“Goddamn it, Jared,” she screamed. “Listen to me!”

Her fists wrapped his collar. Sugar yanked him within inches of her eyes. All that blood on Sugar. It matted her dark hair to her cheeks and painted sickening streaks across her pale skin. He couldn’t handle life without her. It made his body hurt. His mind ache. His world spin.

And then his world spun.

He and Sugar fell off the table, the weight of her body pulling him down into a pile of exhaustion. He paused, staring and studying the woman he would sacrifice his life for.

“I’m not shot.” Again, she was in his face. “You were, goddamn it.”

White-hot pain seared his neck. Realizing he’d been shot was less shocking than her being uninjured. The blood wasn’t hers. She was okay. Everything was okay. Sugar wasn’t shot. Thank the fucking Lord.

His terror dissipated, and his adrenaline drained away with it. Pain in his neck and numbness in his extremities hit him at the same time. Getting shot sucked. He’d done it more than he’d liked. But this time… this time… was different.

“I love you,” he mumbled. His lips tingled. He tasted salt and metal. He smelled the blood. “Lilly Chase.” Her name sounded too pretty to not say it.

“Stay with me, J-dawg.” Sugar cupped his face. Her fingers were gentle and wet with his blood.

“Lilly… Chase.” His words were slurred. Such a pretty name. He couldn’t look away. Sugar’d been sexy. She’d been tough. But he never stopped and stared. Listened to her speak. Said her name. “I love you.”

That was what he wanted to say, especially if they were his last words.

Tears ran down her face. Still she was so… pretty. That was the only word he could think of. He wasn’t totally sure what she’d said, but if she kept talking just like that, he could close his eyes, and it would all be okay.

Jared listened, felt, and knew. He’d finally found life, but it was fading.

Sugar wrapped around him. He just knew it. He couldn’t feel it… and he so badly wanted to feel her. A touch. Her warmth. But… nothing.

The voices of his team clamored in his earpiece, tickling his eardrum. Their words held no meaning. Somehow, his strength and coordination flickered back, but only long enough to pull the earbud out of his ear, and then his arm fell limp. He sucked a staggered breath, completely unable to help himself… or to take his eyes off Sugar.

Horrified, she screamed for help. For him. For…

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

All Sugar could do was cry. Her shoulders shook. Her eyes burned. She could barely hold them open because the scene was too horrific to commit to memory. But she couldn’t close them, either. They were too raw, and shutting her eyes did nothing to erase the haunting blood and lifelessness on the ambulance gurney.