Chapter 37 Go/No-Go
“Stay down!” I shove Aria behind the small kitchen island as the first shots ring out.
A sharp burn radiates from my thigh, followed by hot blood soaking my jeans.
I’ve been shot.
Quickly, I roll out of the way, firing two shots in rapid succession.
One blows straight through the right eye of the man nearest the hallway, and down he goes.
Aria shrieks as Jasper darts toward her while the second gunman swings his weapon toward me.
Hand reaching out, I yank Jasper’s leg, sending him flying backward as I fire a round at the second man.
The asshole ducks just in time, and the bullet slams into the wall, drywall dust cascading through the air.
A fist slams into my face as a weight falls on top of me.
Fucking Jasper.
“I knew you turned traitor for the slut,” he rasps, his teeth bared. “The fall of the great Si Shen.”
I block his right hook and jam my elbow into his neck. A satisfying snap shoots through the air, and blood spews from his lips.
Gunshots ricochet through the kitchen as the second gunman fires and misses until I hear the familiar clicking of his weapon.
He’s out of damn bullets.
With a growl, I toss Jasper off me and put two rounds into the second gunman, one between the eyes and one in his heart for good measure.
Two down, one to go.
I’m going to enjoy killing this one.
Snarling, I spin around, finding Jasper right in my face, his uppercut flying toward me.
The kitchen tilts as pain cracks from my skull. Jasper takes advantage of my disorientation and reaches for my weapon.
I bash him with my head, then sweep his legs out from under him.
But he pulls me down with him, and the gun slips out of my grip.
Getting on top of him, I deliver jab after jab, his cheekbone cracking and nose breaking beneath my fist.
But he’s stronger than I thought. He blocks and parries, and soon he flips me over and tries to return the favor.
“You’re dead, Ren. Cornelius will kill you when he finds out your loyalty is no longer with him.”
A sinister laugh ripples from his throat as he lifts his fist—
Bang!
My body jolts. The gunshot splits the room.
For a moment, time freezes. I feel and hear nothing except the ringing silence afterward.
There’s no pain.
Chaos bleeds through again, and Jasper topples on top of me.
Motionless.
I drag in air and flip him over, taking in his lifeless eyes, his mouth parted, face crushed, blood pooling from under his head.
Then I look up, finding Aria standing a foot away, her arms shaking, holding my gun with two hands.
“Aim, nose as anchor, shoot,” she mumbles under her breath over and over.
Blood drains from her face as she takes in Jasper on the ground. She gasps, the gun sliding out of her grip, clattering to the floor.
Her legs buckle.
“Aria!” I catch her before she hits the ground and hug her tight. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”
“I-I shot him.” Her teeth chatter. She won’t stop shaking. “He’s d-dead, isn’t he?”
She sobs into my shoulder as I press kiss after kiss over her hair, her cheeks. Teeth clenched, I stare at the three dead men on the floor.
She saves lives.
And she just took one…for me.
“I’m sorry, Aria,” I rasp, her tears cutting deeper than the bullet in my thigh. “If I’d stayed away, Jasper wouldn’t have targeted you so quickly. You shot him to save me, I-I’m—”
I would’ve taken the shot just so the bastard’s blood wouldn’t sully her hands.
“No!” Gripping my arms, she peers at me, a fierceness in her tawny eyes. “Don’t. I-I’m in shock, but this isn’t on you. They were going to kill you and hurt me.”
Color creeps back into her pale cheeks.
She shakes her head, her lips trembling. “S-Self-defense. That’s what this was.” Then she shakes me again. “Not you, Ren. You protected me.”
“My Aria.” I crush her against me, relief nearly taking my knees out. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she’d broken up with me then and there.
I wouldn’t have blamed her.
We hold each other for a few more beats when my ears prickle. Sirens blare in the distance.
“Shit,” I mutter and set her on top of the counter. “I need to take care of these bodies and call Tristan and The Syndicate. Jasper is high up, so his disappearance will raise red flags.”
Aria sways again, and I clutch her shoulders to steady her. I should just run off with her. Far away. I have more money than I’ll ever spend. Fake identities and passports? I can get them in my sleep.
We can start new lives.
We can have all the time in the world.
But Celia.
“Ren,” Aria whispers. Her soft hand slides up to my cheek. “We’ll stay and take care of this. Together. And we’ll protect Celia.”
I grip her fingers and kiss them.
“I don’t deserve you,” I rasp.
“You can spend the future making it up to me.” Her hands are still icy, but there’s a steeliness to her gaze now. “You told me we had all the time in the world, right?”
I almost tell her she shouldn’t stay with me. That I’ll hide her while I kill the bastards after her.
But I promised her I wouldn’t take away her choice again.
And she wants to do this together.
My fierce Aria.
I crush my lips to hers before pulling away and taking out my phone.
I press a number. The call connects.
“Special Agent Clarke.”
“Tristan.” I swallow. “I need your help.”
I explain what just happened as I pull the bodies inside the apartment and close the door. Then I take out the trash bags from under the sink.
Aria curls into a ball on top of the counter, her eyes wild, but when she catches me looking at her, she strains a smile.
“I love you,” I mouth, and she nods.
“I’ve bought you some time,” Tristan mutters. “Twenty minutes tops. A bomb threat across the city, all hands on deck. Is that enough for you to clean this shit up?”
“Yes.”
“You calling the others?” he asks, his voice sharpening. “Sounds like you have your hands full.”
I had my doubts about the fed, but perhaps Elias was right to pull him into this.
“You can do it. I’ll need every bit of the twenty minutes.” Cutting up bodies and making them disappear forever takes time.
And it’s messy. Very messy.
“Got it.” Something rustles across the line, like he’s getting up. “I’ll deliver the message in person. And Ren…Cornelius Kong will be onto you.”
“I know.” I flex my fingers around the phone.
Grim determination settles in as I pick Aria up from the counter and take her into her bedroom.
Covering the receiver, I whisper to her, “Sweetheart, stay in here. This next part is mine, not because I’m choosing for you, but because no one should have to watch what comes next.”
She pales a shade, her gaze darting out the door as realization dawns on her.
Swallowing, she nods.
I kiss the crown of her head and walk out, closing the bedroom door behind me.
“The extraction plan we discussed at the last meeting?” I yank open the bathroom drawer, pulling out some latex gloves. “We can’t wait. We have to move now.”
Snapping them on, I add, “Tell Elias this is the go call.”