Chapter 24
A single shot rang out. Amanda’s body jerked back, her gun clattering to the ground as she collapsed. My eyes darted to Nolan, his weapon still trained on her fallen form, before he sprinted toward us.
“Boss, stay with us.” Nolan dropped to his knees beside Adam, pressing his hands. over the wound. Blood seeped between his fingers, staining his sleeves crimson. “The backup team’s two minutes out. We’ll get you to the hospital.”
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My brother lay bleeding in my arms. The warehouse spun around me as reality crashed in waves. All this time, he’d been watching over me. All this time…
“Emma.” Adam’s voice pulled me back. His face had gone ghostly pale, but his eyes. stayed locked on mine. “I’m sorry I stayed. away.”
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“Don’t.” The word came out as a sob. “Just
stay with me.”
Blood trickled from the corner of his
mouth as he turned to Nolan. His hand trembled as he gripped Nolan’s shoulder. “Thank you. For being the best right hand I could ask for. For all these years…”
“Save your strength.” Nolan’s voice cracked. “The team’s almost here. Just hold on.”
Adam’s lips curved into a smile, even as more blood stained his teeth red.
My brother’s breath came in ragged gasps. His eyes shifted to Nolan, a knowing glint flickering through the pain.
“I saw it, you know.” Blood bubbled at Adam’s lips. “The way you’d ask about those reports from Ethan. Always so concerned. about my sister.”
Nolan’s hands pressed harder against the wound, his jaw clenched tight. A flash of something crossed his face – guilt, fear, I couldn’t tell.
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Adam’s fingers found mine, squeezing with what strength he had left. “Emma. I’m so sorry. For everything. For staying away.” His voice broke. “I didn’t know what that bastard was doing to you. If I’d known…”
“Please,” I choked out. “Save your strength.”
But he wasn’t finished. His gaze locked onto Nolan one final time, determination burning in his fading eyes. “Take care of her. And the empire. It’s yours now.”
His grip on my hand went slack. The warehouse fell silent except for the distant
wail of sirens.
“No!” My scream echoed through the warehouse, bouncing off metal walls and empty spaces. I clutched Adam’s hand tighter, willing warmth back into his cold. fingers. “Please, no. I just found you again.”
Nolan’s hands never stopped working, pressing against the wound even as Adam’s chest stilled. His fingers moved to my brother’s neck, searching for a pulse I
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knew wasn’t there.
“Come on, boss.” Nolan’s voice cracked. “Don’t do this.”
Men in dark suits flooded the warehouse, weapons drawn. Someone pulled Amanda’s body away. Others secured the perimeter. A medical team rushed toward us, equipment in hand.
“Clear the area!” A voice commanded.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders, trying to pull me back. I fought against them, refusing to let go of Adam’s hand.
The medical team swarmed around Adam. They cut away his shirt, attached monitors, started compressions. Each thud of their efforts drove another stake through my
heart..
I buried my face in Nolan’s chest, unable to watch. His arms wrapped around me, steady despite the tremor I felt in his
breathing. We both knew. We’d both seen the light fade from Adam’s eyes.
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The medical team called out numbers. pushed medications, shocked his heart. But the monitor’s flat line never changed.
“Time of death. 22:47.”
Six months later.
I stood before Adam’s grave, my fingers tracing the cold marble. Fresh roses covered the ground. Nolan’s steady presence beside me anchored me as
memories flooded back.
My knees buckled. The weight of loss crashed over me like a wave. Nolan caught me, his arms wrapping around my waist.
“He’d be proud of you.” Nolan whispered against my hair. “You’re stronger than you know. Just like him.”
I turned in his embrace, tears streaming down my face. “I miss him so much.”
“The greatest legacies aren’t built in marble.” Nolan brushed away my tears with
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The medical team called out numbers, pushed medications, shocked his heart. But the monitor’s flat line never changed.
“Time of death, 22:47.”
Six months later.
I stood before Adam’s grave, my fingers tracing the cold marble. Fresh roses covered the ground. Nolan’s steady presence beside me anchored me as memories flooded back.
My knees buckled. The weight of loss crashed over me like a wave. Nolan caught me, his arms wrapping around my waist.
“He’d be proud of you,” Nolan whispered against my hair. “You’re stronger than you know. Just like him.”
I turned in his embrace, tears streaming down my face. “I miss him so much.”
“The greatest legacies aren’t built in marble.” Nolan brushed away my tears with
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his thumb. “They live in the hearts of those left behind. In the empire he created. In you.”
I lifted my face to his, seeing the same pain reflected in his eyes. The same love. The same fierce protectiveness that had drawn me to him.
Our lips met in a gentle kiss. When we pulled apart, his forehead rested against
mine.
“Let’s go home,” he murmured.
We walked hand in hand to the black SUV waiting at the cemetery gates. As I slid into the leather seat, I caught my reflection in the tinted window. I barely recognized myself – gone was the naive girl who’d fallen for Ethan’s lies. In her place sat the queen of an empire my brother had built. with a man feared throughout the underworld by my side.
I am Emma Thorne, and Nolan DeLuca is my beast.
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