She glares, watching as Eric taps his cane on the ground impatiently. Daniel grabs her wrist. She glances back at him, taking the moment to memorize every feature of his face. The way his dark hair refuses to all go in one direction. The way the outer edges of his blue eyes fade to gray and how the skin underneath is almost a permanent shadow, evidence of his selfless, busy way of life. His long chin, and the small mole hiding under his jaw. The wrinkles on the corners of his mouth, proving to the world that Daniel Carter loves to smile.

Lynell feels her entire body ache with love. She leans down and gives him a quick kiss.

“I love you,” she says.

When she pulls away, she can see the fear edged in the corner of Daniel’s eyes. The way his grip on her wrist tightens and his head shakes ever so slightly. The words, the ones she hasn’t said in three years, hang in the air between them. An unfair proclamation for her to make after all that’s happened, all she’s done. And especially knowing what she’s about to do.

She looks away, swallowing the lump in her throat. Daniel stands and places his hands on the side of her face, forcing her to look at him.

“We can figure this out, baby.” His breathing is ragged. “You don’t need to do this.”

Lynell reaches up and pulls his hands off her face. “I do. Because I love you. More than life itself.”

She turns and pulls out of his grasp, stepping into sight of Eric.

“Don’t,” Daniel says. This time his voice is hard and makes Lynell pause. “Lynell, don’t leave me again.”

Those words cut her open and she gasps, turning around.

“Not again,” he says.

Guilt catches her. Is he right? Is she making yet another bad choice? Is she willing to surrender to Eric because she doesn’t have the strength to fight? For the briefest moment, she feels strong enough to face anything as long as Daniel is by her side.

She nods. “Okay,” she says, stepping toward him. Relief spreads across his face but is quickly replaced with fear. She turns around, and her heart sinks when she sees Eric looking back at them.

It’s too late. He’s seen them.

Lynell whirls back to Daniel to see him staring between her, Eric, and the guards walking toward them, eyes wide.

“Run, Daniel. Now. Find Anna.”

He shakes his head.

“Run!” she screams. Daniel looks past her, and Lynell follows his gaze. The guards are running now, holding their guns out. “They’ll shoot you. I’m sorry, Danny. Run, please!”

The first gunshot rings in the air and both Daniel and Lynell drop to the ground. Lynell covers her head. When she looks up next, the guards are only a couple hundred feet away, and Daniel is still standing behind her, refusing to run.

The man on the right raises his gun and points it right at Daniel. Lynell can see his finger on the trigger and knows he won’t miss. She’s about to scream, to turn and push Daniel or jump in front of him, when the shot echoes in the air, followed by a loud crash and a shriek.