CHAPTER 9

"I can walk," Maya protested as Zane lifted her from the wheelchair.

"Hospital policy to the door," he reminded her, though his arms didn't loosen even after they passed the threshold. "And I'm not taking chances with your recovery."

A week had passed since the shooting. The media had been in a frenzy – headlines screaming about the Moretti twin revelation, Donovan's arrest, and the mysterious woman who'd taken a bullet in the chaos.

"Where are we going?" Maya asked as Alex opened the car door. She'd expected to return to her apartment, but this wasn't her usual driver.

"My place," Zane said firmly. "It's secure, and you need looking after."

"I don't need—"

"Please." His voice softened. "Let me take care of you."

Something in his tone made her relent. The past week had shown her a different side of Zane – vulnerable, sometimes even scared. He'd barely left her hospital room, handling business calls from a chair by her bed, his free hand always finding ways to touch her, as if reassuring himself she was still there.

The drive was quiet, his arm careful around her shoulders. Maya found herself studying his profile, the tension in his jaw, the shadows under his eyes.

"You're staring," he murmured.

"You still haven't slept properly."

His lips quirked. "I will. Once you're settled."

The car pulled into an underground garage, then up to a private elevator. Maya's shoulder ached despite the painkillers, but she bit back any sign of discomfort. Zane noticed anyway.

"Almost there," he soothed, lifting her again despite her weak protests.

The elevator opened directly into his penthouse. Maya's breath caught – not at the luxury, but at who waited inside.

Elara stood by the window, wringing her hands nervously. She looked healthier than at the gala, though still too thin, her silver eyes – so like Zane's – bright with unshed tears.

"I hope it's okay," she said softly. "I wanted to thank you properly."

Maya felt Zane's arms tighten fractionally around her as he carried her to the sofa. Even after a week, the siblings were still adjusting, decades of separation creating an awkward dance of wanting to be close but not knowing how.

"How are you doing?" Maya asked as Zane arranged pillows behind her with almost comical attention to detail.

Elara's smile was shaky. "Better. The nightmares are... less. And Alex has been helping." A faint blush colored her cheeks at the mention of Zane's head of security.

"Alex?" Zane's head snapped up, his protective brother instincts flaring.

"Don't start," Maya warned him, hiding a smile. "Alex is a good man."

"He's my head of security."

"And the man who helped save your sister," Maya reminded him. "Who's been protecting her since the gala."

Zane muttered something under his breath but subsided when Maya patted his hand.

"Have they found Luca?" she asked, noticing how both siblings tensed at the name.

"No." Zane's voice hardened. "He disappeared in the chaos after... after you were shot. Isabella too."

"But Donovan—"

"Is talking," Elara said quietly. "About everything. What he did, why he kept me hidden all these years. How Luca and Isabella approached him months ago with their plan."

Maya's shoulder throbbed, a reminder of how close that plan had come to succeeding. Zane noticed her wince and immediately reached for her pain medication.

"Rest first," he insisted. "We can discuss this later."

Elara stood. "I should go. Alex is waiting downstairs."

Before leaving, she bent and hugged Maya carefully. "Thank you," she whispered. "For saving my life. For bringing me back to my brother."

After she left, Zane sat beside Maya, his fingers threading through hers. "She's right, you know. You gave me back my sister. You gave me..." He struggled with the words.

"Hey." Maya squeezed his hand. "You don't have to—"

"I love you."

The words hung in the air, surprising them both. Zane looked almost shocked at his own admission, but he didn't take it back.

"I know the timing is terrible," he continued roughly. "We're still dealing with Luca being out there, and you're hurt, and everything's complicated with our families' companies, but—"

Maya tugged him closer, ignoring the twinge in her shoulder, and kissed him. When she pulled back, his eyes were dark with emotion.

"I love you too," she said simply.

His forehead rested against hers, his breath uneven. "I almost lost you."

"But you didn't." She touched his cheek. "I'm right here."

A phone buzzed, breaking the moment. Zane reached for it, then went still.

"What is it?"

He turned the screen toward her. A message from an unknown number: "How sweet. The happy couple, the reunited siblings. Enjoy it while it lasts. You took everything from me, brother. Now I'll take everything from you. - L"

Attached was a photo of them, taken moments ago through the penthouse window.