Bethany
"When those doors open, you run for the chopper. Do not look back, do not stop for me. Do you understand?"
Xavier's voice was like ice, but his eyes were darting toward the floor indicator.
"Xavier, you're bleeding!" I said, just noticing the blood on his side. You can't just...."
"Bethany! Run!"
The doors opened, and for a second all I saw was a chaotic blur of searchlights and the deafening thwack-thwack-thwack of helicopter rotors.
Before I could even breathe, Xavier shoved me out onto the concrete.
"There they are!" a voice screamed over the wind.
The sounds of gun shot were like my ears were being cut off. A bullet even landed near my feet.
At that moment, I didn't think; I just ran. My heels were a liability, so I kicked them off, running on barefoot and not looking back as Xavier instructed as I sprinted toward the dark silhouette of the helicopter.
Well, I looked back once I couldn't help it.
Xavier was in mid-motion, his suit jacket no longer on hi., his white shirt was stained with blood. He wasn't just shooting; he was a wall of pure, calculated violence.
He took down the first two men before they could even level their weapons.
"Get in!" the pilot yelled, reaching a hand out to me.
I managed to get into the vibrating helicopter, to be honest I was scared as hell!
"He's still out there! We have to wait!" I said at the top of my voice.
Xavier was backing toward us now, his gun clicking empty. He tossed it aside and ducked as a final volley of gunfire erupted from the stairwell. He lunged for the skid just as the pilot began to lift.
I grabbed his hand, the same hand that had stolen my award. It was bloody.
With some effort, he hauled himself inside and slammed the door shut. The helicopter lurched, tilting sharply as we banked away from the rooftop and into the safety of the night sky, away from the gala.
Xavier collapsed onto the floor at my feet. His shirt was a ruin, the fabric clinging to a jagged wound in his side that was pulsing red. He looked up at me, his face pale under the dim lights.
"The award..." he rasped, his voice barely audible over the engine.
"Forget the award, Xavier! You're dying!" I screamed, tearing the hem of my dress only because I needed something to stop the bleeding and not because I cared.
A small smirk appeared on his lips...the same arrogant, infuriating smirk that made me want to hit him.
"It's in... the seat pocket. I didn't want... your hard work... to go to waste."
He closed his eyes then getting up and sitting down slowly.
I pulled the heavy gold trophy from the pocket, staring at my name engraved on the base. He hadn't stolen it. He had been carrying it for me the whole time he was fighting for our lives.
I clutched the gold award to my chest, my fingers tracing the cool metal of my name. My eyes drifted to Xavier, his breath coming in shallow, pained hitches. A strange, terrifying warmth bubbled in my chest. He saved it...he saved me.
I reached out, my hand trembling as I moved to press the hem of my dress against the cut on his side. "Xavier, stay with me. We're almost..."
His eyes snapped open immediately. The softness I thought I saw was gone, replaced by something cold.
"Don't touch me," he rasped. He didn't sound like a dying man now.
With a grunt of pain, he reached into the leather pocket of the seat behind him, I thought he wanted to pull out bandages but imstead he pulled out a thick, charcoal-grey file and a heavy gold pen.
He tossed them onto my lap, right on top of my award.
"Sign it," he ordered.
I frowned, looking from the file to his pale face. "What is this? Medical release forms? Xavier, you need a hospital, not paperwork."
"Open it, Bethany."
I flipped the cover. My heart didn't just skip a beat; it stopped. At the top of the page, in elegant, mocking script, were the words: OFFICIAL MARRIAGE LICENSE. My name was already printed there and so was his.
"What... what is this?" I whispered, the paper shaking in my hand.
"The Schendlins don't care about your father's debts anymore," Xavier said, his voice barely audible.
"They want the bloodline and want the firm. But if you're a Vane, you're untouchable. Their treaty with my family is the only thing keeping them from finishing what they started tonight."
"You want me to marry you?" I yelled, the warmth I felt moments ago turning into pure, caustic acid.