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My gaze drops to the knife, and my lungs fill with toxic air when I realize what I have to do. There’s only one way to guarantee he never hurts her. I’ve been looking out for her since the moment I fell for my sister’s best friend. Our story has been nothing but tragedy, built on lies and pain. There’s only one ending for a love like ours anyway.
I swallow my fear and straighten. When I notice the friends filming off to my left, I step closer to Pierce with the hardest look I can muster.
“Aw, cute knife. Did you steal it from your little nephew?” I taunt. “What are you gonna do, whittle me to death?”
His eyes widen as his grip tightens on the handle.
“You wouldn’t even know what to do with a real weapon,” he snaps back. “It’s just toothbrushes and filed down bolts in prison, right?”
I shrug. “Come find out.”
“And get locked up myself? No thanks.”
“Okay, then what’s the plan, exactly? You obviously came here intending to hurt me. Let’s get it done. You’re wasting my time.”
“You’d love to know that, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s what I just asked, isn’t it? Do they not teach basic language interpretation at your law school? Gonna be hard to win a case if you can’t comprehend simple questions.”
His hand shakes in the tense space between us, probably from rage as much as fear. Good. I’ve got him exactly where I want him. Where I need him if—
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
I freeze at the unexpected voice. Oh no. Fuck! She can’t be here!
“Go back to the car, Isabel!” I shout, without looking away from Pierce. No way I’m letting him out of my sight with a weapon in his hand and Isabel close by. “Get out of here!”
“No!” She rushes forward and shoves between Pierce’s friends to reach us.
I can’t breathe as she gets way too close to that monster.
“Put the knife away,” she says to Pierce. “This isn’t you. Iknowthis isn’t you.”
It is. That’s the problem. She knows that too, but she’s trying to do the last thing she should be: reasoning with a person who’s beyond reason. I’ve seen this situation more times than I can count, but never with a person I love in the middle of it. That changes everything.
“You’re just gonna stand there?” I ask the friends, switching tactics. “You realize if something happens, you’ll go down too, right?”
It’s enough to throw everyone off-guard, and I use the distraction to grab Isabel’s arm and shove her behind me. I spread my own to block her from Pierce.
“Leave. Now,” I hiss at him. “This is over.”
“I’m only leaving with her!”
“Never gonna happen.”
I start toward him, silently praying he’s bluffing. I make myself as intimidating as possible, and maybe it’s working when he takes a step back.
“It’s over, Pierce. Return to your gilded palace and leave us the hell alone,” I say.
“No, itisn’tover. I will kill you before I let you have her!”
“How are you not getting it? She doesn’t want you!”
“She does! She just—”
“I will never choose you, Pierce. Never,” Isabel interrupts with a firm voice from behind me.
Wow. I’ve never seen her stand up to him. Definitely didn’t expect her to do it now and for me. Despite the tension, relief washes through me. If nothing else, the Isabel I know and love is back to take control of her life. No matter what happens to me, she’ll be okay. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
