The Kiss
Rook's POV
The sniper's bullet shattered the window exactly where Selena had been standing.
Rook slammed into her, driving them both to the floor behind an overturned table. Glass exploded around them like deadly rain.
"Stay down!" he yelled.
More shots came through the broken window. The old hotel lobby filled with dust and splinters of wood.
"How did they find us so fast?" Selena gasped.
"They've been tracking us." Rook pulled out his phone and smashed it against the floor. "Probably through this."
"But you broke it earlier!"
"The GPS chip still works even when the screen is cracked."
Another bullet punched through the wall above their heads. Then another. The shooters were getting closer.
"We need to move," Rook said. "Now."
He grabbed Selena's hand and pulled her toward a doorway marked "Stairs." Behind them, the front door of the hotel exploded inward.
Men in black gear poured into the lobby. Their red laser sights cut through the dusty air like angry eyes.
"There!" one of them shouted.
Rook and Selena ran up the stairs as bullets chased them. The old wooden steps creaked and groaned under their feet.
"Second floor," Rook said. "We can jump from there."
"Are you crazy?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
They reached the second floor hallway. More footsteps thundered up the stairs behind them.
"This way!" Rook kicked open a door.
The room was small and dark. An old bed sat in the corner covered with dust. The window faced the alley behind the building.
"Oh no," Selena said. "I can't jump from here."
"You have to."
"It's too high!"
"It's only twenty feet."
"That's twenty feet too many!"
The footsteps were getting closer. Voices in the hallway. They had maybe thirty seconds.
"Listen to me," Rook said, grabbing her shoulders. "I'll go first. I'll catch you."
"What if you miss?"
"I won't miss."
"What if you do?"
"Then at least one of us will survive."
Selena stared at him. "You'd die for me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because..." Rook stopped. How could he explain? Because she reminded him of her mother? Because he owed a debt? Because somewhere along the way, keeping her alive had become more than just a job?
"Because you matter," he said quietly.
The door handle rattled. Someone was trying to get in.
"Go!" Selena pushed him toward the window.
Rook climbed out onto the fire escape. The metal groaned under his weight. He looked down at the alley. Garbage cans and broken pavement. Not a soft landing.
"Your turn," he called to Selena.
She climbed out just as the door burst open behind her. A gunman appeared in the window, his weapon raised.
"Jump!" Rook yelled.
Selena jumped.
For a moment she hung in the air, her arms reaching for him. Time seemed frozen. Then gravity took over.
Rook caught her, but the impact sent them both tumbling to the ground. They rolled across the dirty pavement, Rook twisting to take most of the hit.
Pain shot through his shoulder, but he ignored it. "Can you move?"
"I think so."
Above them, the gunman leaned out the window. His rifle swung down toward them.
"Run!"
They scrambled to their feet and sprinted down the alley. The rifle cracked behind them. A bullet sparked off the brick wall next to Rook's head.
"In here!" Selena pulled him through a gap between two buildings.
They found themselves in a narrow space barely wide enough for one person. Selena pressed her back against one wall. Rook pressed against the other. They were so close he could feel her breathing.
It was completely dark.
"Are they following?" she whispered.
Rook listened. Footsteps in the alley. Voices calling orders. But they seemed to be moving away.
"They lost us," he said.
"For now."
They stood in the darkness, trying to catch their breath. Selena was shaking. Not from cold. From fear.
"Hey," Rook said softly. "We're okay."
"No, we're not. They almost killed us."
"But they didn't."
"This time."
"We'll figure it out."
"How? They have my father. They have Detective Vance. They know where we are every second."
Her voice was breaking. She was trying so hard to be strong, but the cracks were showing.
"Selena—"
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered. "I'm not brave like my mother was. I'm not strong like you are. I'm just scared."
"Being scared doesn't make you weak."
"Yes, it does."
"No. It makes you human."
In the darkness, he reached out and touched her face. Her skin was wet with tears.
"You saved those families tonight," he said. "You shot that man when he was going to hurt them. That's not weakness."
"I was terrified."
"Good. Fear keeps you alive."
"Is that why you're so calm all the time? Because you're not afraid?"
Rook was quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid every second of every day."
"Of what?"
"Of failing. Of letting someone else die because I wasn't good enough."
"Someone like my mother?"
"Someone like you."
The words hung between them in the darkness. Selena's breathing had slowed. She wasn't shaking anymore.
"Rook?"
"Yeah?"
"When we were falling. When you caught me. For just a second, I felt safe."
"You are safe. With me."
"That's what scares me most."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm starting to trust you. And everyone I trust dies."
"I'm not going to die."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do."
"How?"
"Because I have something to live for now."
"What?"
He should have said duty. Should have said the job. Should have said anything but the truth.
"You," he whispered.
The silence stretched between them. Then Selena moved closer. In the darkness, he felt her hand touch his chest.
"This is crazy," she said.
"I know."
"You killed my mother."
"I know."
"I should hate you."
"You should."
"But I don't. Not anymore."
"Selena—"
She kissed him.
It happened so fast he didn't have time to think. One moment they were talking. The next, her lips were on his.
The kiss was desperate. Scared. Angry. Full of all the emotions they had been holding back.
For just a moment, Rook forgot everything. Forgot the danger. Forgot the past. Forgot that this was wrong in every possible way.
Then reality crashed back.
He pulled away from her, gasping.
"We can't," he said.
"I know."
"This is—"
"Wrong. I know."
They stood in the darkness, both breathing hard.
"Why did you do that?" he asked.
"Because I thought we were going to die," she whispered. "And I didn't want to die without knowing what it felt like."
"What what felt like?"
"Being close to someone who would die for me."
The words hit him like a punch. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.
"Selena—"
"Don't say anything. Please. Just... let me pretend for one minute that this could be real."
So they stood there in silence. In the darkness. Pretending that the world outside didn't exist.
Then Rook's backup phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and read the message. His blood turned to ice.
"What is it?" Selena asked.
He showed her the screen. A new photo. Her father and Detective Vance, still tied up. But now there was a third person in the chair.
Uncle Marco.
The man who had helped raise Selena. Who had taught her to drive. Who had been at every birthday party.
Below the photo was a message: "Surprise! Guess who's been working for me all along? Warehouse 9. One hour. Come alone or watch your whole family die on live video."
Selena stared at the screen. "That's impossible. Marco would never—"
"Look closer," Rook said grimly.
She looked. Marco wasn't tied up like the others. His hands were free. He was standing behind her father's chair.
And he was smiling.
"Uncle Marco," she whispered. "He's the one who wanted Mom dead."
"Yes."
"He's been lying to me my whole life."
"Yes."
"He's going to kill Dad."
"Unless we stop him."
Selena looked up at Rook, her eyes full of tears and rage.
"Then let's go kill Uncle Marco."