Zayden did. And I let him believe it was me, because it’s the only way to protect him. A secret that, like a heavy stone, I’ll carry to the grave. Elijah steps closer, pressing the barrel of the gun against my temple.
“Enough,” he says through gritted teeth. “Let’s finish this.”
With that, we move past the hall and down the stairs. The dim lights spotlight Zayden, who sits in the middle of the room, bound and bleeding. I bite down on the inside of my cheek, keeping me focused now more than ever. Christopher looks up to me before fisting Zayden’s hair and pulling his head back.
“Look who’s here to save you,” he teases as his knife travels down the length of his neck, searching for any reaction, only to get none. My heart swells with something ugly and holy all at once—pride and fury tangled together. Zayden’s eyes are half lidded, blood is crusted in his brow, and his piercing is ripped off. But his anger is still there, pulsing under his skin like a live organ.
His gaze finds mine.
For a second, the room, the gun, the knife… everything just fades away. Only he exists. “Safra,” he rasps, voice shredded from his screams.
I swallow hard, forcing my face to stay blank and cold. “Pet.”
He chuckles at that, and I can’t help the way my lips lift at the corners. Elijah steps into my peripheral vision, gun now leveled at Zayden’s chest.
“Here’s how this goes,” he comments, almost conversational. “You’re going to tell us exactly which one of you three killed Asher, and then, amongst yourselves, you can decide who dies. An eye for an eye.” Christopher smiles while Greyson watches from the corner. I inhale deeply and get ready to stall…
If I’m right—this is the moment everything turns.
And if I’m wrong?
Then this is where we all die.
“How about we just kill them all,” Christopher sneers, not realizing that the real danger was behind him, Peter’s actual mole. It was never Elijah. It was Greyson, someone desperate for power. His laugh curdles into something feral as he holds a gun to the back of Christopher’s head.
“You think you’re the only one who can play both sides?” he spits, eyes darting toward Elijah. “I sold you out for a spot at Villalargos.” His attention turns fully to Elijah, his smile dropping to a frown. His face is blank and devoid of emotion.
Elijah stares at him in disbelief. “You betrayed your own people?” He shakes his head. “Asher was your best friend.”
“And asshole, good for nothing.” Greyson quickly adds with a shrug, a twisted grin spreading across his face. “Everyone’s replaceable, like you. Peter says hello.” With that, the gun goes off, and a bullet lodges in the front of Elijah’s skull. Christopher lets out a high shriek, just as the basement stairs groan with careful and deliberate steps. Wyatt wasted no time putting a bullet in not only Christopher’s forehead but Greyson’s as well. It all happened so quickly that I barely had a chance to register everything.
I can’t help the laughter that works its way up my chest. Ezra steps beside me, taking a deep breath in.
“Don’t make me regret this,” he adds, before slicing off my zip ties and placing a gun into my palm. “End it.”
A shaky breath escapes me. The weight of the weapon anchors me. Nico’s eyes lock on mine, wide, terrified, and pleading.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “It’s nothing personal.”
Zayden thrashes against his restraints, screaming at the top of his lungs while Wyatt pours gasoline in every crevice of the basement. “Why?” Nico asks softly. “Why?”
“Because we all have a sacrifice to make. Ezra killed June, and well… I’m gonna kill you.”
Ezra's brows pull together. I’m sure now he’s wondering how I pieced it all together. My knees almost give out, and I turn to Ezra, who watches me now with an unreadable expression. The smell of gasoline thickens, choking the air. Wyatt strikes a match, the flame trembling between his fingers.
Nico’s whispers cut through Zayden’s threats. “Thiago… please.”
I raise the gun, and the world narrows to the space between us. Ezra nods once. The trigger clicks, the recoil is like an electricshock that runs up my arm. Zayden’s voice breaks the deafening silence that follows, raw and feral.
“NICO!”
Wyatt flicks the match, and the fire catches fast, devouring the gasoline, the walls, and the truth. I storm forward and, using the barrel of my gun, I slam it into the side of Zayden's head.
“We gotta go.” Wyatt rushes me while I hold on to the only thing that matters.
Letting the truth die with the fire.
Chapter Thirty