The pain in Leila’s leg was relentless, throbbing with every beat of her heart. She pressed her hand to the wound, trying to stem the bleeding, but it wasn’t enough. Her vision swam as the helicopter rocked through the air, its blades slicing through the night.
Next to her, Ethan was barely conscious, his breath shallow, his skin ghostly pale. He hadn’t moved since they were pulled into the helicopter, and that terrified her.
“Ethan, stay with me,” she whispered, her voice hoarse with pain. She couldn’t lose him—not now, not after everything they had been through. But he didn’t respond.
The pilot glanced back at her, his expression unreadable behind his aviator sunglasses, despite the dark night outside. His fingers deftly adjusted knobs and buttons on the control panel, keeping the cho
