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“You’re surprisingly hard to kill,” he admits. “I believe the Ravenwoods might love you more than they loved Emily. I tried to get that local gang to take you out, but they seem to have rescued you.”
I gasp, the revelation sending shivers down my spine. “You sent the Serpents after me?” I ask, voice high. The fact that the betrayal goes back that far shouldn’t surprise me, but it does.
“Who do you think helped me cover up Emily’s death?” he asks, a smirk on his face. “For the right price, they made it look like a suicide and I was off the hook.”
Tears sting my cheeks and I grip the arms of the chair so tightly, my knuckles are white. Nausea rises at his utter callousness. The man before me is nothing but a monster, capable of unspeakable cruelty without a shred of remorse.
“Now,” he whispers menacingly, ripping the duct tape from my wrists and pushing the gun into my hands. “You’re going to take this and you’re going to put it here,” he moves my hand up so the gun is now pressed into my temple.
My hands tremble uncontrollably, each heartbeat echoing in my ears like a drumbeat of impending doom. Nausea churns in the pit of my stomach, threatening to overwhelm me.
“That’s a good girl,” he coos, bastardizing the Ravenwoods’ praise. “You’re going to pull the trigger on my signal.”
“What if I don’t?” I demand, trying to pull my hand away. “What if I stop you?”
“You could try,” he says, tone far too calm. “But if you don’t cooperate, I’ll call up the Serpents and give them the orders to kill each of your precious Ravenwood boys, one by one in front of you.”
He puts my finger on the trigger, the metallic click of the hammer as he pulls it back echoing through the silent space.
My throat tightens in despair at the thought of letting anything happen to my boys. I have the strength to go through with this. I can’t let him hurt them. The thought of losing them ignites a fierce determination within me.
Memories of the Ravenwood boys flood my mind. Heated gasps in the darkness, warm hands on cold days, sharing meals, sharing our lives, the laughter and the joy … I love them.
I have to protect them. Even if it means my own death.
My entire body trembles as I try to calm myself down.
“Do it,” he hisses. “Pull the trigger.”
He steps back, waiting.
45
BASTIAN
Abitter taste fills my mouth as I grapple with the weight of Rich’s treachery. The familial relationship we shared with him now feels like a cruel mockery, a joke played at our expense. How long has he been like this? A man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone doesn’t become that way overnight.
I clench my fists, struggling to come to terms with all of this. How could someone we opened our lives to harbor such darkness? Has he always been this way?
Memories flood back, every moment tainted with the knowledge that all of that was a charade, a facade he’d carefully constructed to conceal his true intentions.
Even if Diego wasn’t the culprit, he couldn’t be allowed to live after this. He was complicit in letting Rich get away with murder.
Vision blurring, I watch as my brothers follow my orders, gunning down Diego in cold blood. Disgust twists inside of me, settling heavy in my stomach as I turn away, walking towards the car.
The sound of my brothers’ footsteps echoes behind me, their presence a silent reassurance in the midst of a storm.
Dominic’s jaw is set in a firm line, eyes reflecting the same determination and sorrow I feel inside. Caleb’s normal jovial nature is replaced with steely resolve, gaze fixed ahead as he tries to hold back the tears in his eyes.
My hand pauses on the car door handle as I turn to face my brothers. The weight of recent events hangs in the air. “We did what we had to do,” I say quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Diego left us no choice.”
Silence hangs over us like a heavy shroud as the gravity of the situation settles in. Then, without a word, Caleb steps forward and clasps my shoulder in a silent gesture of solidarity. Dominic follows suit, his face grim but determined.
“We did what we had to do,” Dominic echoes. “Now we need to confront Rich.”
“Let’s go home first. We need to check on Sienna,” I say, my thoughts racing with concern for her. We left her alone without even saying goodbye and urgency gnaws at my insides. Her presence is a warm balm on my mind, and I need to know that she’s survived the storm unscathed.
With a determined yank, I pull open the door and slip into the driver’s seat, turning the key in the ignition with a click, the engine roaring to life. Caleb gets into the back seat while Dominic steps aside to talk to a few of the Blades, ordering them to clean up the mess and make sure the remaining Serpents leave without fuss.
