A few minutes later we were ready to leave. James was in the back of the car with the driver and Angel was going to drive back. There were a few bullets holes but luckily enough it started without an issue. I was in no state to drive otherwise I would have offered. I just wanted to decompress and sort through the hectic events.

"What about your friend?" I asked, knowing Kaiden had lent the place from a friend.

"I'll let her know what happened but she will go with any story we want." He shrugged.

"I'll cover the damages," Angel offered and Kaiden nodded.

"You sure I can't drive you back?" Kaiden asked me but I shook my head.

I didn't want to be apart from Angel. After everything we had been through I didn't want to let him out of my sight, not even for a second.

I shook my head interlinking my hand with Angel. My brother saw the affectionate action and nodded.

The adrenaline was wearing off and I was tired. The sight of the men who had died trying to kill me didn't illicit any empathy. It had either been them or me and the people I loved most. There was no choice.

Angel led me to the passenger side of the car. I let him take over. He put my seatbelt on as I curled up on my side. He got in the car and started it up.

I closed my eyes, finally being able to feel like I was safe for the first time since it had happened.

We had only been driving for ten minutes before Angel braked suddenly. A car had turned in front of us stopping us dead. Kaiden stopped, coming up beside us.

It was still dark and hard to make out the identities of the men who got out of the car.

I jolted. Adrenaline pumping again. Had the guys changed their minds and come back to finish us off?

"What's going on?" James asked.

"We have company," Angel answered without any of the fear pumping through my veins.

Would it ever stop? It felt like we had been fighting one long battle with no end in sight.

Angel put the car in reverse and was about to hit the gas when he stopped.

The tallest man stepped directly under the street light and his features were revealed.

"It's your father," Angel said before I recognized the man.

"Where is she?" Andrew demanded.

Angel stopped me with a hand to my wrist when I made a move to get out of the car.

"I'll be fine," I assured him before he reluctantly released me.

I opened the door. The men beside my father drew their guns cautiously but lowered them when I got out of the car.

"Kira," Andrew gasped and walked over to hug me so tight I couldn't breathe.

I heard Angel get out of the car to watch us.

Enemies brought together with the same goal. To protect me.

"We're okay. Angel got us out of it."

My father's arms tightened on me. "If he had been prepared like he should have been it wouldn't have been so dire."

How on earth did he know all the details when it had happened under an hour ago?

"How do you know what happened?" I asked, brushing off his criticism of Angel. If he had seen how Angel had talked our way out of the situation he would respect him. I didn't know of anyone who could do what he had done.

Besides it had been my rash actions that had

"My men arrived just after the guys came out," he revealed.

We hadn't seen a thing.

"You will never have to fear those men again," he assured me and I frowned.

"What did you do?"

"I took care of them," he informed me.

I knew what 'took care' meant. I stilled unsure of how I felt about that. To harm another person wasn't something I took lightly but like the man who had killed my friend Bruno, these men would have taken my life and the life of the people I held dear. I couldn't feel any sympathy for them. Greed had driven them to do what they did.

My father loosened his hold. "I'll take you back."

Angel stepped forward. "No. She's my wife and my responsibility."

I pushed away from my father, very aware of how dark it was and how tired I was.

"I need you both to be on the same page. I know it's a tall ask especially when you have been enemies for longer than I can remember." I looked from Andrew to Angel.

Kaiden had also climbed out of his car and was watching the showdown with caution.

"But right now I need you both to come to some sort of cease fire. Can you do that? For me?"

I looked to my father, who eyed Angel out before slowly nodding.

Then my gaze went to Angel. "I need you to be on board with this."

He nodded reluctantly.

I let out a sigh. "I'm going back with Angel. You can come by tomorrow to see me and we can work out where we go from here. Okay?"

Andrew nodded and then Angel did.

"Do you have weapons?" Andrew asked Angel, who shook his head.

"We used everything back at the cabin."

Andrew turned to his men and without even saying a word one of the went to the trunk of the car and came back with two guns which he handed to Angel.

"Thanks," Angel said stiffly.

"You take care of her otherwise I'll be coming for you." My father looked him dead in the eye when he made the threat, Angel didn't blink. He wasn't afraid of my father and I loved him a little more in that moment. He was fearless.

"If anything happens to her I'll hand you the gun," he stated matter of factly.

I swallowed, at the impact of his words.

My father gave me one last hug before he left with his men and I returned to the car.

Angel handed a weapon to Kaiden before he got back in the car and started it up.

"Did you mean it?" I asked.

He started the journey back ensuring he kept just above the speed limit to get us home as fast as he could without drawing any attention.

"What?" he asked, only taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

"What you said to my father."

He nodded. His hand found mine. "I don't say things I don't mean Kira."

My heart inflated and I couldn't breath for a few moments as I waded through the emotion.

"If I failed to keep you safe, there is no point in continuing."

I trembled.

I didn't know if I could carry on if something were to happen to him. It was something I didn't want to think about especially when we had all come so close to death.

Needing to feel close to him I lay my head against his shoulder. "Same," I breathed.

His lips touched my forehead and I closed my eyes.

He had been in my life for so long, I couldn't remember a time when he wasn't. Even contemplating his demise in a hypothetical situation took my breath away.

"I was so scared tonight. It wasn't the dying part that made me scared the most, it was the part of watching you die."

"Let's not think about what happened, or all the ways it could have gone down. We were lucky to get out of it and we make sure it never happens again."

I nodded. "Never again."

I could definitely get behind that.

We got back to the house and I felt like I was home when we pulled through the gates.

Men were waiting to carry the injured driver into the house to tend to him. Angel opened the door and pulled me out. I was tired. All I wanted to do was sleep for a week.

Kaiden came to us. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. I need to take care of some things," he said, raking a hand through his hair.

I hugged my brother. "Thanks for everything." He had stepped up when I had needed him the most and that meant something.

"Anytime." He released me, and I watched as he left, the gates closing behind him.

Angel led me to our room before leaving to check on the driver.

I was exhausted but I changed and washed the blood from my hands before I climbed into the bed.

Even as tired as I was I couldn't seem to drop off to sleep when Angel left to check on the driver. I sat up in the bed and pulled the covers to my chin as I waited for him to return.

The door opened quietly as Angel came into view. "You're still up?"

"I couldn't sleep without you," I admitted.

He smiled. "I have something for you."

I frowned as he held out his hand. He opened it to reveal my engagement and wedding ring.

I had left them at the cabin.

"I forgot about those," I murmured as he slid them back on my fingers.

"James found them."

He stripped off his clothes, down to his underwear and got into the bed beside me to hold me close. I lay my head against his chest just breathing him in and allowing his presence to surround me. We had nearly lost each other and that thought made me hold him a little tighter. I drifted off to sleep, where he kept the nightmares at bay.