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Relief so powerful it almost felt like a tidal wave, flooded is system. That was until he registered the state of her. She looked so tired and why did it look like she had lost weight? But in her brilliant blue eyes he could see hope. Then his focus shifted to the man who was dragging her backwards by the arm. Johnson’s son, Zane realised.

As Ava was dragged out of his view, Zane turned towards the chaos that was playing out on the ground level. Jax and his men had made progress. They were forcing most of Johnson’s men to the right while some of Zane’s men herded the guests and workers to the left. No one was foolish enough to assume the guests and workers were harmless.

They all knew there could be numerous guns, knives and other things hidden amongst them. They would be searched and dealt with when this thing was over.

“Found the item,” Zane shouted. Jax, Ryder and Tom looked at him and he glanced toward the stairs, they all nodded. There was an effort made to clear the way to the second floor until only a small group of men were blocking the stairs. Zane smiled as he picked them off one after another. When the last one went down, Zane saw something move at the top of the stairs.

He looked up and saw Ava come sprinting down. Was she fucking crazy? She was running straight into a gunfight. he would make sure to punish her for this when they got home. His body moved by instinct towards her. He needed to stop her decent before she got to close.

Zane saw Johnson’s son running to the stairs and go down them. He swore when he realised the fucking worm would get to Ava before Zane could, he raised his gun as the man grabbed hold of Avas hair and yanked her to a stop, Avas face shone with pain. He would pay for that, Zane thought.

“Just let me go, Jacob. You don’t want to be here. Zane will kill you,” Zane heard Ava say.

“She isn’t fucking kidding. Let. Go. Of. Her,” Zane growled and he saw tears run down Avas face. The fucking little coward was making his angel cry.

“She isn’t yours anymore, get the fuck out before my dad kills you,” Jacob told him. Zane gave him a cold smile. There was no chance in hell it was going to happen.

“Not if I kill you first,” Zane said. He aimed and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion. The idiot hadn’t even used Ava as a proper shield, he had left his entire right side exposed. Zane wasn’t even worried he would hit Ava as he sent the bullet flying.

It hit its attended target in the shoulder, making him loos his grip on Ava. Ava set in motion the second she was free. Zane focused on her, holstering his gun and spread his arms to secure her. But she ran passed him, it took him by surprise and he froze. Until he heard the gunshot coming from close behind him, he swung around as he felt the air vanish from his lungs. Ava stood pressing her hand to her side, Jax stood not far back, looking at Ava in horror.

Between them stood Johnson with a raised gun. The moment seemed to last forever while Zane’s brain tried to piece the puzzle together. Then everything happened at once. Ava fell forward, Zane saw Johnson take aim and Jax shoot him before he had a chance to pull the trigger. Zane caught Ava before she tumbled down the stairs. He saw the blood on her hands as he turned her around in his arms.

“Ava?” he asked, his voice barely working.

“You came,” she whispered with a smile that rivalled the sun. It killed him that she had doubted that he would.

“Always. I will always come for you, angel,” he told her and looked down to where she was clenching her waist. He saw the blood ooze from between her fingers and his body turned cold. “I need assistance now!” he screamed.

“Zane,” Ava said.

“I’m here, Ava. We will get you all better,” Zane told her and put his hand on top of hers to help keep pressure on the wound. Ryder appeared by his side and handed Zane compresses from one of the pockets of his tactical gear.

Zane looked up at him and Ryder nodded and squatted down to work on Ava. Zane took Avas hand and pulled it away, to give Ryder a chance to work. Tom and Carlos had come to stand beside them to offer protection and help.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt, I’m just a little cold,” Ava told him. Her voice was weak and Zane knew she was slipping into shock.

“I need a blanket or a jacket!” he ordered. A blanket appeared out of nowhere. Zane didn’t want anything from this filthy place to touch his angel. But she needed it so he reluctantly wrapped her in it, making sure Ryder could still work on her side.

“Zane,” Ava asked for his attention again.

“Yes, angel.”

“There is someone that provided Johnson with information, I don’t know how much. But she told him about me and maybe more things as well. Jasmin is somewhere here,” she told him a little incoherent. Zane looked at her. Was she telling him that Jasmin had been telling things about his organisation to Johnson?

“Thank you for telling me, angel. Keep those beautiful eyes open, okey?” he told her in a soft voice, she nodded. “Good girl.” Zane looked up, the sound of guns had stopped and he could see his men and Jax had the last of Johnsons men cornered as they surrendered. Johnson was laying at the foot of the steps, unconscious and bleeding. “Jax, find Jasmin.

She is a rat. And make sure that this fucker and his miserable offspring don’t die.” Zane didn’t want to give Johnson and his son an easy way out. He turned back to Ava, she was watching him with a faint smile on her face. She was pale, sickly pale and when Zane instinctively drew her closer, he could feel the weight she had lost.

“Are you still with me Ava?” he asked. She nodded, but her eyes had started to flutter. “Ava, don’t close your eyes,” he told her. She just smiled, her eyes closed and she gave a faint exhale as if she was content with the world. Zane looked at Ryder in a panic.

“She has lost a lot of blood, boss. I don’t think any major organs were hit, but I don’t know about the bowls. It’s a trough and trough, so no bullet left. I have stopped the bleeding for now, but she isn’t in a good condition. I don’t know what the fucking lunatics have done to her but she looks dehydrated and starved. It would be serious even if she was healthy, but know…” Ryder trailed off and looked at Ava with such worry that Zane wanted to weep.

“Get a car, call the doc. I want him to stand in the door as we arrive,” Zane told Tom as he lifted Ava. Carlos ran off to get a car ready as Tom made the call.

“We have Jasmine, she is in bad shape but not critical. She’ll be able to talk in a day,” Jax said as he joined Zane walking towards the door. “How is she?” he then asked, looking down at Ava.

“Bad. She took the bullet that was meant for me,” Zane said. He hadn’t let himself think about that yet. But it made him feel like shit. She was so frail, why the fuck had she done something so stupid? Zane could have handled a gunshot, fuck, he had handled it before. But this, this was so much worse than being shot.

“I saw it, she didn’t hesitate,” Jax nodded.

“Boss, the doc is on the other side of town in the middle of surgery. Even if he closes the patient now and leaves, it will take him half an hour under the best conditions,” Tom said to Zane as he got of the phone. Fuck, Zane thought. Why hadn’t they had the doctor on standby? Why hadn’t they planed for something like this?

“I’ll call Linda,” Jax said, taking out his phone.

“Who the fuck is Linda?” Zane asked and got a hard look from Jax.

“Ava’s friend from the hospital, the doctor,” Jax said.

“The one you have been seeing?” Zane wondered.

“Well, not seeing, occasionally meeting up with,” Jax objected as he lifted the phone to his ear. Right, Zane thought. If Jax would consider calling her in a time like this, they were more than that. If this whole fucking mess had thought him one thing, it was to spot a man in denial. He would have to talk to Jax about that. Zane wouldn’t let his friend repeat the same mistakes he had.

“Fine,” he agreed as they walked out of the house towards the car that had pulled up.

“Hi, Linda. Listen, don’t have a lot of time. I need to ask a favour for Ava. I know you haven’t been able to get in touch with her. Aha, yes I know. I know. I know, would you just. Okay, let me just. Fine. For fuck sake, will you let me talk?” Jax shouted.

Zane had reluctantly handed Ava to Ryder as he got into the car and he sent Jax a waning look. They couldn’t risk upsetting the doctor. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted. It’s just there is an emergency and my adrenaline is running high.

Yes, Ava has been shot and I need you to get to the mansion as soon as you can. No, we can’t take her to the hospital, to many questions. I don’t doubt she has many friends there that would help her, we just can’t risk it. Thank you. No, no need for that, there will be supplies waiting for you. Now go,” Jax finished the call. “She’ll be there in ten minutes so she’ll be waiting for you. I’ll finish up here before I head back,” Jax said as Ryder handed Ava to Zane.

“Thanks man,” Zane said just before Ryder closed the door and then got into the front seat. The car sped off as Zane tried to feel for Ava’s pulse. It was there, but it was weak and fast. She hadn’t woken up despite being passed around.

She couldn’t die, Zane decided. He couldn’t live in a world that she wasn’t in. He still hadn’t got to tell her how he felt about her, he hadn’t got to beg for her forgiveness or give her the chance to take revenge on those who had hurt her, including himself. If Ava didn’t make it, Gabriel would never speak to Ryder again, Zane realised. She was just too important to not be alive.