Page 137 of Broken Pact

“Baby, no,” Jasper murmurs, shaking his head just the tiniest bit.

I peek around Jasper’s shoulder, my heart thundering against my ribs. Grant’s eyes are wild, his face twisted into a snarl. He looks unhinged—and completely distracted.

I take a deep breath, my fingers closing around the grip of Jasper's gun. In one fluid motion, I pull it free, flick the safety off, and step out from behind Jasper, leveling the weapon at Grant with shaking hands.

I exhale and pull the trigger.

63

JASPER

The sound of the gunshot cracks through the night air like a thunderclap, reverberating in my ears. For a split second, the world seems to go silent and still.

Lawson staggers back a step, his face contorting in shock and pain as he falls to his knees. The gun slips from his fingers, clattering to the asphalt. His mouth opens and closes wordlessly before he crumples over in a heap.

I whirl around to face Coraline, my heart in my throat. She stands frozen, the gun still clutched tight in her grip. I palm the top of the gun, pushing it down, and murmuring, “It’s alright, baby. You’re alright.”

She blinks, shifting those gorgeous blue eyes I love so much toward me. They’re too wide, the whites of her eyes bright against her paling complexion. “Jasper? What-what did I . . .”

“Shh, it’s alright. Let me have the gun, yeah?” I apply a little more pressure, and she lets go of the gun so fast, like it burned her.

She swipes her tongue along her bottom lip. “Did I, uh—oh my god. Is he dead?” she whispers, her voice shaky.

God willing, I think. Not because I want that burden on her soul, but because that means we won’t have to worry about this piece of shit ever again.

“Stay here, yeah?” I wait for her nod before I stalk toward his prone form in the middle of the road. I pull out my phone from my back pocket, keeping my gaze on him. I don’t fucking trust him not to pull some shit as a hail mary.

I hit Nova’s contact, and he answers on the second ring. “You good?”

“I need a cleanup crew,” I murmur.

He sighs. “Fuck, okay. And Cora? You better tell me somethin’ good, or I’m gonna make you deliver the bad news to my wife.”

“She’s alright. From what I can tell, a little banged up but otherwise okay. Haven’t had a chance to check yet.”

“Alright, that’s good, man. That’s real good. Where are you? I’ll send someone right away.”

I hesitate, standing over Lawson, my gaze darting to the blood starting to pool underneath him. I can’t tell where it originated from. “Magnolia Lane. The road, not the house.”

“The fuckin’ road, man? Goddamnit.”

“Jasper,” Coraline shouts, her tone high and urgent.

I twist toward her, just in time to see Lawson’s arm raised, his gun pointed at my fucking face. Time seems to slow, stretching like taffy from one heartbeat to the next.

“You think you’ve won, Reaper?” he spits, chaos glinting in his eyes and blood darkening his grin. “She’s mine. You’ll never take her from?—”

I lift my arm and pull the trigger, silencing his madness.

The gunshot echoes through the night, a sharp crack that seems to hang in the air. Lawson’s body jerks, his head snapping back, and then he’s still, his arm falling limply to the ground.

I kick his gun out of his reach and lower mine, my heart pounding in my chest. Nova’s voice is still coming through the phone, urgent and demanding, but I can’t make out the words. All I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears and Coraline’s ragged breathing behind me.

I let out a slow breath, lowering my own gun. "Nova, you still there?"

"Yeah, I heard. Cleanup crew is on the way. ETA is five minutes."

“Thanks.” I end the call and slip the phone back into my pocket, my gaze still fixed on Lawson’s body.

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