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Luis couldn’t help but smile as Annalise laid out the plan. They were going to save Ashley. And he would join her in the states. It all felt like a dream. If someone had told him four short months ago that he would be this deep in love with a woman who had pointed a gun at him, he would have laughed at them. He wasn’t one to settle down. Staying in one place was never his style.
That was until he was face to face with the fire in her soul.
She awakened something inside of him. Something that longed for a place to call home. He wanted to wake up to her in his arms. He wanted to bask in her unwavering confidence. He wanted to create a space for her to simply exist and be without any expectations. He’d seen glimpses of the woman behind the badge when the full moon dominated the sky. And every part of him wanted to spend the rest of his life showing her what love was supposed to feel like.
“So, we get Baby Eagel, and then find a way out of here,” Leon asked, and she turned, her back to the open pit they were approaching and amusement dancing in her one good eye.
“Easy enough,” she confirmed. “But first, we gotta-” She stopped with a jolt, and the amusement quickly shifted to confusion.
“Anna,” Luis called, only for his blood to run cold when she fell forward, a massive knife lodged in her back. “No!”
Both men started towards her, but Leon stopped the Spaniard when Krauser appeared. The larger man pulled the knife from her back, and Luis panicked. Stupid Americans! Did they not know that doing that causes the chances of surviving to plummet? He tried again to reach her, fighting against the hand gripping his arm.
Was she even breathing? He couldn’t tell. He couldn’t see her move, couldn’t hear her over the bastardos talking about something that didn’t concern him. His heart was racing and somehow breaking at the same time. He couldn’t lose her!
Krauser launched himself towards them, and Luis took the chance to pull her towards some crates.
“Annalise,” he breathed, searching for any visible signs that she was still with him. She coughed, blood spotting her lips. “Easy, princessa, easy. It’s going to be okay. I… I can fix this.”
It was a lie. Mostly to himself. He couldn’t be sure of the extent of the internal damage. He didn’t know if the blade had nailed anything fatal. But he was clinging to any shred of hope that she would survive. She was the closest person to family he had. He’d spend the rest of his life with her, making up for letting her get hurt. She was his future. He didn’t want to imagine a world without her.
“Luis,” she croaked, weakly taking his hand. She was fading too fast. No, no, no, he needed more time. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t speak,” he ordered, fighting back the desperate edge to his voice. “Save your strength. If we can get you to my lab-”
“ Mi amor. ”
The way she said that stopped him in his tracks. She knew. She wasn’t a fool. His lab was too far away. They’d never make it in time. And he blamed himself. He got too content and was too optimistic. He’d have to bury her, and it wasn’t fair. She deserved better.
“I’m scared,” she admitted, and he carefully slid his arms around her, holding her close. He had to calm her down. If he could keep her calm, maybe he could stretch these last moments with her out. He was grasping at straws, he knew that. Putting off the inevitable. Whatever it took before the cruel hand of Death closed her book.
“It’s alright, I’m here,” he soothed, running his fingers through her hair. “There’s nothing to fear. I’m right here. I won’t leave you. I promise. Yo nunca te dejaré ir. I love you. I love you.”
“Luis…”
He pried his misty eyes open, and Leon was kneeling before them. The blond’s face told him all he needed to know. He could feel her blood soaking his jeans, feel her breathing becoming more labored. The ache in his chest became more prominent, and he tightened his arms.
“Don’t go,” he pleaded, a few tears sliding down his face. “Don’t leave me. I don’t want a world without you. You’re my world. Mi corazón, mi todo. I’ll do anything, just tell me what you need.”
Silence. He had hoped that maybe Leon was wrong, but the stillness in his arms spoke volumes. She was gone. He’d failed her. His plans for the future crumbled to dust, and his soul shattered. Never again would he be graced with her smile. Her laugh would never fill the air around him. Those nights watching the skies would forever be a bittersweet memory.
“We’ve got to get her out of here,” he finally stated, refusing to meet Leon’s gaze. “She doesn’t deserve to be left in this forsaken village.”
“I know,” the agent said gently. “And I know who to ask. Ada can make it happen. Get both of you out of here. I can get Ashley and get her home. You’ve done more than enough.” The darker man shook his head.
“No,” he argued. “Everyone I’ve ever cared about dies. I can never do enough to erase that. I disappeared once before. I can do it again.”
“With everything you know, you could save lives. I know that doesn’t help much, but I can tell you that she would have said the same. You can change the path you’re on. The past doesn’t define the future.”
He closed his eyes again, and he could almost hear her. Leon was right. He could do so much good. And he would. For her. He might have failed to protect her, but he’d spend the rest of his life being the man she saw in him. And he’d carry her in his memory forever.
But first, he had to get her home.
“For her,” he mumbled. “I’ll do it for mi amor. And I want it known that she died for your mission.” Leon nodded.
“She died a hero. And she died knowing you would have done anything for her.”