KATHLEEN
The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and unfinished goodbyes.
Carl lay motionless on the bed, his chest rising and falling in time with the beeping monitors. The bullet had missed his heart by half an inch—*"lucky,"* the surgeon had said.
Kathleen wanted to break something.
She pressed her forehead to Carl's limp hand, his fingers cold against her skin. The scent of his blood still clung to her blazer.
*"You don't get to die,"* she whispered. *"Not after everything."*
The door creaked open.
Ava slipped inside, balancing two coffees and a laptop. Dark circles bruised her eyes. *"He's too stubborn to die."* She handed Kathleen a cup. *"Drink. You look like hell."*
Kathleen ignored the coffee. *"Did you trace them?"*
Ava's mouth flattened. She flipped open her laptop. *"Better. I found the money trail."*
The screen showed a series of offshore transfers—all leading back to one account.
**RICHARD KRAY – PERSONAL.**
Kathleen's nails bit into her palms. *"He hired them from jail?"*
*"Not just them."* Ava pulled up a security feed—Kray's visitor log. *"See who came to see him yesterday?"*
The face on-screen made Kathleen's blood freeze.
*Hansen Leroy's widow.*
---
AVA
Ava hated hospitals.
The smell, the silence, the way time stretched like taffy—it reminded her too much of the months after her parents' crash. But she'd burn the whole city down before she let Kathleen face this alone.
She watched her friend stare at Carl's still form, the woman's usual steel replaced by something fragile.
*"He'll wake up,"* Ava said, more sure than she felt.
Kathleen didn't look up. *"What if he doesn't?"*
Ava hesitated—then dropped her bombshell. *"Kray's moving Alina into foster care."*
Kathleen's head snapped up. *"What?"*
*"He filed a petition this morning. Claims Carl's 'unfit' after the shooting."* Ava pulled up the court documents. *"But here's the thing—he's not her legal guardian. Carl is."*
Kathleen stood so fast her chair clattered to the floor. *"We need—"*
*"Already done."* Ava smirked. *"I called in a favor at Family Services. They're stalling the order."*
For the first time in hours, something like hope flickered in Kathleen's eyes.
Then Carl's fingers twitched.
---
CARL
Carl surfaced from the darkness in fragments.
The sting of IV lines. The hum of machines.
And Kathleen—her hands clutching his, her voice raw with relief.
*"Welcome back, hero."*
His throat burned. *"Alina?"*
*"Safe. With your nanny at a secure location."* Kathleen brushed his hair back, her touch feather-light. *"Kray's trying to take her."*
Carl tried to sit up. White-hot pain ripped through his chest.
Kathleen pushed him down gently. *"Stop. Ava's handling it."*
He gripped her wrist. *"You shouldn't be here. They'll come for you next."*
Kathleen leaned down until her lips grazed his ear. *"Let them try."*
Her breath was warm. Her words, a vow.
Carl's eyelids grew heavy again, but this time, he didn't fight it.
Not when Kathleen was standing guard.