"This. The food. Staying here. You don’t really know Alexander... not truly."

Reyes unwrapped his own sandwich. "We know he helped us. That’s enough for us."

Kade shook his head. "He didn’t do it for us. He did it for his daughter. For Emma."

"It doesn’t matter why he did it," Leo replied. "He still stepped up. He risked his life and got shot because of us."

There was a brief pause.

"So yeah," Leo continued. "We’re sticking around. We’re making sure you eat. Because someone needs to be here, and right now, that’s us."

Kade looked at him for a bit, then down at the sandwich. He picked it up and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard, but he just kept eating.

They sat quietly for a while, munching and sipping coffee.

The waiting room was pretty calm, except for the buzz of the fluorescent lights.

Finally, Kade spoke up.

"Alexander was a great dad."

"Was." The past tense made it clear he was already gone. Leo didn’t correct him.

Kade kept going, "People think he was a monster, and he kind of was, because of the company he kept and the stuff he did."

"He worked for Alpha," Reyes said softly.

"Yeah, I know. And he did some terrible things. I’m not saying that’s okay. But—" Kade paused. "He was stuck. Alpha had something on him. He had Emma and threatened to hurt her if Alexander didn’t play ball."

Leo remembered Zayden mentioning that. But still, Alexander had been involved with Alpha before Emma was born. He was guilty, accountable for his actions—but not a monster. Just a father trying to protect his daughter.

Kade set his coffee down. "When Boss and Aylin came to him and asked for help, Alexander didn’t think twice. He knew there could be serious consequences for double-crossing Alpha. He even knew he might not make it out alive."

"Because of Emma," Leo said.

"Right. He wanted her to be free, to grow up in a world without Alpha so she wouldn’t have to live in fear."

Kade’s voice got thick. "And now he’s going to die, and Emma will grow up without a dad. Again."

The word "again" hung heavy in the room. Emma had already lost one father, her biological dad, and neither she nor her parents knew about it.

And now, Alexander... the man who raised her... was facing death too.

It wasn’t fair, but life rarely is.

Reyes asked, "What’s going to happen to her if Alexander dies?"

Kade shrugged. "I’m not sure. Maybe she’ll just be by herself. Or maybe the young master will marry her right away since he already proposed."

"She’s twenty-three," Leo chimed in. "Old enough to remember. Old enough to grieve."

"I get it."

Silence fell again.

Then the ICU doors opened, and a doctor stepped out. He looked like he was in his forties, worn out, and wearing scrubs.

Kade shot up from his seat. "Doctor?"

The doctor looked at Leo and Reyes. "So, you’re here for Alexander Kane?"

"Yeah. How’s he doing?" Leo asked.

The doctor’s face was all business, totally professional. But Leo could see through it. It wasn’t good news.

"His condition hasn’t gotten any better. The ventilator is doing the breathing for him. His kidney function is getting worse, and we’re doing dialysis. But his body isn’t responding to the treatment."

Kade’s voice came out rough. "What does that mean?"

The doctor hesitated. "It means his organs are failing, one by one. We can keep him alive on machines for a bit, but—"

He didn’t finish; he didn’t need to.

Kade got it. "How long do we have?"

"Hours, maybe a day. It’s tough to say."

"Can I see him?" Kade asked.

The doctor nodded. "Just for a few minutes. But he’s unconscious and won’t know you’re there."

"I don’t care. I need to see him."

The doctor pointed toward the ICU doors. "Follow me."

Kade started to go but stopped to look back at Leo and Reyes.

"Thanks... for the food and sticking around."

Leo nodded. "We’ll be here waiting when you come out."

Kade gave a weak smile before disappearing through the ICU doors.

Leo and Reyes sat back down, finishing their coffee and waiting.

Reyes broke the silence. "He’s really going to struggle when Alexander dies."

"I know."

"Do you think we should tell Zayden?"

Leo thought it over. "No, not yet. Let him rest and heal. He’ll find out soon enough."

Reyes nodded in agreement.

They sat there in silence, two soldiers in a waiting room, watching for death. That’s exactly what it was: a death watch.

Everyone knew Alexander Kane wasn’t going to make it. The only question was when, and whether Emma would get there in time to say goodbye.

Leo stared at the ICU doors, thinking about the man behind them, a man who had made some bad choices but had tried to make things right in the end.

He had helped them take down Alpha, given everything—and now he was going to die for it.

Leo shut his eyes and whispered a prayer, not for Alexander’s survival, which was hopeless now, but for peace, forgiveness, and for Emma, who would have to deal with the loss.

He also prayed for Kade, who’d have to watch his friend slip away. The wait continued.

*****

Emma’s eyes flew open, heart racing and breathing quick.

The nightmare hung around, clear and intense. Her dad was drowning in blood, yelling her name.

She shot up and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Morning had arrived.

Zayn had said they’d leave in the morning. She turned to see him still asleep next to her, lying on his back, breathing deeply and looking relaxed.

Emma nudged his shoulder. "Zayn. Zayn, wake up."

He stirred, mumbling something without opening his eyes.

"Zayn!" She called a bit louder this time.

His eyes opened slowly, squinting at the morning light.

"What’s wrong?" His voice was thick with sleep.

"We have to go. You said we’d leave in the morning. It’s morning."

Zayn blinked, trying to wrap his head around it. He reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time.

He groaned. "Emma, it’s barely eight."

"I know. We need to go."

Something was wrong. She could feel it.

"Okay, okay. Just let me wake up. We’ll get ready, grab some breakfast, and then we can—"

"No." Emma shook her head. "No breakfast here. We’re leaving now. We can eat on the plane."

Zayn sat up and looked at her, noticing the fear and urgency in her eyes. She hadn’t slept well and had tossed and turned a lot during the night.

He sighed. "Alright, calm down. We’ll go. Freshen up, and I’ll pack."

Emma nodded quickly, got up from the bed, and headed to the bathroom. The door closed behind her, and the sound of running water started.

Zayn waited, counting to ten before grabbing his phone. He first tried calling Zayden, but it went straight to voicemail. The phone was off, not a good sign. He then called Kade.

It rang and rang.

No answer. Great.

He scrolled through his contacts, found Azalea, and dialed. She picked up on the second ring.

"Zayn?"

"Azalea. How’s everything going over there?"

There was a brief pause.

Then she said, "Oh. You don’t know, do you?"

Zayn’s heart dropped. "Know what?"

"Zayden got shot."

Everything felt like it was spinning.

"What?!"

"Last night during the raid, he was shot in the chest. He’s at the hospital."

Zayn struggled to catch his breath. "Is he—"

"He’s alive. Stable. The surgery went well, and the doctors think he’ll be fine."

Relief washed over him, but it was quickly replaced with anger.

"Why didn’t anyone tell me?"

"It was the middle of the night. You were in Miami. There wasn’t anything you could do. Zayden specifically said not to call you because he wanted you and Emma to get some rest."

Zayn clenched his jaw. "I’m his brother."

"I know, and I’m really sorry. But he’s okay, I promise."

Zayn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright. What about Kane?"

More silence. This pause felt longer.

"Zaria?"

"I... I don’t know. I haven’t checked on him. I was with Zayden the whole time. Let me go find out. I’ll call you back in ten."

"Make it quick. Emma’s in the shower. I need to know before she comes out."

"Got it."

She hung up. Zayn stared at his phone. Zayden was fine, but what about Alexander?

He glanced at the bathroom door. It was still shut, and the water kept running.

He had about ten minutes. Maybe even less.

He stood up and started throwing his clothes into the suitcases.

He was trying to look busy, trying not to freak out.