One way or another, I'm going to lose you

Why was it that every time Thony got involved things went so wrong? She could never keep her nose out of things, and Arman was more than tired of it. But really, if he was committed to being tired of it, their arrangement wouldn't have gone for as long as it had. No, he gave into her sob story and puppy-dog eyes every fucking time. He had been trying to sort out this drug deal – in part to fund their trip to Manila to get Thony's sister-in-law back – and now they were being ambushed by a bunch of mercenaries and federal agents. He could fend for himself, barely, but she couldn't. She was unarmed and calling him for help. Once again, she expected him to be her knight in shining armour, ready to save her no matter the consequences.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar black Jaguar pull up. Thank God. She was always there to bail him out, even though she technically wasn't even meant to know about this. Really, it was a miracle she was even here. She was not going to be happy later when they talked about how he had gone behind her back yet again. But arguing with Nadia was nothing compared to what would happen if he didn't get the fuck out of there.

He inched his way over, although he was getting low on ammunition, and the mercenaries were relentless, so he wasn't ready to give himself hope. Sin Cara did not fuck around. He should have known better than to try anything that would risk offending them. He'd realised his mistake after what happened to Bosco. Sin Cara was incredibly ruthless towards anybody who did not respect their turf, even something as simple as trade routes for drugs. But really, he only had himself to blame. It had been Thony's stupid idea, and he hadn't insisted hard enough that it was dangerous. What the hell had he been thinking, following her advice over his? She might be intelligent, but she was not a criminal – not an experienced one, at least. It was his fault Bosco and his men had died, and it was his fault that Sin Cara's men were there now.

"Armando!" Nadia beckoned desperately, the window rolled down slightly to protect herself.

Arman was just a few feet away from the car now, close enough that he could see Nadia's face was full of worry. It was a miracle she had gotten there in time and that he had been able to fend off the cartel's mercenaries and border patrol agents in the meantime.

"Arman!" Thony called from a distance, her voice echoing off the concrete of the warehouse. "Help me!"

He hesitated. If he turned back and went to find her, it would be suicide. He knew that. Nadia did, too, based on the look she was giving him. A look that summarised the sentiment of if you go help her, you're a dead man in more ways than one. But it wasn't that warning that made him, for once, consider not helping Thony. It was the fact that he had gone behind Nadia's back so many times, risked everything, and it still hadn't been enough for Thony. It never would be. He knew her too well; he could take a bullet for her, carry her out of there, and she would still lament the failure of the mission to get her sister-in-law back rather than appreciate how much he had sacrificed for her, then insist he help her again and again until they succeeded. How much more risk would she demand him to put himself in before she was satisfied?

More than that, he knew Sin Cara's men were not just here to kill them. They were very protective over their turf and reputation. They might have even heard about what happened with Kamdar and how much they'd told the Feds. They would want to know everything he and Thony had on them and would stop at nothing to get their intel. He might be able to resist torture – even then, for how long? – but Thony certainly couldn't. So, even though he was deciding he wouldn't be going back for her, he still wanted to protect her.

From a distance, he could hear footsteps coming towards him frantically, and he knew that Thony had made a break. But she was still too far away. There wasn't enough time. They could still shoot her down before she got there and wound her just enough to take her alive.

Nadia still hadn't said anything, but her eyes begged him to just get in the car so they could leave. He couldn't let these people hurt Thony. But he also couldn't let Thony hurt him and Nadia. Not anymore.

Arman turned towards Thony, who was panting but still desperately trying to get closer. She seemed confused that he was standing outside the car and not in it.

"What are you doing?! We have to go!" Nadia asked, bewildered by his hesitation.

He quickly looked back at Nadia and then met Thony's eyes, realising that he really had been a lifeline to her. She had depended on him far too much, but only because he had allowed it. He couldn't do it anymore. Not when he had nearly lost Nadia. Everything they had gone through with Kamdar had just affirmed to him that Nadia was the love of his life. And although he had promised Thony to help get Fiona back, enough was enough. He had done what he could. And now, she was even more of a liability than before. If she got captured, it was over for all of them.

"I'm sorry, Thony."

Before she could speak, two bullets from his gun hit her chest, and she fell to the ground. He could have shot her in the forehead or the stomach, and he still would have broken her heart. His hand shook a little, but he couldn't deny the weight lifting off his shoulders as blood bloomed from her wounds.

He got in the car and curtly told Nadia to drive. She seemed shocked by his actions, which only made him feel worse; he had neglected her so much.

"If they had taken her alive, they would have tortured her," he explained after a beat, voice flat.

Nadia nodded. "And she would have sold us out without thinking twice."

"That, too."

She had it coming, after all. It was her fault for messing with people that she wasn't strong or smart enough to face in her desperate pursuits to get her family. If it hadn't been for her, Arman never would have dared to use those routes when he knew who they belonged to. He never would have risked that. Thony had never understood the danger she was putting him in with her insistence, or maybe she hadn't cared. Well, now she had found out.

"Thank you," Nadia said, solemnly but gratefully. "I… I know that must have been hard for you to do, but… I appreciate it very much. I know her situation was terrible, but our family comes before anybody else's. We don't have anybody there for us except each other."

That was very contradictory to the last few weeks. She had been ready to move out and leave him for good. She had expressed quite clearly that she was done with him and was incredibly betrayed by him continually pandering to Thony. This had been a pretty drastic measure, and frankly, Arman still wouldn't have blamed Nadia for leaving anyway, but… it obviously meant something to her. He thought for sure he had lost her this time and that he did not deserve her forgiveness, yet here she was… acknowledging that they had each other, that she would support him and he, her.

"But we'll make sure her family is okay. I know that's important to you, and I don't want them to suffer, either. In a way…" She sighed. "They've suffered because of Thony as much as we have. We'll make sure money isn't a problem for Luca's health. We won't get involved, but we'll make sure they're okay."

He was floored by her words. The fact that he hadn't even had to pathetically beg her to look after Thony's family meant the world to him. It meant that she understood. It made him realise that she had never fought with him about Thony out of jealousy – unlike their fights about Kamdar – she had done it for them, for their best interests, and he appreciated that so much. What had he done to deserve her?

They still needed to talk, a lot, without distraction or worry. Right now… they had people after them, law enforcement and otherwise. So their sole priority was packing their things, fleeing to some faraway place – perhaps one they had been dreaming of for a very long time – and praying that nobody followed them. One thing was clear: they were in this together, and Arman would never let anybody get in the way of that again.

Arman grabbed her hand on the console and brought her knuckles to his lips. "I love you, Nadia."

She smiled in a way that really made him believe things would be okay, even though he could see the fear in her eyes, the same as his. "I love you, too."