Chapter 23 Ava
Ava
Pain hits in waves.
Sharp.
Hot.
Radiating outward from my side like fire under my skin.
I grit my teeth and hold it down.
Not now.
Not while Ethan’s arm is locked around me like I might disappear if he loosens his grip.
Not while everything around us is still moving, still breaking, still dangerous.
“I can walk,” I mutter.
“No.”
It snaps out of him instantly.
I almost smile.
Almost.
Still bossy.
Still him.
We reach cover—a broken stretch of concrete and debris—and Delta Five moves like a machine around us.
Positions lock in.
Weapons up.
Perimeter set.
Safe—
for now.
Ethan lowers me carefully.
Too carefully.
Like I’m fragile.
“I’m not going to break,” I say.
His eyes snap to mine.
“You were just shot.”
“Still not breaking.”
That earns me a look.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Good.
He’s still here.
Still fighting.
I press my hand to my side.
Warm.
Wet.
Too much blood again.
Great.
“Sit still,” he orders.
“You sit still.”
He doesn’t even respond.
Just drops beside me and gets to work.
Hands steady.
Focused.
Controlled.
But I see it.
In the tight line of his jaw.
In the way his fingers press just a little harder than necessary.
In the silence.
Anger.
Fear.
All of it right there under the surface.
“You’re not losing me,” I say quietly.
His hands pause.
Just for a second.
Then keep moving.
“That’s not your call.”
Maybe not.
But I don’t push it.
Not now.
Not when I can see how close he is to breaking.
And somehow—
that matters more than the pain.