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Two almost simultaneous shots tore through the night as Davian rushed out the main entrance and immediately broke into a run, bursting away from the group.

"Alpha Davian," Nick yelled as he rushed after him.

His secretary didn't have much to say when he arrived at the entrance, only that the last seen position of the strange man dressed as a janitor was in the parking lot.

The fake janitor had rolled a trash can large enough to fit a person out the side door and around the mansion's dark corners to avoid being seen before turning up in the parking lot.

Nick had already sent men to the parking lot before he appeared in front of them. He was barely done with his explanation as they made their way to the location when the shots rang out.

Davian could hardly see as he ran out and there was a loud ringing in his ear. One that made sounds a little harder to perceive. All he could hear was the gunshots over and over again.

Someone was calling him from behind. Nolan, Asher or Nick. He wasn't quite sure. More importantly, he didn't care. He had to get to her. The pain in his chest was unbearable.

If she was shot…

He didn't even want to think about it. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. He was afraid of what he might do.

Oh, the baby.

Davian could hardly get control of his thoughts as they spun in all directions. His head and chest were threatening to rip into shreds.

He could see the parking lot now. Different cars were lined up in the dark parking area. He walked even closer but stopped suddenly when he saw something in the darkness.

He could make out a figure in the midst of the cars. He couldn't see the figure's face but they were hunched over, dragging something. His gait was exactly like the video.

Davian was lifting his gun before he thought about it. His vision blurry, all he could see was red but his grip was surprisingly steady.

He pulled the trigger just as a force slammed into him from the side. The shot hit a nearby windscreen, missing his target while he fell to the ground, the gun rolling out of his hand.

"I said, don't shoot! Goddamnit!" Nolan yelled as he pinned him down to the ground.

Davian's hands formed fists and he threw out a punch that caught Nolan's cheek. The Alpha was caught off guard and Davian used the opportunity to push him off, scrambling for his gun.

"Don't shoot. That's Daniel," Nolan yelled and punched Davian to snap him out of it. He gripped the front of his shirt. "Don't you recognize your own driver?"

"I heard a shot," he mumbled, his head leaning backwards as blood spilled out of the corners of his lips.

"She wasn't shot," Nolan said and let him go to kick the gun further away.

His thoughts were still fuzzy but he was doing his best to piece things together. Nolan had said something about Layla not being shot. He wouldn't lie about that, would he?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Here I thought I was the troublesome one," he said and stood to his feet, dusting the dirt off his coat. "I need a smoke!"

"Where is she?" Davian said and scrambled to his feet.

His vision was clearer now and he could see Nolan was right. A few feet away from him was his driver Daniel, the figure he had thought was her assailant. 

He could hear muffled screaming and he looked down to see a figure wearing similar clothes to the fake janitor on the ground.

"Right here," Nick said, rolling the trash can towards him.

"In the trash?" he yelled in horror.

"Yes," Nick said and stopped the trash can in front of him.

He immediately opened it and Davian felt a crushing feeling at the sight of her crumpled inside. A horrifying fear that she might have been killed made it a little hard to breathe.

He stretched out his hand to get her out, praying she wasn't hurt or worse.

He stiffened, his insides twisting as he smelled the blood. She was hurt. He wanted to kill the bastard who did this to her. He would finish a magazine in his brain.

He carefully lifted her out of the trash, mindful of the fact that she might have broken bones. She was breathing. He could hear it and he could see the steady rise of her chest.

Relief filled him but that was short-lived at the sight of the blood at the back of her head. It wasn't actively bleeding but it was pretty sore.

At the dark bottom of the trash was sitting the block of concrete that had been used to attack her. At the edge was a dark red stain.

Davian crushed the concrete between his fingers as he held Layla across his arms. His whole body hummed with anger and he wanted to do something about her assailant but he knew now was not the time.

Her head wasn't bleeding anymore but he could have cracked her skull with the concrete. He needed to make sure everything was alright.

"Daniel, pull out the car. We are going to the hospital."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Nick. Make sure he doesn't die. Take him to the mansion. I'll deal with him there."

"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" Nolan asked, stepping closer.

"You've done enough," he said crudely.

Nolan thought about saying something smart in response but he knew now was not the time. He didn't understand what it was about mates that drove Alphas quite mad.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Rosa softly asked.

"No," Davian replied coldly. "Nick, make sure she gets home safely."

Davian didn't wait for a reply before he walked away from the group, not caring about the atmosphere. 

The car pulled closer and one of his men was quick to open the door. He got in carefully. He didn’t want to hurt her.

He ignored the voices trying to speak to him. “Drive,” he ordered.

He held her unconscious body to his chest as the car sped out of the mansion. Listening to her heartbeat, he said a small prayer in his mind.