Senior pulled the gun and fired before Caleb or I could react.
But Z saw what was about to happen.
And he jumped in front of the bullet for me.
“Z!” I scream as Isaak’s men pull Z’s body off me—and I see blood blooming across the white fabric of his t-shirt. One. Two. Three dark spots expand outward underneath his cut.
I fight against Isaak’s men yanking me backward, to try to get back to him.
“Z!”
Z’s eyes find mine as the light drains out of them, and through the chaos erupting all around us, I read the familiar words on his lips: “You and me against the world.”
Then his eyes drift to the side.
Lifeless.
“No!” I scream.
I’m fighting against Caleb’s grip, trying to get to Z, but everything happens too fast.
Isaak’s bodyguards have their weapons drawn now—compact pistols appearing from hidden shoulder holsters with practiced efficiency. Apparently, Senior wasn’t the only one who snuck weapons past the entrance.
But all I can see is Z’s unmoving body.You and me against the world. The promise we made when we were kids and we only had each other.
I think I’m screaming.
“We need to move. Now.” Scarface has his hand on Caleb’s shoulder, guiding him backward toward the exit.
Sirens sound in the distance. Other bodyguards move with us, maintaining a formation that creates a human shield between us and the fleeing Kings. I don’t know where Senior is.
I’m still staring at Z’s body on the floor. At his hand, palm-up and empty, fingers slightly curled as if he’s still trying to reach for me.
“Harper,” Caleb says urgently in my ear. “Baby, we have to go.”
“I can’t leave him!” My voice doesn’t sound like mine. It’s too high and panicked. “I can’t just—I can’t?—”
“He saved us so we couldget out.” Caleb’s arms are still around me, starting to physically drag me backward. “Don’t let it be for nothing.”
The sirens are louder now. Multiple units, it sounds like. The cavalry Z called is almost here.
“Go!” Scarface shoves Caleb and me toward the back exit. “We’ve got this. Get them out!”
Caleb doesn’t argue. His arm locks around my waist, and he’s half-carrying, half-dragging me toward the door marked EMERGENCY EXIT.
I’m still looking over my shoulder, still watching Z’s body as we get farther away.
The last thing I see before we burst through the exit is Z’s face—peaceful now, all demons gone.
Outside, the parking lot is chaos. Motorcycles speed off in every direction. The Kings are fracturing in real-time.
More of Isaak’s vehicles appear out of nowhere—black SUVs with tinted windows. Hands reach out to guide us into the back of one.
Caleb pushes me in first and slides in beside me.
Then we’re moving, tires squealing as we peel out of the parking lot just as the first police cruisers screech to a stop in front of the bar.
I twist in my seat, watching through the back window as uniformed officers pour into the building with weapons drawn. The bar recedes into the distance.