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He’s back in his head right now, calculating what he should do next. I stand silent, my back hurting from how tense I am.
Kill him now. Small, deep cuts all over his body, and he’ll bleed until the morning before he dies.
I shake my head. That’s not a good idea.
“What was it? What did he blackmail her with?” His voice is calm, but I think it’s more dangerous than when he raises his tone.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I never asked her. I never told her I knew. I don’t do things for her to notice; I do things to protect her.”
He laughs, throwing his head back. “Bravo, Ethan.” He claps his hands slowly with such cynicism I want to break his fingers. “Bravo! You’re officially her hero. Look at you”—he pouts mockingly—“saving her without her knowing. Sacrificing yourself for her. Suffering in silence.”
One step and he’s in my face, his voice dropping. “And making her come behind my back when you know I could end your fucking life with one conversation with Kay.He’s the one who helped her escape, Kay. He’s the one who–”
“Enough.”
It takes all of me to keep a blank face as he observes me slowly. “You’ve always loved marking her,” he chuckles. “You think I wouldn’t notice your pretty bites on her neck? They were placed perfectly under her collar, but I’m not fucking dumb in case you never noticed.”
I snort. “Yeah, we know, you’re so smart. And yet look at you, you blackmail your own brother for the woman you want. You search the country for her. You make a deal with her…andstill,you don’t have her.” A smirk splays on my lips. “That’s a bit pathetic, don’t you think?” I shrug again. “All I had to do was wait for you to fuck up. Remind me whose bed she’s sleeping in tonight?”
There’s a pause in space and time for almost a minute. We just eye each other intensely like we’re in some fucking Western movie.
We hover our hands over our pistols.
Dust flies around us.
Tumbleweeds roll past.
But Elliot just smiles.
“She’ll wake up in my bed tomorrow morning, Ethan. Or the next thing you’ll hear from Kay is the sound of her gun firing at your face.”
“No. She won’t. This is it, Elliot.” A certain excitement bubbles in my chest. “I think you’re finally going to be my next victim.”
“You want to kill me? Cut me into little pieces? Who’s going to clean up after you?”
“I don’t fucking care! I’d rather go to prison than know you’re alive and stealing her from me.”
“Go on, Ethan. Fucking kill me. Fucking try…” His voice dies down as a light brightens his eyes. “Unless…”
And here it is.
His new master plan.
27
JADE
you broke me first - Tate McRae
I giggle to myself at the new text from Alex.
Alex: He literally grabbed it all in one go. Look at his cheeks!
The picture of Jean-Paul Sartre—yes, she named her bunny after a French philosopher—eating a whole baby carrot makes my laughter double.
