10. Bella #2
For a moment, everything is chaos. I hear shouting, hear more gunshots, hear the sound of sirens in the distance. I’m on the ground, Adrian’s body covering mine, and I can’t tell if he’s been hit, can’t tell if he’s okay.
“Adrian,” I gasp, trying to push him off me so I can see his face. “Adrian, please-”
“I’m okay,” Adrian says, his voice strained. “I’m okay, Bella. Are you hurt?”
“No,” I say, tears streaming down my face. “No, I’m fine. But you-”
“I’m fine,” Adrian repeats, finally moving off me. I can see now that he’s telling the truth - he’s not bleeding, not injured. The bullet missed.
I look around and see Marcus on the ground, Mike standing over him with his gun drawn, his foot on Marcus’s chest. Marcus is clutching his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers. So much blood, more than I’ve ever seen in person. Mike shot him before he could shoot Adrian, and then me.
He showed up just in the nick of time.
“Stay down,” Mike orders Marcus, his deep voice resounding through the air, harsh and in command. “Don’t move.”
Sirens pierce the air with their sound. Police cars screech to a halt around us, officers pouring out with weapons drawn. Detective Morrison is among them, her face pale as she takes in the scene.
“Are you both okay?” she asks, rushing over to us in a sprint.
“We’re fine,” Adrian says, helping me to my feet and wrapping a protective arm around me and pulling me closer than I thought possible.
Feeling frozen, I inhale the scent of Adrian and finally begin to thaw out.
“But Marcus - he tried to kill Bella. He had a gun, and you can be damn sure he was going to shoot her and me to get to her.”
Adrian’s jaw ticks like just talking about it is getting him all worked up all over again. He keeps smoothing his hand over my hair again and again nervously.
“I saw the whole thing,” Mike says, full of anger, still keeping his weapon trained on Marcus. “I had no choice but to fire.”
“You did the right thing,” Detective Morrison says. She turns to the other officers. “Get an ambulance for the suspect. And someone read him his rights.”
As the officers move to secure Marcus and call for medical assistance, Adrian pulls me into his arms, holding me so tightly I can barely breathe.
“I thought I was going to lose you,” he says, his voice breaking. “When I saw that gun pointed at you, I thought-”
“I’m okay,” I say, clinging to him. “I’m here and I’m okay, Adrian.”
I’m trying to reassure him but it’s really me that needs to hear it said out loud.
“You saved me.”
“I’ll always save you,” Adrian says fiercely. “Always, Bella. I will never let anyone hurt you.”
I bury my face in his chest, letting the tears finally come.
It’s embarrassing to cry like this in front of all these people, but Mike looks away uncomfortably.
And then he drags Marcus away to the sound of my soft sobs.
I can’t help it. The fear, the terror, the overwhelming relief - it all crashes over me at once, and I can’t hold it back.
Adrian holds me tightly through it all, his arms a safe haven, his presence a comfort. I don’t know how long we stand there, clinging to each other. I know it’s long enough that the rest of the people here disappear.
The next few hours are a blur. We’re taken to the police station to give our statements. Marcus is taken to the hospital under police guard, where he’s treated for the gunshot wound to his shoulder. Once he’s stable, he’s arrested and taken into custody.
This time, there’s no bail. Marcus is charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and violating the conditions of his bail. He’s remanded to custody pending trial, and the judge makes it clear that he won’t be getting out again.
“It’s over,” Detective Morrison tells us as we’re finally allowed to leave the station. “Marcus is going to stay in jail until the trial. And after today, there’s no way he’s not getting convicted. Attempted murder of a witness? That’s going to seal his fate.”
“Good,” Adrian says, his arm around my shoulders. “He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
I nod, too exhausted to speak. The adrenaline has worn off, leaving me shaky and drained.
Adrian takes me back to his penthouse, where he runs me a hot bath and sits with me while I soak. He washes my hair, his touch gentle and soothing, and doesn’t say anything. He just lets me process, lets me feel.
Later, as we lie in bed, I finally find my voice.
“You could have been killed,” I say quietly. “When you stepped in front of me, when Marcus fired that gun - you could have died.”
“But I didn’t,” Adrian says, pulling me closer. “And neither did you. That’s all that matters.”
“It matters to me,” I insist. “Adrian, I can’t lose you. I can’t-”
“You won’t,” Adrian says firmly. “I’m not going anywhere, Bella. I’m going to be here, by your side, for the rest of our lives.”
“Promise me,” I say, my voice breaking. “Promise me you won’t take risks like that again. Promise me you won’t put yourself in danger for me.”
“I can’t promise that,” Adrian says gently. “Because I will always put myself between you and danger. I will always protect you, even if it means risking my own life. That’s what love is, Bella. That’s what it means to truly care for someone.”
I know he’s right, but it doesn’t make it any easier. The thought of losing Adrian, of living in a world without him, is unbearable.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I love you so much it scares me.”
“I love you too,” Adrian says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He shakes his head and I feel the moisture from his tears fall on my face. “I don’t want you to testify, Bella,” he breathes. “They can build the case without you at this point. It’s too dangerous-”
“Hey,” I take his face in my hands and look into his eyes. “I have to and you know it.” Adrian’s face falls. “I just want to know that you’ll be there with me.”
Adrian takes a deep breath. “I know you have to, and I will. And I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to get through this trial, we’re going to see Marcus convicted, and then we’re going to get married and start our life together. That’s a promise.”
I nod, letting his words comfort me. He’s right. We’ve come this far. We’ve survived Marcus’s threats, his violence, his desperation. We can survive anything.
Together.
The next few days pass in a blur of police statements, security arrangements, and legal preparations. Adrian insists on hiring a private security team to watch both of us until Marcus’s trial is over. I don’t argue. After what happened, I’m not taking any chances.
Detective Morrison keeps us updated on Marcus’s situation. He’s being held without bail, charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and a host of other crimes related to his business dealings. The evidence against him is overwhelming.
“The district attorney is confident we’ll get a conviction,” Detective Morrison tells us during one of our meetings. “Between the financial crimes, the bribery, the witness tampering, and now the attempted murder - Marcus Webb is going away for a very long time.”
I should feel relieved. I should feel vindicated. But mostly, I just feel exhausted. The constant fear, the stress, the trauma of nearly losing Adrian - it’s all catching up with me.
Adrian notices, of course. He always notices.
“You need rest,” he says one evening as we’re leaving yet another meeting with the prosecutors. “Real rest. Not just sleep, but time to actually process everything that’s happened.”
“I’m fine,” I say automatically, but even I don’t believe it.
Adrian stops walking and turns to face me, his hands gentle on my shoulders. “Bella, you were almost killed. I was almost killed. It’s okay to not be fine right now. It’s okay to need time to heal.”
I feel tears prick my eyes. “I just want this to be over. I want Marcus in prison where he belongs. I want to move on with our lives.”
“We will,” Adrian promises. “But first, you need to take care of yourself. We both do.”
He’s right, of course. I’ve been running on adrenaline and determination for so long that I’ve forgotten how to just… be. How to exist without constantly looking over my shoulder, without waiting for the next crisis.
“What do you suggest?” I ask quietly.
Adrian smiles, that warm, genuine smile that makes my heart skip. “I suggest we take a weekend away. Somewhere quiet, somewhere safe. Just the two of us. No work, no lawyers, no case files. Just us.”
The idea sounds like heaven. “Can we do that? With the trial coming up?”
“The trial isn’t for another two months,” Adrian says. “We have time. And honestly, I think we both need this. We need time to remember why we’re fighting so hard. Time to remember what we’re fighting for.”
I nod slowly. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Adrian arranges everything. He rents a private cabin in the mountains, three hours outside the city. It’s secluded, surrounded by pine trees and overlooking a pristine lake. The security team does a sweep before we arrive, and Adrian has them stationed discreetly around the perimeter.
“I know it seems excessive,” Adrian says as we pull up to the cabin. “But I need to know you’re safe. I need to be able to relax, and I can’t do that if I’m worried about Marcus’s associates coming after us.”
“I understand,” I say, and I do. After what happened, I’m grateful for the precautions.
The cabin is beautiful - rustic but luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake, a stone fireplace, and a massive bed covered in soft white linens. It’s exactly what we need.
For the first day, we do nothing. We sleep late, we eat simple meals, we sit by the fire and just… exist. No phones, no emails, no constant stream of information about the case. Just peace.