The warehouse smelled like rust, damp wood, and old oil.
Evie could taste it in the air as she followed Liam through the narrow space between towering shipping containers. The metal walls rose around them like silent giants, creating long corridors where every sound echoed twice.
Their footsteps were almost silent, but in a place like this silence was fragile. One wrong movement could break it.
Tonight's mission had sounded simple when Liam first explained it earlier that evening.
Track a courier involved in illegal arms distribution.
Confirm the location of the transaction.
Observe.
Leave.
No confrontation. No risks.
Simple.
But Evie had been in this world long enough to know something important.
Missions were rarely simple.
Liam walked a few steps ahead of her, his posture relaxed but alert, like a predator moving through tall grass. His eyes moved constantly—checking shadows, corners, doorways, every possible place someone could be hiding.
Evie watched him carefully. She had learned to read his movements during their missions together.
The slight pause when he noticed something.
The small shift of his shoulders when danger might be nearby.
And right now—
He stopped.
Instantly.
His hand lifted slightly in the air behind him.
Stop.
Evie froze.
The two of them stood completely still in the dim corridor between containers. Somewhere deeper in the warehouse, faint voices drifted through the space.
Men talking.
Low.
Casual.
Then a metallic click echoed.
Liam leaned slightly closer to her without turning around.
"Three," he whispered quietly. "Maybe four."
Evie slowly crouched beside a stack of wooden crates. Liam joined her, and together they peered through the narrow opening between the boxes.
About twenty meters away, several men stood near the back of a cargo truck.
One of them opened a metal case.
Inside, rows of handgun magazines gleamed under the dim warehouse lights.
Arms trade confirmed.
Evie felt Liam shift slightly beside her, taking in the scene.
His voice came again, barely louder than the air moving through the warehouse.
"We confirm the shipment, track the broker, and leave."
Evie nodded.
So far, everything was going exactly according to plan.
Then a guard stepped away from the group.
Earlier than expected.
He walked down the corridor beside the containers, lazily sweeping a flashlight across the ground.
Evie's muscles tensed immediately.
The beam moved closer.
Closer.
She shifted her foot slightly to slide further into the shadow behind the crate.
Her boot scraped the concrete.
The sound was small.
Barely more than a whisper.
But in the silence of the warehouse, it echoed.
The guard's flashlight snapped toward them instantly.
"¿Quién está ahí?"
Liam's jaw tightened.
Then he spoke one quiet word.
"Move."
The guard raised his weapon.
The moment shattered.
Gunfire erupted across the warehouse.
Evie dove behind the crate as Liam stepped out, firing two controlled shots in quick succession.
Two guards collapsed instantly near the truck.
But another one appeared from behind the vehicle.
He aimed straight toward Evie's position.
Time slowed.
Evie saw the man's finger tightening on the trigger.
She raised her own weapon—
But Liam saw it first.
"EVIE!"
Before she could react, Liam lunged toward her.
The gunshot cracked through the air.
Then Liam's body slammed into her.
They both crashed to the ground behind the crate, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.
For a second, everything went silent.
Evie blinked, stunned.
"Liam—"
He was kneeling beside her.
Breathing hard.
Then she saw it.
Blood.
A dark stain spreading across the side of his jacket.
Her stomach dropped.
"You're hit."
"It's nothing," Liam said immediately.
But his voice was tight.
Another guard ran around the truck.
Evie reacted instantly.
Two quick shots.
The man collapsed.
Silence returned to the warehouse.
Evie turned back to Liam.
"You got shot."
"It grazed."
"You're bleeding."
"I've had worse."
She grabbed his wrist.
"Move your hand."
"Evie—"
"Move it."
He sighed slightly and lifted his hand.
The bullet had torn through the side of his torso.
Not deep.
But enough.
Evie felt her chest tighten.
"You jumped in front of that."
Liam didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
"That bullet was meant for me."
"Yes."
His answer was simple.
Direct.
Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Evie tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and pressed it against the wound.
"Hold this."
He obeyed quietly.
For once Liam looked slightly pale.
They stayed crouched behind the crate for a moment, catching their breath.
Evie's thoughts were racing.
He took a bullet for me.
Finally Liam pushed himself to his feet.
"We need to move before more guards arrive."
"You're injured."
"I'm walking."
She studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
Because she knew arguing with Liam when he had already made a decision was pointless.
They slipped out of the warehouse through a rear exit.
The cold night air hit Evie's face as they stepped outside.
But the entire walk back toward the extraction point, one thought kept repeating in her mind.
He didn't hesitate.
Not for a second.
Liam had been injured before.
Plenty of times.
Cuts. Bruises. Broken ribs.
The job came with its share of pain.
But tonight felt different.
Not because of the wound.
Because of why it happened.
He sat on the edge of the safehouse table while Evie cleaned the injury.
The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and dust. A single lamp cast warm light across the space, illuminating the tension in Evie's expression as she worked.
Her hands were steady.
Careful.
But Liam noticed the tightness in her shoulders.
"You're quiet," he said.
She didn't look up.
"You got shot."
"Technically grazed."
"Still shot."
He watched her for a moment.
Her brows were slightly furrowed as she wrapped the bandage around his ribs.
That small line between her eyebrows appeared whenever she was thinking too much.
Liam had started noticing that recently.
Which was… interesting.
"You didn't have to do that," she said softly.
He knew what she meant.
Jumping in front of the bullet.
Liam leaned back slightly.
"Yes, I did."
Evie finally looked up at him.
"No, you didn't."
Their eyes held for a moment.
And suddenly Liam realized something uncomfortable.
He didn't actually have a logical explanation ready.
Because when the guard aimed at her in the warehouse…
He hadn't thought.
He hadn't calculated the risk.
He hadn't weighed the mission.
He had simply moved.
Because the idea of her getting shot had felt completely unacceptable.
Liam exhaled slowly.
"You're important to the mission."
Evie stared at him.
"That's the excuse you're using?"
His mouth twitched slightly.
"It's a good one."
She shook her head and tied the bandage.
"Try not to reopen it."
"Yes, doctor."
She stepped away.
The room grew quiet.
Evie walked toward the window.
Outside, the city lights glowed softly against the dark sky.
Liam watched her from across the room.
And a realization slowly settled in his mind.
This had been building for a while.
Longer than he wanted to admit.
It started with simple things.
Watching her during missions.
Making sure she stayed behind cover.
Adjusting plans so she took fewer risks.
Then noticing when she looked tired.
When she seemed distracted.
When she smiled.
Somewhere along the way, those small observations had started to matter.
More than they should have.
Liam leaned back against the wall.
Great.
That was inconvenient.
Evie turned from the window.
"You should rest."
"I will."
But he didn't move.
Because his thoughts were still turning.
He cared about her.
Not professionally.
Not strategically.
Personally.
Dangerously.
And that complicated everything.
Evie wasn't just his partner.
She was the person assigned to infiltrate the Quinn family.
Which meant Alexander.
Liam rubbed the back of his neck slowly.
This mission just became a lot harder.
Evie walked toward the door.
"I'm going to check the perimeter."
"Evie."
She paused.
For a moment, Liam almost said something.
Almost.
But instead he said something safer.
"Be careful."
She nodded slightly.
"You too."
Then she stepped outside.
The door closed quietly behind her.
Liam sat there alone for a moment.
Thinking.
Processing.
Accepting something he had been ignoring.
He cared about Evie.
And that was a problem.
A serious one.
Because caring about someone in this world always came with consequences.
And Liam had a feeling those consequences were coming sooner than either of them expected.