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I press it on his wound, keeping a firm pressure. It’s the most sanitary thing I have around, considering my dress is dirty and ruined.

Blood gushes out, more blood than I’d expect from a shoulder wound.

Shit. Did the bullet nick an artery?

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My pulse races, but I force myself to calm down. Focus on the patient. Stem the bleeding. Get help. Blood loss is my most pressing concern right now.

“Bree, reach into his pocket, grab his phone, and call the police.” My voice is clear and I’m thankful for that, even as I’m dying inside.

Bree leaps into action.

Amid the chaos, a pair of black boots suddenly fills my vision. I glance up, finding the blond woman who nearly got us killed gaping in shock. She drops to her knees, her face crumbling when she sees Rex on the ground.

“Casey?Oh my God, what have I done?” she whispers.

My fingers falter, and for a moment, my world stops spinning. A low buzz rings in my ears as her words echo like the sound of a gong.

Casey? Why is she calling Rex, Casey?

Casey is Rex’s best friend.

What the fuck?

Chapter Forty-Seven

Olivia’s eyes snap towardmine, her hands still on my shoulder. A myriad of emotions appear in her eyes—shock, confusion, disbelief, understanding, anger, and finally…betrayal.

“What?” she rasps. “What did she just call you?”

My eyes flutter shut and I focus on the pain in my shoulder and chest, because the alternative is unbearable.

If my Olive didn’t decide to give up on me before, she sure as hell did just now.

“Casey, I’m so sorry,” Ava wails, her blond hair falling over her eyes, as she grips my arm. “I-I just knew something was going on. When I saw the news of you almost getting shot and an attempted kidnapping in Greece, I knew shit was up. I pulled up all the videos of the incident. I’m not an idiot. It looked like a hit. And then, you didn’t go back home and instead stayed on this cruise. It made no sense. Shit was going on. I had a feeling.”

Oh, Ava.I try to pat her hand to console her. I don’t blame her. Raya was brutally murdered by The Association. As her daughter, of course she would be livid.

I only blame myself for not knowing she was spiraling.

Her lips tremble, her watery eyes imploring me to believe her. “I planted a bug on your phone with my textmessage—”

I shudder, my fingers turning into ice. “The damn birthday card,” I rasp. “I should’ve known.”

Ava nods. “I picked up bits and pieces of what you were planning. And when I saw the photo of the woman,” she glances at Bree, “I sent it to someone I knew back at home. Someone I trusted. They said she was a Caruso. Gabriella Caruso. A-And I just went nuts.”

She looks up, her face wet with tears. “It’s been so hard. The Association is always onto us. Cora would get scared at the most random noises. She’d jump when someone knocked on the door. We’ve had people tail us, take photos of us. We can never get out. It’s like they want us to know they’re watching, that we’ll never be safe.”

“It’s okay, Ava. I don’t blame you.” Sweat drips down my forehead as I slowly sit up and lean against the wall.

Bree kneels next to me, her lips trembling. “I’m sorry, Rex. You were shot saving me.”

A weak chuckle snakes past my lips. I cough.

“No.Yousaved me,” I whisper.

I stare at her face, the image splitting.