NAOMI
SIX MONTHS LATER
The shot rang out, even with the crowd surrounding the courthouse.
The questions being shouted, the flash of the cameras.
It was overwhelming, but they didn’t know her.
They had no idea what she’d just done. They were trying to talk to the people behind her, the ones who were loud and proud about their roles in taking Diego down.
They’d signed their own death warrants, but that wasn’t today.
No, today was the day she died.
The bullet hit true, exploding the bags of blood hidden in the vest and spraying it just the way they’d planned and tested.
She fell to the ground, unable to breathe from the force and pain that radiated through her.
Ink hadn’t been lying. It had at least cracked a rib, but she wasn’t sure if it was broken.
Pandemonium ensued, people screaming and running as she was surrounded by Karissa and the others who were protecting her. Orders were barked, cops swarmed, and finally, she was loaded into an ambulance. She kept her eyes closed, her body lax, as the sticky blood coated her skin.
Almost there. They were almost there.
Finally, finally, the ambulance’s doors shut, and they were moving, heading in the direction of the hospital, but they wouldn’t make it there.
She finally opened her eyes when the oxygen mask was yanked off, and Ink’s face blocked out the light. “Baby, are you all right?” he rasped, pale and shaking.
She smiled at him. “I’m perfect. It’s over. It’s finally over.”