Cecilia’s pov
Back at the apartnt, Cassian already knew what had happened at Yvonne’s house. Tang had told him.
By the ti Tang finished, his usual confidence had faded. He looked genuinely worried.
"A safe place?" he repeated, rubbing his chin. "I might know sowhere that’s actually secure. Sebastian, if you’re willing to let her out of your sight for a bit, let Cecilia co with to Colorado Springs next week. I’ll handle everything."
Colorado Springs? With soone from the Locke family?
My stomach tightened.
I jumped in before Sebastian could say anything.
"I appreciate the offer, Cassian, but I’m not leaving Denver," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "I don’t want to flip my whole life upside down just because soone’s trying to scare ."
Even as I said it, part of was shaking.
Sebastian noticed too.He pulled gently against his chest, his arm wrapping around like a shield.
"It’s just an idea," he murmured into my hair. "No one’s making you go anywhere."
Then he looked at Cassian, his voice lightening into sothing almost teasing.
This was clearly a deliberate shift, as if trying to defuse the tension.
"Besides, you’re a target too. If she goes with you, I’ll just be even more stressed."
He shot Cassian a crooked smile, then added under his breath, "And I’d miss her like hell. Might even waste away without her."
Cassian blinked, visibly thrown off by Sebastian’s sudden romantic streak.
For a second, he actually looked speechless. Then he blinked again, like resetting himself.
My face burned.
I pushed against Sebastian’s chest, trying to escape his hold.
He just laughed and pulled tighter, his arm like a steel cable around my waist.
I shot him a sharp look, but he only smirked.
Cassian covered his eyes with one hand like a stage actor in a cheap soap opera.
"By all ans, twist the knife," he groaned. "My tragic, lonely existence clearly isn’t dramatic enough yet."
Then he dropped his hand, the humor fading from his face like a curtain falling.
"Cecilia, staying in Denver won’t make your enemies disappear. And romantic cuddling won’t protect you. It’s not a magic shield."
"I’m already Target Number One. You’re Target Number Two. And we both know exactly who’s behind what happened today."
"The poisoned needle? That was a test run."
"When she really decides to take you out, she won’t stop until it’s done. There’ll be more plans. More traps. More people coming after you."
He leaned in slightly, his voice low but firm.
"So what’s next for you? Getting stabbed like I was? Or maybe thrown out of a moving SUV?"
His eyes flicked to Sebastian, then back to .
"Let’s be honest. You’re not in great shape right now. Even with Tang watching your back, you’re basically glass. One wrong step, and you break.
He can’t afford to ss up. Neither can Sebastian."
I fell silent.
Every word Cassian said hit harder than I wanted to admit.
Sebastian glanced at him with a wry smile. "Speaking from experience, are we?"
"I’m not just talking out of nowhere," Cassian shot back. "You might be the strategist, but I’m the guy who’s still breathing after a dozen ambushes. You think I can still crack jokes without knowing what I’m talking about? If I didn’t have real skills, I’d be having coffee with the Grim Reaper by now."
"The place I picked for Cecilia is locked down tight," he said. "Trust . I’ve been through worse. Let her stay sowhere safe while we deal with the ssy stuff. We chose this life. She didn’t."
His words landed hard.
Every line made my chest feel tighter.
I wasn’t just putting myself at risk. I was putting everyone around in the crosshairs.
Today it had been Yvonne. Tomorrow it could be Harper.
What if Yvonne had decided to try on that green dress herself? She could’ve been injected with HIV-positive blood.
And then there was .
Once I could juggle ten things at once, sprint through chaos and land on my feet.
But now? Just standing too long made my knees ache. I wasn’t who I used to be.
Sebastian studied quietly, sensing I was turning the words over in my head.
I’d always been soone who could think things through.
Emotional, yes. But never reckless.
When he saw I’d processed enough, he leaned down. His voice was low, warm, almost whispering.
"Cassian might not say things gently," he murmured, "but he’s not wrong."
"I know you’re overwheld. This isn’t how you pictured any of this. Your world’s been flipped upside down, and nothing feels stable. But this is the reality we’re in now. The only way out is through."
His hand moved slowly on my back, tracing soft, steady circles.
"Until then," he added, his voice dropping, "I need you to hang in there."
His palm radiated heat through my shirt, grounding like a weight pressed right over my heart.
I let out a slow breath.
"Okay," I said. "I’ll find sowhere safe to lay low. I can’t just walk around like a target, especially if other people might get hurt."
I hesitated, then added, "But that place doesn’t have to be Colorado Springs."
I didn’t say the rest out loud:That tie to the Locke family? I wanted it gone. Buried deep and locked in concrete.Fate kept pushing toward them, but I wasn’t ready to be one of them. Not now.Maybe not ever.
Sebastian’s lips curved into a smile, low and knowing.
"Alright," he said. "I’ll start checking around Denver for sowhere safe enough to breathe. Sowhere that feels like neutral ground."
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