Caught.

Prologue.

Bowen Spader

"Ashton. Listen to me. Ashton please. Don't make me do this." Tears fell from my eyes and I bit my lip as I pointed the gun at him, my finger around the trigger, ready to fire.

His eyes met mine, and in that split moment, I knew he could see my nervousness and my reluctance. Ashton smirked and took a step forward.

"Bowen, Bowen, Bowen." The way my name rolled off his lips made me cringe, for all I could think about were the times he held me and said my name that exact, same, way.

Ashton continued his walk forward, slowly, as if taunting me, and didn't stop until he was inches away from the point of my gun. "You would never shoot me, would you?"

His question was more of a test as my hands began to shake as memories flooded my mind, and he reached his hand towards mine.

When his hand touched mine finally, it was soft and gentle, welcoming.

"Ashton...please just-" I began to say.

But he pushed away the gun between us, down to my side, and took my face into his free hand.

Our eyes searched each others, and he wiped the stray tears falling from mine. "Take me if you have to, but give me something to remember everything we've had together before I go."

His words cut deep into me.

He took the gun from my hands, set it gently on the floor without breaking our eye contact, and reached back up to me.

And that's when our lips crashed.

Every FBI instinct in my body spiked up, but every feeling I've I ever had for Ashton replaced it.

Our kiss deepened as he whispered that he loved me in between kisses, and as usual, I fell harder for him.

That's when everything broke loose.

The door behind me collapsed inwards, and a SWAT unit burst their way inside, sending Ashton and I separate ways.

My mistake hit my mind.

I had let him get to me, and this was my final strike.

They surrounded Ashton, brought him to the ground until he was crying out in pain.

I had regular officers take my hands, handcuff me, and turn me away from him.

"No. Please no!" I yelled, and my tears started again.

But now Ashton wasn't here to catch them.

"This is- this is all a big misunderstanding. Stop!" No matter how hard I kicked and screamed, my captors held me tighter and didn't release me.

The last look I got at him, he was looking back at me with his beautiful, irresistible eyes I had fallen for so many times, so desperate to be free, so desperate to be forgiven, that it sent my heart shattering to pieces.

I fell to the floor as they whisked him out through the door they had broken through, and that's when I saw her.

The one behind this whole siege.

"Elena."