The cold night air hit Piper like a slap as she and Jasper carried Gabriel out of the warehouse. His body was heavy between them, blood soaking through his clothes and staining her hands. Every step felt like a battle against time. She could feel Gabriel’s breathing growing weaker, each ragged gasp a reminder of how fragile life could be. Her heart pounded in her chest, a painful, steady beat that drowned out everything else.
Jasper was grim and focused, his jaw clenched as they hurried toward the SUV parked a short distance away. The fight at the warehouse had faded into the background, the criminal organization’s forces scattering in the wake of their leader’s fall. But victory tasted hollow in Piper’s mouth — because Gabriel was slipping away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“We’re almost there,” Jasper muttered, more to himself than to her.
Piper barely heard him. Her mind was swirling, caught between the terror of losing Gabriel and the overwhelming emotional weight pressing down on her. Gabriel had sacrificed himself for her, thrown his body in front of a bullet without a second thought. And now he was paying the price for that choice.
They reached the SUV, and Jasper quickly opened the back door, helping Piper lower Gabriel into the backseat. He collapsed onto the leather, his face pale and blood still dripping from his chest. Piper knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she pressed them against the wound, trying desperately to stem the bleeding.
“Stay with me,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Please, Gabriel. Don’t leave me.”
His eyes fluttered open, barely able to focus on her. He gave her a weak smile, but even that small movement sent a jolt of pain through him. He groaned, his body jerking as he tried to speak.
“Piper...” His voice was a whisper, so faint she had to lean closer to hear him.
Tears welled in her eyes as she stared down at him. “Don’t talk. Save your strength.”
But Gabriel, ever stubborn, shook his head. His hand, slick with blood, reached for hers, his fingers curling weakly around her wrist. “I... I couldn’t let them take you.”
Piper bit back a sob, her chest tight with emotion. She squeezed his hand, her heart breaking as she saw the pain etched into every line of his face. “I know,” she whispered. “But you’re going to be okay. You have to be.”
Jasper climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the engine with a roar. He glanced back at them through the rearview mirror, his face hard but his eyes filled with something deeper — something that looked like guilt.
“Hold on,” Jasper said. “I’ll get us to the hospital as fast as I can.”
The SUV lurched forward, speeding down the dark road as Jasper drove with reckless determination. The tension in the car was suffocating, the silence broken only by the sound of Gabriel’s labored breathing and the pounding of Piper’s heart in her ears.
She kept her hands pressed against Gabriel’s wound, her fingers sticky with blood. Time seemed to slow down, every second stretching into eternity as she willed him to hold on. Her mind was a whirlwind of fear, guilt, and love, all tangled together in a mess she didn’t know how to unravel.
She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not after everything they had been through.
Jasper’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. “How’s he doing?”
Piper shook her head, barely able to speak past the lump in her throat. “I don’t know. He’s lost so much blood.”
Gabriel’s grip on her hand tightened briefly, as if he was trying to reassure her. His eyes flickered open again, his gaze locking with hers. There was something in his expression — something raw and vulnerable — that made her heart ache even more.
“Piper...” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “If I don’t make it —”
“Don’t,” she interrupted, her voice sharp with fear. “Don’t say that. You’re going to make it.”
But Gabriel shook his head, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I need you to know... I did it because I love you.”
Piper’s breath hitched, her heart stopping for a moment. The weight of his words crashed over her, leaving her stunned and overwhelmed. She had known Gabriel cared for her — had felt the growing connection between them — but hearing him say those words now, in this moment, felt like a punch to the gut.
Tears blurred her vision as she held his gaze. “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
It was the truth. Despite everything — the chaos, the danger, the tangled emotions — she had fallen for him. Gabriel had become her anchor, the one person she could count on no matter how bad things got. And now, the thought of losing him was more than she could bear.
Gabriel’s eyes softened at her words and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of peace in his expression. But then, his body tensed, a shudder running through him as the pain overwhelmed him again.
Piper panicked, her hands shaking as she pressed harder against his wound. “Stay with me, Gabriel. Please.”
Jasper glanced back again, his voice strained with urgency. “We’re almost there. Just hold on.”
The SUV sped through the dark streets, the hospital lights appearing in the distance like a beacon of hope. Piper could barely breathe, her heart pounding as they raced toward the emergency room entrance.
As they pulled up, medical staff rushed out to meet them, wheeling a gurney to the car. Jasper jumped out, helping them lift Gabriel from the backseat. Piper followed, her legs unsteady as she watched them place him on the gurney, blood soaking through the sheets.
“Hang on, Gabriel,” she whispered as they rushed him inside. “Please, hang on.”
The hospital doors closed behind the medical team, and suddenly, Piper was left standing in the cold night air, her hands stained with blood, her heart heavy with fear.
Jasper moved to stand beside her, his face pale and grim. “He’ll make it,” he said, though his voice lacked the certainty she needed to hear.
Piper wiped at her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. She had to believe that Gabriel would survive. She had to.
But even as she stood there, her heart breaking, another part of her ached with unresolved feelings. Jasper. The man who had been there for her before all of this — her first love, the father of her child. The man who had fought just as hard to protect her and Lily.
Jasper turned to her, his expression filled with guilt and pain. “Piper... I’m sorry.”
“For what?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“For everything,” Jasper said, his eyes filled with regret. “For letting things fall apart between us. For not being there when you needed me most. And for making you question everything we had.”
Piper’s chest tightened, her emotions too raw, too tangled to process all at once. “Jasper, this isn’t your fault.”
He shook his head, his jaw clenching. “It feels like it is. If I’d fought harder for us, maybe things would’ve been different.”
Piper’s heart ached at his words, the weight of their shared past pressing down on her. She had loved Jasper once — had believed they would spend the rest of their lives together. But so much had changed. Life had pulled them in different directions, and now, standing in the aftermath of everything, she didn’t know where they stood anymore.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened,” Piper said softly. “But what matters now is that we’re both here. And that we’re both fighting for Lily. For our family.”
Jasper nodded, though his eyes were clouded with sadness. “I never stopped caring about you, Piper. I never will.”
Before Piper could respond, the hospital doors swung open, and a doctor stepped out, his face serious as he approached them.
Her heart leaped into her throat, fear gripping her chest. “Is he... is Gabriel...?”
The doctor’s expression softened. “He’s stable, but it was close. He lost a lot of blood, and the bullet did some damage. We managed to stop the bleeding and get him into surgery in time. He’ll need to rest, but with time, he should recover.”
Relief flooded Piper’s body, and she let out a shaky breath. Gabriel was alive.
“Can I see him?” she asked, her voice trembling.
The doctor nodded. “He’s resting now, but you can go in. Just for a few minutes.”
Piper turned to Jasper, her emotions still swirling, but she could see the understanding in his eyes. He gave her a small, sad smile. “Go. He needs you.”
Piper hesitated for a moment, her heart torn between the two men standing at the center of her world. But at that moment, she knew where she had to be.
With a nod, she followed the doctor inside, leaving Jasper behind as she stepped into the quiet, sterile hallway. The weight of everything hung over her like a storm, but for now, she had to focus on Gabriel.
As she walked toward his room, her mind was filled with unanswered questions — about her feelings, about the future, about the men who had fought so hard to protect her. But one thing was certain: the battle wasn’t over, and the aftermath of this fight would ripple through all their lives.