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“Which would trigger the building going into a lockdown, whereas a fire would have it being evacuated.” Wilder sighs, and I nod.
“According to protocol, after five bells, the doors lock. Emma warned me that I had the interior keys, but the exterior doors had a code she didn’t have. She told me to hide if I wasn’t out in time and wait for the lockdown to be lifted before going for the children. Then she closed herself in the clinic a second before the locks engaged.”
“She locked herself in on purpose. Why?” Crew leans forward.
I look over at him and feel my lip tremble, remembering the look of peace on her face. “She knew too much. She was just as valuable as everything in the clinic. She went out with all the samples, all the research, and all the doctors involved.” I wipe my eyes and carry on. “I took the gun and keys, but as I was heading for the stairs, Arthur and James showed up.”
“Arthur?” Salem frowns.
“One of my bosses. Arthur Smith. An asshole that always wears a white shirt and pants and a—”
“White Stetson,” Salem whispers, making me look at her.
“You know him?”
“Colonel Sanders. He was at the clinic I was taken to after we were rescued. I’d hoped he’d died in the explosion.”
“Cockroaches always survive,” Oz mutters.
“Not this time,” I tell them, and Astrid looks at me.
“You shot him three times.”
I jolt at her words but nod. “The first shot went wide, but the others hit him. I killed him, and I’m not sorry.”
“Good,” she replies. “I saw a flash of you killing someone and feeling no remorse. Now I know why. I also saw you crying over James, trying to stop the bleeding.”
I squeeze Creed’s hand so hard that my fingers cramp. “Arthur ordered him to kill me. I shot Arthur, hoping James would be released from his hold, but it didn’t override his command. James tried to stop himself. He was bleeding from his nose and eyes…” I shake my head. “I begged him to fight, and he tried. God, he tried, but his finger tightened around the trigger, and I… I...”
“You shot him,” Astrid says softly, and I nod as I sob out my yes before burying my face in my hands.
It’s Astrid’s hand stroking my hair that has me looking up, her tears mirroring mine.
“He loved you,” I blurt out. “He wanted me to tell you that.”
Tears slide down her face, and she nods before taking a deep breath. “You did the right thing. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he’d killed you.”
“I know, but I hate myself anyway.”
“Don’t, Avery. He wouldn’t have wanted that.” I nod, knowing she’s right.
Astrid walks back over to Jagger and climbs into his lap, his arms wrapping around her as she cries into his neck.
“There was no fear in his eyes, only acceptance. He was relieved. He thanked me. Can you believe that? He thanked me for shooting him as he gave me the tracker so you could find me.” I whisper.
“He didn’t thank you for shooting him, Avery. He thanked you for setting him free,” Ev says, and I turn to look at him.
His thumb swipes across my lip. “What you did to Arthur was one thing, but shooting James, a man you considered a friend… That’s so much harder. You are the most courageous person I know, sweetheart, and we’re sitting in a room full of people that impress me every day.”
I gasp and jump up. “The thumb drive! I forgot. Emma left a thumb drive with Lara for me. It’s in the jeans I was wearing.”
He stands and grips my shoulders gently. “I’ll grab it in a minute. Finish your story first.”
I blow out a breath and nod as he kisses my temple. I sit back down and sigh when Hawk wraps his arms around me once more. “I stayed with him until he was gone. I couldn’t just leave him, but then the alarm started blaring again.”
“Why?”
“Someone was trying to override the lockdown. I used them getting in as a cover to get out because I didn’t know if I would set any alarms off myself.”
