?Chapter 182:


    Bang! The masked man fired. Simultaneously, the de struck his neck. He dropped from the window.


    Paige let out a cry and copsed. The bullet had hit her in the back. Blood pooled around her on the floor.


    Elliana frowned deeply. She had noticed Paige earlier, hiding behind the door, but had been too busy fighting to deal with Paige. She never imagined Paige would leap out like that—to take a bullet for Cole.


    Elliana was curious. What would Cole do now that a woman had risked her life for him? With that thought, she turned to nce at the man beside her.


    Paige crumpled to the floor, her eyes locked on Cole, pain etched across her face. Still, she mustered the strength to say, “Cole, your safety’s everything to me—I’d trade my life for yours in a heartbeat. Don’t let it weigh you down.”


    With that, her eyes fluttered shut, and she went still.


    Elliana nced at Cole beside her, catching the frown creasing his brow as he stared at Paige. No warmth, no trace of being touched—not even a flicker of surprise. Instead, a hint of irritation danced across his face. Was he ticked off by Paige’s dramatics? It made sense. From the moment she met him, Cole’s loathing for Paige had been crystal clear, as if Paige were a bad smell he couldn’t escape. Owing a debt to someone he despised was undoubtedly annoying.


    The truth was, Paige didn’t have to step forward. Cole had already been yanked out of harm’s way—the masked man’s bullet wouldn’t have touched him. Paige’s big hero act, while noble, was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.


    The others stood rooted, gawking at Paige like they’d just seen a ghost, totally unprepared for the scene.


    Cole let out a quiet sigh, saying nothing.


    Elliana stepped up, kneeling beside Paige to check her wounds. Meanwhile, Myles, Aron, and Hugh fanned out, sweeping every nook and cranny to make sure no more ck-d goons were lying in wait. When the trio gave the all-clear, Elliana finished her check on Paige.


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    “The injuries aren’t life-threatening,” Elliana said, already working to staunch the bleeding. Sure, she and Paige had their share of bad blood over the years, and Paige’s recent stunt trying to use Merritt’s connections to kidnap and eliminate her was outrageous. But right now, Elliana wasn’t about to let Paige bleed out—not under these circumstances. Even if Paige’s shield-the-hero move was overkill, she’d still taken a hit for Cole. He couldn’t just shrug that off. By saving Paige, she was doing Cole a solid.


    Cole got where Elliana wasing from. As soon as she stopped the bleeding, he pulled her close and instructed Aron and Hugh, “Get that woman to the ne.”


    Aron and Hugh shared a quick look and then stepped up to carry Paige downstairs.


    Elliana’s mind shed to Hailee, still stashed in the big iron box on the fifth floor. She turned to Cole. “My friend Hailee’s still up there. I need to go get her.”


    But Cole gripped her hand, not budging. After that brush with death, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight for a second. He turned to Merlin. “Can you grab her for me?”


    Merlin was scrutinizing Elliana with a furrowed brow. At Cole’s request, he asked tly, “Where’s she hidden?”


    Elliana didn’t love the idea of Merlin stepping in—she’d promised Hailee she’de for her herself. But Cole’s pleading look tugged at her heart. He’d just been shot. Dragging him to the fifth floor wasn’t fair. So, she told Merlin, “In therge iron box in Room 1 on the fifth floor, there’s a young girl named Hailee, fragile-looking.” Merlin made for the stairs.


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