Page 160 of XO Karma

“You?” My jaw drops. “Little Miss ‘don’t step on the ants, they’re just bringing food home for their tiny little families?’ You killed a man?”

She nods. “Yes.”

“And so Jude made you…”

“Replace him.”

My mind is well and truly fucked. “Jude made you… become a hitman.”

Her and Jackson share a look. “Kind of.”

Pieces fall into place. “Which is why he wanted you to fake your death.” She nods. No one’s looking for a dead girl.

“This is insane.” I shake my head, the air in the room turning putrid and suffocating. I need fresh oxygen. Turning for the front door, Violet grabs my arm. “Wait.”

“What?” I ask exasperated. Exhausted. “I… I need some space.”

“Please, I wanted to tell you so many times, I tried, I just⁠—”

The door bursts open, nearly off its hinges, and I turn to find a furious Aster flying through it, gun raised. He hates guns.

His eyes find mine, filling with relief, rage still simmering beneath the surface. He points his weapon past me, and I throw my hands in the air, stepping directly in his way. He lowers it instantly and says, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Don’t shoot,” I tell him.

“They kidnapped you!” Aster shouts, anguish etched in his features. His eyes are wild, and by the dark circles under his eyes, I think he hasn’t slept in days. “They faked your fucking death!” He rushes to me, using his free hand to touch me, squeezing my arm, as if checking I’m real. I know the feeling. Then he nudges me behind him.

“I know,” I say, exasperated, clutching his arm. I struggle to find words to defend them, but I know I don’t want them dead. “They’re… Jude’s forcing them. They don’t have a choice.” The words feel ridiculous. I’m not even sure if I believe them myself.

“Well, Jude’s dead,” Aster says, and everyone in the room audibly gasps.

“What?” Jackson says. “How?”

“Bullet between the eyes,” Aster replies with a dangerous smile, and my stomach sinks. He broke his rule. For me? That’s a conversation for another time. One that’s going to be paired with a massive apology on my side.

“What does it mean?” Violet asks, turning to Jackson.

He blinks, running a hand along his jaw. “I think… I think it means you can go home?”

“Violet?” Liam’s unsteady voice pulls my attention to him standing slack-jawed in the doorway. His gun is at his side, eyes looking past me like he’s seen a ghost. That makes two of us. I guess I don’t need to ask if Liam knew she was alive, because given the heart-shattering expression of disbelief on his face, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance he was left in the dark too.

“Hey there, stranger,” she says, her voice cracking, and he rushes to her, touching her face, then pulls her into his arms, hugging her tight. How is he not freaking out?

“Violet?” Aster repeats, and I nod. “Okay, well, might I suggest we relocate this reunion elsewhere? The fire department will be near here”—he checks his watch—“any minute now.”

“What the hell did you do?” I ask, voice shaky, and his eyes meet mine.

He slides a hand into my hair, pulling me close. “I told you I’d burn down the whole damn world to give you one extra breath. Seems I started with the Westerfords.” His mouth is on mine, and by the time he pulls away, I’m breathless and have almost forgotten about the shit show around me.

“Let’s go,” Liam says, rushing us out of the cabin, and we race off the porch. Jackson’s truck is there with Aster’s motorcycle, and Liam’s cruiser is parked beside it.

“We’ll meet you at the house,” I tell them.

“Lil,” Liam argues, and I hold up a hand, rushing to the bike, mounting it behind Aster.

“We don’t have time for this. See you at the house.”

We’re racing down the road a moment later, and it doesn’t take long for Aster to lose them. While part of me wants to keep Violet in my eyesight, afraid she’ll vanish like a ghost, I also need a minute to breathe after the bomb they just dropped on me. Just, like, ten damn minutes before we’re standing in my kitchen, pretending nothing ever happened. As if it’s not completely insane that I was kidnapped by my brother’s partner, my best friend’s alive, oh, and my boyfriend just murdered a millionaire and possibly burned down their entire mansion.