Page 122 of Breaking Point

I waste no time in slinging Aleks down and placing him against the nearest wall.

“Get them out,” I order Harvey, and I walk to Liv, gently coaxing the gun out of her iron grip and meeting her eyes. “Go.”

“I’m not leaving you like this,” she objects, but I give her my signature grin. All cocky. All confident. Even if I have the creeping suspicion I shouldn’t be.

“Don’t worry about me, Princess.”

I squeeze her hand again. Though everything inside me is telling me not to leave, I take one last look at her beautiful face. I memorize every detail. Then I grip my pistol tight and head for the balcony.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Crew

The balcony doors drift shut behind me, the dark sky filling my lungs. Charles has a pistol now, and it’s aimed right at Skar’s head. I freeze, spotting Charlotte standing across from them, wrist bent at a broken angle that weeps blood.

Donatello Rema lays face down in a puddle of his own blood at the table, his guards still bloodied heaps on the floor.

But Sofa is missing.

Charles motions me over with his gun. “I don’t want any games.”

His face doesn’t budge when I prowl forward, my pistol still aimed high. I can see something vicious on Skar’s face. Anger. Fear.

“All you had to do was listen. You could have prevented all of this if you just did as you’re told,” Charles taunts.

“I’m not stupid enough to believe you’ll let us live after all of this is over,” Char says, and it’s clear from her voice that she’s in pain. “I still don’t understand. This big plan. How is any of this supposed to work?”

Charles steps forward at the same time Charlotte does. Each step forward is another step back until Char is trapped between the table and the balcony railing.

“It doesn’t have to be like this.”

“You’re right,” Charlotte says quietly. “It doesn’t.”

Charles huffs. “You think I don’t know how this ends if I give up now?” he shakes his head, gun unsteady. “You and I can start over. We can rebuild things. Make it safe for any Prevyain-“

“I don’t want this life, Papa!.”

“Do you really think Skar loves you? You truly believe he’s different than his father?”

“I will not rule like Tyson did.” Charlotte shakes her head, arm still clutched to her chest. “I blamed Skar at first. For Tyson’s wrongs and his father’s before that. But things can change… You don’t have to do this.”

The gun still shakes in Charles’ hand and while I could easily take the shot if I wanted to, this isn’t my choice to make.

“Put the gun down, Charles,” I say, stepping forward. I can see just how close he is to turning that gun on me.

“Stay back,” he warns. “Or I will kill him.”

“What about Rema?” Charlotte prods. “You overthrow Westos and he just sits idly by? Papa, you know….You knowthat will never happen.”

Charles is quiet, turning over the words. “Rema was right about one thing: He knew you wouldn’t be strong enough to do what needed to be done.”

Charlotte’s hands only quiver for a moment, her eyes wildly tracking over him as she tries to figure out what he’s talking about. “Why Rema?” she asks quietly.

“You’re smarter than that,” he taunts, and she shakes her head again, tears welling in her eyes.

“They’re Prevyain,” she says. “Donatello. Chase. Sofia. They’re Prevyain. Just like us, aren’t they?”

He laughs, but his humor is short-lived. “I never expected you to fall for Skar. After Eva died… I wasn’t sure we could convince you to go through with it. But we planned for it.Sofia will take your place… And Rema-“ Charles laughs. “Rema wasn’t supposed to make it this far anyways… but you took care of that for me, didn’t you?”

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