of pain medication, fitful sleep, and tense silences. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face, heard her voice, felt the ghost of her touch. In those moments between sleep and waking, when the pain medication made everything hazy, I almost called out for her. Almost. But then I’d remember the sound of the gunshot, the feeling of my life bleeding out on that warehouse floor, and I’d restrain. This was why we couldn’t be together. This was why love was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Next time, it could be her.
I was hovering near sleep when Colton entered my room. The moment he saw me awake, relief washed over his face—the kind of relief only a brother who’d almost lost his sibling could feel.
“God, Cooper,” he said softly, pulling up a chair. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered, though we both knew it was a lie.
Colton’s expression hardened. “No, you’re not. And we need to talk about Viktor Petrov.”
I sat up straighter, ignoring the pain that shot through my chest at the sudden movement. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s not taking your cancellation of the deal well. At all.” Colton chewed on his bottom lip—a nervous habit from childhood he’d never outgrown. “ But that’s not what I really came to discuss.”
I knew that tone. “Colton—”
“No, listen to me,” he cut in, leaning forward. “You almost died, Cooper. Do you understand that? I almost had to bury my twin brother because of this business.” His voice cracked slightly. “When I got that call...Christ, I thought—” He broke off, collecting himself. “You need to get out. While you still can.”
I closed my eyes briefly, remembering the call I’d made to Viktor. I’d ended our arrangement to keep Allegra safe. At the time, it had seemed worth any consequence.
“How bad is it with Viktor?” I asked, deflecting.
Colton’s grimace told me everything. “He’s making threats. Big ones. Says if you think you can disrespect him like this, you’ve forgotten who he is. His exact words were that he’d ‘teach you the cost of choosing a woman over business.’ And he...” Colton hesitated, his expression growing more troubled.
“What?”
“He mentioned knowing about Allegra. Said he’d done his research, knows exactly who she is. Who her father is. Said maybe he and Rousseau should have a chat about their mutual...interests.” Colton stood up, pacing. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Coop. This life—it’s going to keep taking and taking until there’s nothing left.”
For a moment, fear gripped me. Then I forced myself to relax. I’d pushed Allegra away—made it clear there was nothing between us. Viktor would have his spies watching. They’d see that Allegra meant nothing to me now. She’d be safer this way.
“Let him try,” I said coldly. “She’s nothing to me anymore. He’ll figure that out soon enough. And her father?” I laughed darkly. “Viktor’s welcome to him.”
“Don’t do that,” Colton said quietly. “Don’t pretend you don’t care. I know you better than anyone, remember? This isn’t you, Cooper. This whole world—it’s changing you, hardening you. And for what? Money? Power? Is it worth your life? Your soul?”
I stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore how much his words hit home. “I’ll increase security,” I said finally.
Colton sighed, defeat heavy in his voice. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He headed for the door but paused. “Just...think about what I said. Please. I can’t lose you to this life, Cooper. Once Dad’s gone…you’re all I’ve got left.”
As the door closed behind him, I kept staring at the ceiling, clinging to my conviction. I’d done the right thing. Pushing Allegra away meant Viktor would have no reason to target her. Besides, let her father protect her.
I tried to ignore the voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like Steele, telling me I was being a coward. This wasn’t about courage—it was about survival. In our world, love was a luxury that got you killed. I’d learned that lesson the hard way, with a bullet in my chest.