The first rule of survival?
Know when to fight.
The second?
Know when to lose.
I'd never been good at the second one.
---
"Drop the gun."
Adrian's voice carried easily through the night—calm, controlled, certain.
Like he already knew how this ended.
Red dots hovered across my chest.
My head.
Her body in my arms.
Multiple snipers.
Perfect angles.
No cover.
No way out.
For the first time in a long time—
The odds weren't just bad.
They were impossible.
---
Valentina's weight shifted slightly against me.
Barely conscious.
Still bleeding.
Still alive.
That mattered.
It mattered more than anything else.
I lowered the gun.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Not surrender.
Strategy.
Always strategy.
Adrian smiled.
"There it is," he murmured. "I was wondering how long it would take."
My grip tightened around her.
"You get one move," I said coldly. "Make it count."
"Oh, I intend to."
He stepped closer, boots crunching softly against gravel, completely unbothered by the tension wrapped tight around us.
Arrogant.
Confident.
Dangerous.
"All of this…" he gestured vaguely to the chaos around us, "and you still chose her."
"I chose survival."
He laughed softly.
"No," he said. "You chose her."
I didn't respond.
Didn't need to.
Because the truth?
Was complicated.
And I didn't have time for complicated.
---
Adrian stopped a few feet away.
Too close.
"Give her to me," he said.
"No."
The word came out before I could stop it.
Instinct.
Not logic.
Mistake.
His smile faded slightly.
"Careful," he warned. "You're not in a position to negotiate."
"I'm not negotiating."
"No," he agreed. "You're stalling."
His eyes flicked briefly to the surrounding darkness.
Then back to me.
"You're waiting for an opening," he said softly.
I said nothing.
But he wasn't wrong.
"There isn't one," he added.
"We'll see."
A pause.
Then—
"You're bleeding," he noted.
"Not enough."
"And she's dying."
That—
That hit.
Harder than anything else.
My jaw tightened.
"She's not."
"You sure about that?" he asked, nodding toward the blood soaking through her side.
I didn't look.
Didn't need to.
I could feel it.
Too much.
Too fast.
Running out of time.
---
"Let me help her," Adrian said suddenly.
I froze.
"What?"
His expression shifted.
Softer.
Almost sincere.
"Let me help her," he repeated. "You can't save her like this."
Every instinct I had screamed no.
Trap.
Lie.
Manipulation.
But—
Time was slipping.
Fast.
"She doesn't belong to you," I said.
"She doesn't belong to you either."
"She's under my protection."
"And how's that going?" he asked lightly.
I didn't answer.
Because right now—
Not great.
---
Valentina stirred slightly in my arms.
A faint sound leaving her lips.
"…Dante…"
My chest tightened.
"I'm here," I said quietly.
Her fingers weakly curled against my shirt.
Then stilled again.
Adrian watched the entire exchange.
Too closely.
Too interested.
"You see?" he said softly. "Even now… she reaches for you."
"Stay out of it."
"I can't," he replied. "She's the reason I'm here."
"Why?" I demanded.
His smile returned.
Slow.
Calculated.
"Because she's not just a target," he said. "She's leverage."
My grip tightened.
"Against who?"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"Her father."
Of course.
It always came back to power.
To control.
To blood.
---
"Marco Moretti took something from me," Adrian continued. "Something I intend to take back."
"And you think she's the way to do it?"
"I know she is."
I shook my head slightly.
"You're wrong."
"Am I?"
His eyes flicked to her again.
"Look at her," he said quietly. "Even unconscious… she's still fighting."
Something in his voice shifted.
Something darker.
More personal.
"She was always meant for more than this," he added.
I didn't like the way he said that.
Didn't like it at all.
---
"Enough," I said. "What do you want?"
He smiled.
"There it is."
"Answer the question."
"I want her," he said simply.
"No."
The word came out sharper this time.
Stronger.
More certain.
His expression hardened.
"You don't get to say no."
"I just did."
The air shifted.
Tension snapping tighter.
Closer to breaking.
---
Adrian sighed.
"You're making this difficult."
"You started it."
"And I can end it."
His hand lifted slightly.
The red dots tightened.
Focused.
Ready.
"One signal," he said softly. "And this ends."
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Because this was it.
The moment everything came down to one choice.
Fight.
Or lose.
---
Valentina's hand twitched again.
Weak.
Fading.
Time was up.
I had seconds.
Maybe less.
Think.
Plan.
Move.
---
"Fine," I said suddenly.
Adrian paused.
Surprised.
"Fine?" he echoed.
I nodded once.
"You want her?"
"Yes."
"Then come take her."
Before he could react—
I moved.
Fast.
Explosive.
I dropped low, shifting her weight just enough to free my arm—
And fired.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Shots rang out from every direction.
The snipers reacted—
Too slow.
Too late.
I grabbed her, pulling her into the shadows as bullets tore through the space we'd been standing in.
"Find them!" Adrian shouted.
Too late.
We were already gone.
---
I ran.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the blood.
Ignoring everything except one thing—
Get her out.
Alive.
---
Behind us, the night exploded into motion.
Footsteps.
Shouts.
Gunfire.
They were coming.
Of course they were coming.
But they weren't fast enough.
Not yet.
---
I didn't stop running until the sounds faded.
Until the lights disappeared.
Until the world narrowed down to just the two of us again.
Dark.
Quiet.
Breathing.
Barely.
---
I dropped to one knee, laying her down carefully.
"Valentina."
No response.
Her breathing was shallow now.
Too shallow.
Damn it.
"Stay with me," I muttered, pressing down on the wound again.
Her eyes fluttered slightly.
"…you're… still here…"
"Yeah," I said. "I am."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Told you… you wouldn't leave…"
"Don't talk."
"Bossy…"
Her voice faded.
Her body went still.
Too still.
---
"No," I said sharply. "Not now. Not like this."
Nothing.
No movement.
No response.
Just silence.
---
Then—
Headlights flooded the area.
Blinding.
Sudden.
Too close.
I looked up—
And saw it.
Another vehicle.
Different.
Black.
Unmarked.
Doors opening.
Figures stepping out.
Not Adrian's men.
Not mine.
Unknown.
Worse.
---
A voice called out—
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
"Step away from her."
My grip tightened instantly.
"Not happening."
Weapons raised.
Multiple.
Surrounding.
Again.
No escape.
Again.
---
"Last warning," the voice said.
I didn't move.
Couldn't.
Wouldn't.
Because this time—
I wasn't just protecting an assignment.
I was protecting her.
---
And that changed everything.
---
The safety clicks echoed in the night.
And I realized—
The first threat…
Was never the real one.