Page 125 of Brutal Truths

The instant the doors open, I step inside and push the button for a non-stop upward journey.

The noise stops the second the doors shut, sealing us off from the chaos. Isabel turns her head, lips brushing my neck, her voice no longer wild. It’s controlled in a way that cuts deep. “Make me feel something besides what I’m feeling, please.”

Chapter 38

Isabel

“We need to clean you up first.” Aiden’s voice is quieter than normal, but clear and certain.

He’s not wrong. I’m a complete mess, and now that he’s pointed it out, everything shifts. The adrenaline that carried me this far begins to fade, leaving me very aware of the blood and how it feels on my skin.

Panic takes over.

By the time we reach the fourth floor, I’ve released him. Now that I’m out of his arms, I race for the front door, only to find it locked. Of course, it is. And I don’t fucking know where my keys are.

The realization hits hard, and there’s no stopping what comes next. I turn away from him and vomit, the sound echoing in the hallway. My hands shake where they’re braced against my knees, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t steady them.

The shocking truth of what I almost did settles in.

Behind me, the door opens, and I don’t question how. I don’t have the energy to care how he managed to get it open.

Aiden moves in closer, his hand sliding along my back in a slow, comforting rhythm. “Come on, let’s get inside. I’ll have someone clean that up.”

His voice doesn’t rush me. It doesn’t press. It’s something solid I can lean on while everything inside me unravels.

I force myself upright, drawing in a careful breath. “Sorry... I don’t know why that happened.”

Looking down is a mistake. Bile rises into my throat, and I blurt out. “I would have shot him. Killed him if Anna hadn’t.”

Saying it out loud makes it real in a way I wasn’t ready for.

Aiden closes the distance, lifting me into his arms, knowing I’m about to fall apart if he doesn’t. “If she hadn’t, I would have. He didn’t deserve to live. I wasn’t about to give him a chance to carry through on his plans.”

The certainty in that should unsettle me. Instead, it steadies something just enough that I can breathe again.

My body feels heavy as I lean my head against his shoulder. “You heard that?”

“Yes.” His voice is low, rough around the edges as he marches us through the penthouse to the room I use when I’m here. “Sometimes, the only way to stop evil from spreading is to snuff it out. Death can be the best solution.”

Those words don’t shock me. It’s the truth. The men Rurik shot deserved what they got. Their deaths made the world a safer place.

Marvin’s death still gives me nightmares, but I’d do it again. He was an evil man whose sole intention was to spread more. Men like him don’t change. They don’t stop. They keep hunting until someone ends it for them. No one mourned his death. Not even his twin, Marty.

We walk into the dark ensuite bathroom, and I’m deposited on the vanity before Aiden flips on the light. Mirrors line the wall, reflecting into the one behind me. I’m now surrounded by my own gruesome image.

The woman staring back at me is unrecognizable. I don’t know her. Her eyes are hollow, almost dead. Like something inside her shut off and hasn’t come back on yet. She’s on the verge of having a mental breakdown. Unsure how to stop it.

Aiden steps in front of me, blocking my view. “Arms up.”

My body obeys automatically. The fabric peels away. The once white tank is now stained with bright red blood. Once he has removed it, he tosses it in the bin next to the toilet.

“That’s the trash bin,” I tell him quietly. “The hamper’s over there.”

“Everything with that fucker’s blood on it goes in the bin.” Aiden kneels, working my shoes off with careful hands.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind him, and my stomach tightens.

“I’m covered in his blood,” I say, staring. “Does that mean you’re tossing me out too?”