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“Didn’t you hear? Otto married last week. He doesn’t want Kensington.”
I heard Konstantine’s voice hitch at the same time I saw Cortez’s eyes shift for a split second. Someone was behind us. Maybe Teagon?
“You’re a liar!” shouted Konstantine. “You’re trying to trick me.”
“Kensington is all yours now. You don’t want to hurt her. If you do, you’ll lose everything. Your money, your family…Drop the gun, Konstantine. We both know you won’t kill her.”
“You work for Otto. I know you do. You’ll soon be out of a job because I’m going to kill him too. It didn’t work the first time, but I found someone better this time.”
Cortez’s eyes flared, and I could feel his rage. At the same time, he reminded me to stay calm. He’d protect me. He’d always protect me. Because he loved me.
I calmed my mind, forcing everything out but him. I slowed my frantic breathing so it matched his. Kept my eyes on his.
He took one step closer, and I groaned when Konstantine shoved what I knew was a gun, harder into my side. I blinked and then refocused. Could Cortez read Konstantine? I couldn’t, but I wasn’t meant to. I had to stay open only to Cortez, so if there was something I needed to know, feel, do, I could.
“Don’t come closer!” Konstantine shouted when Cortez took one more step.
“You couldn’t do it, Konstantine. You wanted to, but you couldn’t.”
“I could have. You don’t know anything!”
Cortez shook his head. “You couldn’t. Somewhere deep inside you, you knew you couldn’t kill. Not Otto, not Kensington.”
“He doesn’t have to, because I’m here. Don’t worry, my sweet boy. I will kill her. Once she’s gone, the madness will end,” I heard a female’s voice say. I tore my eyes from Cortez’s and saw Konstantine’s mother step inside the side door. She held a gun pointed at Cortez.
The tension in Konstantine’s body eased as though a great weight had been lifted. “It won’t stop, Mother. It’ll never stop.”
“It will, precious. Trust me. I know.”
His hand trembled.
Kensington, stay with me.
My eyes snapped back to Cortez.
Breathe, my darling.
“No!” shouted Konstantine, as if he was in some kind of pain. “No.” This time, he groaned.
“Konstantine!” his mother shouted. “Look at me!”
“No, Mother. It won’t stop.”
Cortez’s eyes were no longer on mine. He was laser-focused on the man who had me trapped in his arms. The look on his face conveyed the rage I felt seeping off of him.
Konstantine’s body jerked, and he let out a gut-wrenching cry.
“Now!” Cortez shouted.
I heard a loud crash. Konstantine’s mother jerked the gun in the direction of the sound of footsteps running from the back of the house. Shots rang out, and she fell to the floor. At the same time, Konstantine shoved me from him. Another gun fired, he fell to the floor, and I raced into Cortez’s arms.
“Teagon?” I tried to pull away from him, but he held me tight.
“Where’s Angel?” he shouted to the men who were checking the two bodies lying on the floor.
“Here!” one of them answered from the kitchen.
I tried again to break free of him, but Cortez tightened his grip.
