The event hall came up quick on the horizon. Ares and Eliza were dressed to fight their way in with minimal injuries. They both knew that it wouldn't matter once they were face-to-face with Ezra.

"We're almost to the jump point. You two ready?" Mac asked from the front seat of Ares' ship.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Eliza said, looking at Ares.

He lifted her chin with his finger and pressed a slow kiss to her mouth. She released a soft breath when he pulled away, delaying her eyes opening up to gaze at his handsome face.

"We're going home after this. Trust me."

She nodded.

"Get ready to jump!" Mac called from the front, opening the side door.

Ares fell back out of the ship followed by Eliza. They shot their bodies toward the roof of the building. It was a long fall since Mac brought them to the top of the atmospheric bubble around Nemesis. Once they were finally close enough, they each pulled their parachutes and directed themselves to the building lit with spotlights. The party planners went all out for the attention.

As they suspected, a couple of guards were on the roof. Ares signaled toward the one he was going to go for. Eliza nodded and headed toward her target. Once her feet touched the roof, she ran toward the guard and knocked the gun from his hand. She flipped over his back and used the parachute to tie the man up while dodging his punches and kicks. She kicked him in the head to knock him unconscious just as Ares finished taking down his guard. They brought them together and tied them up with Ares' parachute. Ares took their communicators and disconnected the microphones.

"As long as the location feature is active, the other guards shouldn't pay much attention to these two," Ares said. "We don't have much time though. Someone is bound to be curious about their silence."

"Where do you think Ezra is then?" Eliza asked, taking her harness off and whipping out her handgun to check it over.

"If we're banking on him retreating away after the last event, he should be on one of the upper floors with minimal guards."

"What if he isn't."

Ares frowned. "Let's just hope he is."

With quiet feet, the two hunters entered the building through the roof door. They snuck down the stairs to the next floor down and walked into a deserted hall. They worked together to search each room there, finding no sign of the Scorpion leader. They moved to the next floor.

A guard greeted them at the floor's entrance, which Ares easily took out.

"That's a good sign. He could be here," he said.

Eliza paused his advance and took his hand. "We're getting out of this alive."

"We'll try our hardest to make sure we do."

They smile at each other before moving forward. There was only one other guard they had to get rid of on that floor. He stood outside a door, watching both sides. It was Ares who ran forward to take the guard down. Eliza came after them when she heard the clear signs of struggle. She didn't hesitate to stab the guard in the back, killing him on top of Ares. Her partner rolled the body off of him and pushed his hair back. He pulled her dagger out of the body, wiping it off on the dead man's clothes. He handed it back to her and quietly thanked her.

The two hunters flanked the door, each with their guns raised. Eliza nodded once. Ares opened the door open with one strong kick, pointing his gun inside. Eliza followed behind him. Both paused.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to come for me, Ares."

Ezra Logan smiled from the chair he sat in, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He didn't show an ounce of fear as he gazed at the bounty hunters. In fact, a wicked expression came upon his face when he looked upon Eliza.

"Ah, the beautiful Eliza Kane. You are a hard woman to catch. Though it appears my disgrace of a son managed to do just that."

"Jealous?" Eliza asked, her glare steady.

"I admit, it is a shame you picked this man as a partner instead of my real son. You two would have been great."

"Sorry to disappoint, Logan, but I prefer men who don't spend their time sucking up to Daddy."

Ezra set his glass down and stood. He took confident steps toward the hunters, stopping a few feet away from them. "But a man who abandons his family and conspires against them is better?"

"I never wanted to be a part of this empire you've created," Ares said. "I'm not interested in hurting people for my own gain."

The older man's face faltered, showing softness in his features. "You're too much like your mother."

"We didn't come here to chat," Eliza said.

"Yes, yes. You've come to stop me before I get my claws into a second city." Ezra sighed at them. "I commend you both for making it this far, but I'm getting that city. Neither of you can stop me."

Ares aimed his gun for Ezra's heart, "I disagree."

Before he could squeeze the trigger, Ezra knocked the gun out of his son's hands and caught it in the air. He pointed it at Eliza, a crazed look in his eyes. Ares' sucked in a breath.

"Why don't I just kill the woman you've been hiding behind? I'll take out the best bounty hunter you've got and leave you open." Ezra looked at Eliza, pointing the gun at Ares. "Or, I could shoot him and break you all over again. Mae told me everything, little hunter. You were nothing once she killed her own brother. You'll be nothing again."

With a roar, Eliza charged at Ezra, ignoring Ares' call to stop. Ezra couldn't turn the gun to her fast, so he pulled the trigger. Her hearing disappeared as she tackled the man to the ground. Ezra wasn't as young as he once was, but he still flipped Eliza over his head. He tried to stand except Eliza was faster, ramming him into the wall. She punched at him, only connecting with his face once before he swung back at her. His fist hit her side, pushing the air from her lungs. Eliza didn't give up though.

Somewhere in their tussle, both guns were tossed away, so Eliza pulled out her dagger. She sliced his arm, making Ezra cry out and come at her with a bottle of whiskey. It came down hard on her arms when she blocked, shattering. The alcohol burned the fresh cuts, making her hiss. She was fed up and her fighting was losing its edge because of it. She thought it was all about to end when Ezra threw her to the floor, one hand closing her airway while the other held up the dagger he stole from her grip.

Eliza kicked her legs and clawed at his hand. She couldn't reach his face no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to rip out those darkened gold eyes that shined seeing her death coming.

"That was a fight to remember. It was a pleasure experiencing the force that is Eliza Kane. Too bad your reign must end."

Ezra lifted the dagger a little higher over her. Spots were filling her vision as she saw the sharp weapon start toward her chest. She closed her eyes and prayed that Ares would finish his father off if she couldn't. Where was he? Why did she have to fight him alone? Was this all part of their plan? Was Ares working for his father? Did he lie to her about everything?

Everything came to a shuddering halt when the gunshot rang out.

Eliza felt her head was going to burst with a second deafening shot. The grip on her throat lessened and the weight of Ezra disappeared. She coughed, clutching her throat and tried to sit up. Her eyes landed on the man who nearly ended her.

He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Ragged gasps left his lips while his hands clutched at the gunshot wound where his heart laid nestled behind his ribs.

Eliza looked over to Ares who walked over to his father. Her eyes landed on the dark spot on his leg. It looked like it was bleeding too much, scaring her. Ezra hit the artery.

Ares stared down at his father with a hatred she never expected from him. "This thing you built ruined hundreds of lives. But the one life you utterly destroyed was Mom's. She loved you through everything and fell for your lies. She wept over you for too long. I want your last thoughts to be on the pain you put her through. I want guilt to eat away at you until you beg for her forgiveness." Ares pointed the gun at the dying man. "I hope you never find peace in death."

Eliza covered her ears before the gun went off a final time. She uncovered them in time to keep Ares from collapsing on the ground. She pressed the palm of her hand to his wound and tried not to panic. Using her nose, she called Mac. He picked up instantly and that when her tears fell.

"He's dead. Stop the benefit and get an ambulance here now. Ares is hurt and I don't know how bad it is. Please hurry. I can't lose him, too." A choked sob ended her dialogue. She barely heard Mac reassure her. Her voice was so hoarse.

The lady hunter took Ares' hand in her free one and squeezed. He looked at her, a soft smile on his face.

"I'll be okay, Lizzy," he said. His eyes blinked shut a couple of times. "Don't worry."

Eliza ripped her shirt to tie his leg up. She felt more tears fall when he groaned in pain. Shaking, she tied it and shushed him. As soon as she felt it was secure enough to slow the bleeding before help could get there, she crawled closer to Ares' head. Her hands still shook as she brushed his hair back. His eyes closed for a little longer than she liked, so she patted his cheek, making him look at her again.

"Don't sleep, Ares. Please, keep looking at me and fight it." Eliza sniffled, wiping her nose on her shoulder. Ares' chest became her pillow while she stared at his face. "We're going to get you to a hospital and you're going to be perfectly fine. But you need to keep your eyes open. Don't let them close, okay?"

He nodded sluggishly. His eyes closed again for a second. Eliza begged him to keep looking at her. His heartbeat was faster than usual, and she didn't know if that was good or bad. She just knew that when she shook him, and he didn't open his eyes again that there was a problem.

"Nonononono..." she muttered, sitting up again and leaning over him. "Ares wake up. Please, don't do this. Stay here with me. Don't you dare do this to me."

Nothing.

Eliza cradled his head with one hand and cried into his shoulder. She felt like she was there forever crying and checking his heartbeat. She cried harder when she was pulled off of Ares as paramedics arrived. Eliza didn't know she could make the horrifying sounds coming from her throat when the person holding her back refused to let her follow Ares. She was stuck watching him get carried out of the room on a stretcher. She was hysterical, terrified that she was going to lose him. She was going to be alone again with only a taste of the happiness she didn't think existed for her.