Aiden interjected. "You guys go. I'm gonna stay here until I can turn the scene over to the forensic guys."
Lukus rushed to the bed to release a crying Brianna. He drew out his utility knife and cut the zip-ties to free her. "I can't live without him, Lukus." She clung to him in desperation.
Lukus tried to comfort her. "You won't need to, sweetheart."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Lukus's eyes connected with Tiffany's, looking for reassurance that he wasn't lying. However, despite her earlier assertion to Bri, Tiffany couldn't make a promise that Markus would be okay any more than Lukus could.
Chapter Fifteen
Lukus
Lukus stumbled going up the last flight of stairs leading to his loft. He couldn't see his feet for the crying woman he carried in his arms. Brianna had been too distraught to climb the two flights so he'd scooped her up so they could make faster progress.
He glanced sideways at Tiffany, who was marching up the stairs at his side. A surge of pride coursed through him as he saw the strong set of her jaw. If he hadn't seen what Davenport had done to her with his own eyes, he'd never have known her life had been in danger mere minutes earlier.
She's absolutely the most amazing woman in the world. How the hell did I get so lucky to find her?
He returned his gaze to the shocked Brianna in his arms, who was clinging to him as if her life were over. He understood her fear. If it were Tiffany lying unconscious with a bullet buried in her, he wouldn't be functioning much better.
It was in that moment that the truth of the situation closed in on him. He'd been so focused on saving Tiffany and Brianna that he hadn't allowed the news of Markus and Derek being shot to sink in. He hadn't been able to think about it before. He'd had to focus on destroying Jake.
But now the real possibility of losing his two closest friends had his heart pounding with fear. It was bad enough they were gravely injured. They'd both risked their lives to protect his fiancée. If he'd ever doubted the men's loyalty or dedication to their friendship, it was gone. How would he ever possibly repay them for their sacrifice?
As if she sensed his fear, Tiffany looked his way as they hit the top of the landing. Her smile was bittersweet. It spoke to him. Without words, she knew exactly what he was thinking. Exactly what terrified him.
They'd stopped, both afraid to open the door. Better to stay in the dark with hope than to open the door to get answers they didn't want to know. The three of them collectively held their breath, unsure if they wanted to proceed.
Once again, Tiffany was the bravest of them. "They're going to be okay. We have to believe that."
Brianna wriggled in his arms. "I think I can walk now. Thank you so much for helping me up the stairs, Lukus, but we're out of danger. I need to suck it up and be strong for Markus. He has enough to worry about."
Lukus dropped her legs to the floor, holding her steady until she could hold her own weight. Brianna rushed into Tiffany's arms the second she could. "I don't know how you were so strong, Tiffany, but I know for a fact that I'm alive because of you. Thank you so much for not falling apart like I did."
Tiffany hugged her best friend, her relieved gaze meeting Lukus's. He knew her so well. She may have been the bravest woman he'd ever met, but he saw the vulnerability in her ocean blue eyes. The lingering fear that the nightmare might not be over yet.
She needed him to be strong. "Come on, ladies. We can't avoid opening the door forever. Let's go find Markus and Derek," he said briskly.
Lukus input the six-digit code to unlock the door into the foyer of the loft. Barely controlled chaos hit them like a sound wave. Every nook and cranny of the loft was filled. Police. Paramedics. Security. Friends. It was hard to know where to look first.
Lukus quickly scanned the space until relief loosened the hold on his chest. Derek was sitting up on the couch, being checked out by paramedics. He'd removed his tee shirt, and two large bruises had already formed on his muscular chest—right over his heart.
He'd been wearing his bulletproof vest.
He'd be sore as hell for a few days, but Derek would be fine. Davenport's aim had been true. He'd shot to kill. The vest had saved his friend's life.
As they watched, Rachel pushed her way forward until she was sitting on her daddy's lap. Lukus smiled as he watched the paramedics trying to shoo her away so they could continue their examination, and Derek telling them to go to hell.
His scan of the space continued, taking in Dylan sitting in Lukus's favorite chair, his boots up on the ottoman, a pale Hannah wrapped in his lap. Mama Rosa and Connor were nowhere to be seen, which was good. Scenes like this could give a kid lingering nightmares.
Lukus had to move a few more feet into the great room before he finally found Markus. He was on a gurney being treated by paramedics. They were just hanging a bottle of IV solution onto a long pole, which was a good sign. They don't give dead people IV's.
Brianna had already broken free to run to her husband's side while Lukus and Tiffany held hands, following quickly. Markus was pale, his eyes closed. It looked like he was asleep. Brianna reached for his hand, squeezing it as renewed sobs overtook her.
Markus's eyes sprang open, full of panic. It took him a few seconds to focus, but as soon as he saw Brianna next to him, tears came to his eyes.
"Oh, thank God. I thought I'd never see you again, Bri."
Brianna calmed enough to speak. "You just try to get rid
