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It didn’t matter. The guys behind Mase opened fire.

The sound was deafening in the small room.

The group, I wasn’t sure who they were ran past us.

Mase held me in his arms.

“Gracie.” He pushed the hair way from my face. “You okay?”

I reached up and touched his face. I ran my hand over his cheek. It felt good in his arms, but my body grew cold.

My teeth chattered.

“Gracie.” He frowned.

I wiped the wrinkle out from between his eyes, but he began going out of focus. I wasn’t ready to leave him. I loved him, but never got the chance to tell him.

I whispered it, but he had turned his head.

He yelled something, but I couldn’t hear anything but the slow thump of my heart as it pumped blood into my chest and out of the wound on my leg.

I had the sense of being lifted and carried out of the dark room, but I could only put together bits and pieces.

The night sky burst into focus, but then my world went black.

“Don’t Gracie.”

The last thing I heard was Mase’s voice.

“Don’t you fucking leave me again.” He yelled. “No. No. No.”

He recited the mantra over and over again.

Then I heard nothing.