through your eyes

chapter 17:

I sprinted with all my strength, Sasha clinging to my back, while Ethan trailed behind us. We ran until we reached a dead end, and in that moment, I realized we were surrounded.

"Damn it," I muttered, my breath quickening.

"Don't worry," Ethan whispered, trying to calm me down. "Remember, we've got  Mr. Thomas's men outside waiting for us."I scanned the area, looking for somewhere safe to hide Sasha. My eyes caught sight of a small corner with a short wall. Without thinking twice, I rushed over and gently set her down behind it.

"Stay here and don't move," I whispered, pressing the gun into her hands. "Keep this with you, just in case. I'll be back soon, princess, I promise."

"Please, don't leave me," she begged, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling with fear."I'll be back," I repeated, trying to sound as sure as I could. "You'll be safe here." I leaned in and kissed her forehead, hoping to give her some comfort. Then I forced myself to leave her and hurried back to Ethan .searching for something or anything that could help us escape alive. If they found us, they wouldn't hesitate to kill us and The thought of them finding Sasha alone made my blood run cold.

and after minuts We were surrounded just Ethan and me, standing back-to-back against a sea of Mr. Peter's men. I had only a knife, having given my gun to Sasha."This might be the end, man," I said quietly, feeling the weight of the situation. "Just wanted you to know, it's been great working with you."

Mr. Peter stepped out from behind his men, watching us with a cruel smile. He leaned on his crutch, his coat draped over his shoulders. "Look at these traitorous rats," he sneered. "Finish them off."

Unexpectedly, Ethan shouted back, "Mr. Peter, getting rid of us might be tougher than you think. We're not as few as you might believe." He winked and suddenly, more of Mr. Thomas's men burst into the room some through the door, others smashing through the windows.

Within minutes, the tables had turned, and we were surrounded by our own reinforcements.

I stepped forward, locking eyes with Mr. Peter. "finish them off ," I ordered, my voice steady and full of challenge. The room exploded into chaos, but I wasn't focused on the fight. I had one thing on my mind Sasha.

I pushed through the madness and found her exactly where I'd left her, her eyes wide with fear. Without a second thought, I scooped her up into my arms. "We're getting out of here," I whispered, and started running again.

Ethan spotted us and broke away from the fight to follow.

We were almost safe,  so close to the car when I heard the deafening crack of a gunshot. Pain shot through my back like fire, and I collapsed to the ground, still clutching Sasha.

"LUCAS !" Sasha screamed, her voice full of panic. Ethan turned and quickly took out the guy who'd shot me, but then he just stood there, frozen in shock.

"NO,NO,NO,NO!" Sasha cried, her hands trembling as she touched my face. "LUCAS , PLEASE  OPEN YOUR EYES ,PLEASE ! I CAN'T LOSE YOU , NOT NOW , NOT EVER . PLEASE !"I could feel her tears dripping onto my skin, and I could hear the desperation in her voice.She grabbed me and pulled me into her arms, hugging me tightly as if she could hold me back from slipping away. "Don't leave me," she whispered, her voice breaking

 "Call an ambulance!" she screamed at Ethan. "WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE ?!"

"aah shit , Could you stop yelling? My ears are ringing," I grumbled

Her eyes went wide in disbelief, and Ethan burst into laughter, bending over as tears of relief ran down his face."I'm not going anywhere, princess," I chuckled, winking to her. "So, do you forgive me?"

"What? How? Where's the wound?" she asked, completely confused, as her hands searched frantically over my body.

I raised my shirt, knoking on  the bulletproof vest underneath. She gasped. "You scared the hell out of me! I thought I was losing you!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking.then smacked my shoulder.

"OWW! You've got a strong arm," I said, laughing even though it hurt.

She didn't say anything; she just threw her arms around me and hugged me as tightly as she could. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her even closer, feeling the warmth of her body against mine.The intensity of the moment overwhelmed us both, as if we were the only two people in the world.her breathing starting to steady as she realized I was really here, really alive.

Ethan, still sprawled on the ground, couldn't stop laughing.  "You should've seen your face,His laughter was infectious, and soon enough, even I couldn't help but smile, despite the pain in my back.