Chapter 16 Fire and Blood #2
"He's alive."
Alive.
The single word hit with overwhelming force.
Relief crashed through me so quickly it almost hurt.
Then another realization followed.
Alive wasn't the same thing as okay.
My stomach twisted.
"What happened?"
"The Vipers."
The answer arrived immediately.
Certain.
Angry.
"They torched the place."
The room seemed to shrink around me.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The warnings.
The threats.
The pressure.
It had finally escalated.
And Jaxon was caught in the middle.
Again.
My grip tightened around the phone.
"Where is he?"
Mason hesitated.
Just briefly.
Long enough.
"Elliot."
The hesitation confirmed my fears.
"What?"
"You probably shouldn't come."
I actually laughed.
A sharp, disbelieving sound.
The suggestion was absurd.
Completely absurd.
Jaxon could be hurt.
Could be alone.
Could need help.
And Mason thought I was staying home?
Not happening.
"I'm coming."
"Elliot—"
"I'm coming."
The determination in my voice surprised even me.
Because there wasn't a choice.
Not really.
Whatever existed between Jaxon and me now—love, heartbreak, anger, regret—it didn't matter.
He was still my person.
The realization arrived with absolute clarity.
And some things mattered more than pride.
I ended the call.
Grabbed my keys.
And ran.
The drive felt endless.
Every traffic light became an enemy.
Every slow driver became an obstacle.
My pulse never dropped below panic.
Images kept flashing through my head.
Fire.
Smoke.
Jaxon trapped inside.
Jaxon hurt.
Jaxon alone.
The possibilities felt unbearable.
By the time I reached Kane Customs, emergency vehicles still lined the street.
Flashing lights painted everything red and blue.
The sight stole my breath.
Because the garage was gone.
Not completely.
But enough.
Black scorch marks covered the building.
Several windows had shattered.
The front section looked devastated.
Water pooled across the pavement.
Smoke still drifted into the night sky.
The damage felt unreal.
Like looking at a photograph rather than reality.
For a moment, I simply stared.
Unable to process it.
Unable to understand how quickly everything could change.
Then I spotted Mason.
He stood near a police vehicle talking to Rhett.
Both men looked exhausted.
Relieved.
Concerned.
When Mason noticed me, he immediately started walking.
Fast.
Purposeful.
The expression on his face made my stomach drop.
"What?"
The question escaped before he reached me.
"What happened?"
Mason stopped.
His gaze searched mine.
Almost apologetic.
The reaction terrified me.
"He went looking for you."
The words didn't make sense.
Not immediately.
"What?"
"The idiot thought they'd come after you next."
My chest tightened painfully.
Because of course he had.
Of course Jaxon would think that.
Even after everything.
Even after the breakup.
The realization hurt.
And healed.
At the same time.
"Where is he?"
Mason pointed toward a temporary command area near the back of the property.
I didn't wait for more explanation.
I was already moving.
Already running.
The rear section of the lot remained crowded.
Firefighters.
Police officers.
Workers.
Voices overlapped from every direction.
The chaos blurred together.
None of it mattered.
Because then I saw him.
Jaxon.
Standing near an ambulance.
Alive.
Breathing.
Beautiful.
The sight hit with enough force to stop me in my tracks.
For one brief second, everything else disappeared.
The damage.
The fire.
The heartbreak.
All of it.
Only Jaxon remained.
His clothes were stained with soot.
A bandage wrapped around one forearm.
Exhaustion lined his face.
Yet he was alive.
God.
He was alive.
Relief surged through me.
Overwhelming.
Painful.
Wonderful.
Then Jaxon looked up.
Saw me.
And everything changed.
The expression on his face transformed instantly.
Shock.
Relief.
Fear.
The combination made my chest ache.
"Elliot."
My name sounded almost painful.
I moved toward him automatically.
Neither of us seemed capable of stopping.
The distance closed quickly.
Neither speaking.
Neither thinking.
Just moving.
Toward each other.
Toward home.
Toward the thing we'd both been missing.
Then shouting erupted nearby.
A sudden commotion.
Angry voices.
Running footsteps.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Danger.
Every instinct in my body recognized it.
Several police officers turned sharply.
Someone yelled.
Another voice shouted a warning.
The entire parking lot seemed to explode into motion.
I barely had time to process what was happening.
A figure appeared from the darkness near the rear fence.
One man.
Then another.
Faces hidden beneath hooded jackets.
Moving quickly.
Purposefully.
Toward us.
Toward me.
The realization arrived a split second too late.
They weren't here for the garage.
They were here for a message.
Everything happened at once.
A shout.
A movement.
A flash of metal.
Then Jaxon was moving.
Fast.
Faster than I'd ever seen.
"Elliot!"
The roar of my name cut through the chaos.
A warning.
A command.
A plea.
Before I could react, Jaxon slammed into me.
Hard.
The force knocked us both sideways.
Pain exploded somewhere nearby.
Someone screamed.
People started running.
The world dissolved into confusion.
Then another sound emerged.
A terrible sound.
A human sound.
Jaxon's sound.
I hit the ground hard.
Dazed.
Disoriented.
For one terrifying second, I couldn't understand what had happened.
Then I saw him.
Jaxon knelt beside me.
One hand pressed against his side.
Blood seeped between his fingers.
Dark.
Rapidly spreading.
Far too much blood.
My heart stopped.
Completely stopped.
"No."
The word escaped automatically.
Broken.
Terrified.
No.
No.
No.
Around us, officers tackled one of the attackers.
The second disappeared into the darkness.
People shouted.
Sirens wailed.
Chaos continued.
None of it mattered.
Because all I could see was Jaxon.
Bleeding.
Hurting.
Protecting me.
Again.
Always.
His eyes found mine.
Despite the pain, despite the blood, despite everything, relief appeared in his expression.
Relief.
Because I was safe.
The realization shattered me.
"Elliot."
My name came out weak.
Barely audible.
I grabbed his hand.
Held it desperately.
As if refusing to let go could somehow keep him here.
Keep him alive.
"Stay with me."
The words trembled.
So did I.
Jaxon tried to smile.
The effort looked painful.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Then his strength finally began to fade.
And as paramedics rushed toward us through the chaos and flashing lights, one horrifying truth settled into my heart.
The man who had spent months trying to protect me had just taken a blade meant for me.
And I wasn't sure if I could survive losing him a second time.
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