“Daniel wasn’t part of my job. His death is for myself.” I glance between my HimLock guys and frown. “That’s why it was so easy for me to pull the trigger tonight, but I haven’t killed him.”
“What do you mean?” Jace bites his lips, as if that will stop the rest of what he wants to say.
“I was supposed to kill his friend, but we were having some difficulty locating him,” I disclose. “It’s not something we’ve everencountered, so I lured Daniel into a relationship to use him to get close to the mark. That’s why I’ve given him so many chances to just walk away, but that’s ended up being rope to hang himself.”
“From a misguided sense of guilt?” Silas asks, eyes sharp and brow pinched, poised to argue.
I wobble my head, agreeing and disagreeing. “The job is done. I haven’t killed Daniel yet because now it’s personal, and I didn’t want it to get to that point. I wanted him to take the breakup and walk away so he could live to be a dick that someone else stabbed. But the more desperate he’s grown, the more I’ve realized I need this to be for therightreason, not for no reason.”
“And what’s the right reason?” Kieran’s voice is steady, expression openly curious as he waits.
“He won’t stop,” I reply. “I’ve given him ample opportunities to not become a statistic in Crimson Bay, and he keeps choosing the path that puts him in a sealed barrel onboard a ship ready to be tossed over the railing.”
Silence settles around us as they absorb everything I’ve confessed. Or maybe it’s the threat of a barrel that has them staring at me.
Either way…
I know what I need to do.
Jace reaches out and laces his fingers with mine. “You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
I nod once and give my HimLock guys a soft smile. “I know.”
A weight lifts off my chest as it finally hits me. I’ve told them my secret, talked about it at length, and they aren’t running or screaming; they’re embracing it.
Our relationship has potential beyond the maddening obsession we each share.
They’re mine.
I’m theirs.
Thisis how I want to live.
And there’s a peaceful sort of alignment to this knowledge that I want to bask in for the rest of my days.
But first… Daniel has to die.
