Reborn Heiress: Escaping My Contract Marriage with the Cold CEO
Chapter 90: Another Stupid Plan

Chapter 90: Another Stupid Plan

LEONARDO ANNISON

My hands were steady when they needed to be. That was the one thing I could always count on—no matter how much my insides twisted, no matter how loud the panic screamed in my head, my body obeyed. My fingers didn’t shake when I pulled a trigger. My voice didn’t waver when I gave orders.

Right now, though?

I wanted to break something.

Ollie stood in the center of the warehouse, bathed in the sickly yellow glow of flickering overhead lights, looking like the world’s most infuriating sacrifice. His arms were crossed, his chin tilted up in that way he did when he was trying to pretend he wasn’t terrified.

And I hated it.

Phillip King’s smirk made my teeth grind. He had Ollie’s eyes—same shape, same color—but where Ollie’s were warm, alive, human, this man’s gaze was dead. Like staring into the barrel of a loaded gun.

"You always were sentimental," Phillip said, circling Ollie like a vulture. "Did you really think your mother would let you walk out of here?"

Ollie snorted. "Did you really think I’d come alone?"

That’s my idiot. Brave to the point of stupidity.

I adjusted my grip on the pistol, my finger resting against the trigger guard. Not yet. Not until I had a clean shot.

Vanessa was crouched beside Nathan a few yards away, her knuckles white around her revolver. She caught my eye and mouthed, "You good?"

I wasn’t.

But I nodded.

Phillip’s men fanned out, their weapons trained on Ollie. My ribs tightened, my lungs refusing to expand. One wrong move. One twitch. That’s all it would take.

"You’re not getting the empire," Ollie said, voice light, like he was discussing brunch plans instead of his own murder. "And honestly? Even if you did, you’d run it into the ground within a year. You’re not half as smart as you think you are."

Phillip’s smile didn’t waver. "And you’re not half as clever as you pretend to be."

A muscle in my jaw jumped.

Ollie shrugged. "Maybe. But at least I don’t dress like a Bond villain reject."

Vanessa muffled a snort.

Phillip sighed, like this was all just inconvenient. "Kill him."

I moved before the order finished leaving his mouth.

The first shot took Phillip’s nearest man in the shoulder. The second grazed another’s thigh. Not kill shots—I wasn’t that reckless, not with Ollie in the crossfire—but enough to send them stumbling back.

Chaos erupted.

Gunfire. Shouting. The sharp clang of metal as someone knocked over a crate.

I didn’t waste time. I lunged for Ollie, grabbing his arm and yanking him behind a stack of rusted machinery. His breath came in sharp bursts, his pulse fluttering under my grip like a trapped bird.

"You idiot," I hissed.

Ollie grinned. "Missed you too."

I wanted to shake him. I wanted to kiss him. I settled for shoving him further behind cover.

Nathan and Vanessa had taken position near the warehouse doors, cutting off Phillip’s escape. Mrs. King—because of course she was here—was methodically picking off Phillip’s men with terrifying precision.

Ollie peeked over the edge of our cover. "So, uh. How screwed are we?"

"Depends." I checked my ammo. "Do you have another stupid plan?"

"I always have another stupid plan."

I exhaled through my nose. "Then we’re probably fine."

He laughed, bright and startled, and for half a second, the gunfire faded into background noise.

Then a bullet ricocheted off the metal beside us, and reality snapped back into focus.

"We need to move," I said.

Ollie’s fingers curled into my sleeve. "Leo."

I knew that tone. Knew what it meant.

I turned.

Phillip stood ten feet away, gun raised.

And it was aimed at Ollie.

Time slowed.

I didn’t think. I moved.

The gunshot was deafening.

For one heart-stopping second, I thought I’d been too late.

Then I registered the weight against my chest—Ollie, pressed against me, unharmed.

And Phillip?

Phillip was on the ground, a bullet hole between his eyes.

I looked up.

Mrs. King lowered her pistol, her expression unreadable. "No one shoots my son."

Silence.

Then Vanessa whistled. "Damn."

Ollie sagged against me, his breath warm against my neck. "Well. That happened."

I didn’t let go of him. Couldn’t.

Because the truth was, I’d known for a while now.

Ollie King wasn’t just someone I protected.

He wasn’t just someone I loved.

He was the man I wanted next to me for the rest of my goddamn life.

And I’d burn the world down before I let anything take him from me.

The warehouse was too quiet after the gunfire.

Ollie was still pressed against me, his heartbeat thudding against my ribs. I could feel the tremors running through him—tiny, barely-there shivers that he’d never admit to. His fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt like he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go.

I wasn’t going anywhere.

"Did not have ’engage in war with Ollie’s relatives on my honeymoon bingo card’," Vanessa drawled, stepping over a fallen goon. Nathan swept her into his arms and carried her.

"Back to the cabin?" she asked.

"We’re going to Italy," he said. "Away from Ollie."

"Hey!" said Ollie. "I’m the fun guy!"

Mrs. King’s gaze swept the warehouse, cold and calculating. "I’ll get this mess cleaned up. You kids go rest."

Ollie let out a shaky laugh. "Rest? How about drink? I need booze. Maybe a Valium."

I leaned close to his ear. "How about a different way to relax?"

Ollie exhaled, long and slow, before peeling himself off me. His hands lingered for a second too long, fingers brushing mine like he wasn’t ready to let go either.

I caught his wrist before he could pull away entirely. "You good?"

His grin was all teeth. "Peachy."

Liar.

But now wasn’t the time to call him on it.

We followed Mrs. King out of the warehouse. The night air was thick with humidity, clinging to my skin like a second layer. In the distance, sirens wailed. I guess a gun battle in an abandoned warehouse was a police-calling situation.

Vanessa peeked at us over Nathan’s shoulder. "Ollie, your family reunions are way more exciting than mine."

Ollie snorted. "Did you forget the fire that took out three rooms in your mansion? Your grandfather really knows how to throw a birthday party."

"Fair," said Vanessa.

I kept my eyes forward, my fingers itching to reach for Ollie again. To reassure myself he was really okay.

But I didn’t.

Because I knew him. Knew that if I pushed right now, he’d deflect with a joke or a smirk or some ridiculous comment about how he "totally had it under control."

For now, he was alive.

That was enough.