Page 98 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

We moved through the building. Blood stained the floor. Dark streaks marked the walls. Fresh bullet holes scarred surfaces that hadn't been damaged when we'd entered. But there were no bodies, and no one stopped to explain.

Outside, several vehicles were already waiting. Beng headed toward a large luxury MPV and climbed into the front passenger seat. Dannie followed, and I climbed in after him. Kai came last, taking the back row.

The driver accelerated before any of us had properly settled. I grabbed the armrest, and Kai's shoulder hit the side of the seat.

“Are you okay?” I turned toward him.

He was still pale. His injured back had taken a beating over the last few days, and now we'd just spent several minutes fighting. He gave me a look that was almost amused. “I've been better.”

I glanced at Dannie, then back at Kai. For the first time since we'd left the apartment, I allowed myself to breathe.

Dannie was alive. Kai was alive. And somehow, we were all in the same car.

But the relief didn't last long.

Because if Dannie was here, then something had gone very, very wrong.

“I'm so sorry about this.” Dannie interrupted before Kai could answer. His large hand came up to cup my cheek, warm despite the rest of him looking so pale.

I caught his wrist. “Your hand.” I reached for his other one too, holding both between mine. “They're freezing.”

“I'm fine.” His smile was as warm as ever. “Liam gave me the free pass to fly.”

It was my fault for thinking my brother could stop Dannie from doing anything.

“Why are you here?” Kai asked. There was a scolding edge to his voice.

Dannie looked at him, and his expression softened.

“I had to, brother. It wasn’t fair to leave you two to handle my problems.”

He coughed. Only once. But I noticed the way he turned his head slightly and swallowed before forcing himself to breathe normally again. The kind of cough patients tried to hide when they didn't want the people they loved to worry. I hated seeing it on him.

“We could have handled it,” Kai said. “Given enough time.”

“No.” I kept my eyes on the window. “But the truth is, we barely made it out.”

Dannie was quiet.

“But you did,” he said eventually.

I turned toward him. “Speaking of getting out…” I hesitated. “Why didn't you ever tell me the code?”

“You never seemed interested whenever we talked about security.”

“Still.” I sighed. “Would it really have hurt to tell me?”

“I'm sorry, babe.” His fingers brushed lightly along my arms. “I never thought you'd ever need it. And I certainly never imagined you'd be there without me when you did.”

I knew that. Of course I did. But knowing something didn't always make it easier to accept.

“You know…” I paused. “I honestly thought the passcode would be my birthday.”

Dannie’s expression changed. Just slightly. Awkward. “That was the original plan.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“But if I ended up trapped in there with my enemies, and they killed me first, I couldn't risk them getting out.” My stomach tightened. “Your birthday was too easy to guess.”