Page 75 of Rebel

“More than he deserved,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

“Maybe.”Rebel’s gaze met mine.“But you’re better than him.Remember that.”

I handed the gun back to him, and he tucked it away with practiced ease.

“One down,” Renegade said.“One to go.”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself.“Then let’s go find Denton.”

As we left Ellis’s apartment, I didn’t look back.His body would be found eventually, but by then we’d be long gone.Hopefully the police would write it off as a drug deal gone wrong, or a gambling debt unpaid.I didn’t really care right now.Fury was pulsing inside me, and I refused to stop.I’d deal with the consequences of my actions later.

Justice, in this case, wouldn’t come from the law.It would come from me.And I wasn’t finished yet.

* * *

Denton’s apartment was the opposite of Ellis’s -- spotless, organized, with harsh fluorescent lights that left nowhere to hide.The clinical precision of it made my skin crawl.This wasn’t the lair of a disorganized predator like Ellis; this was the domain of someone who planned meticulously, who left no evidence, who thought himself untouchable.I stepped over the threshold, my clothes still damp with Ellis’s blood and felt Rebel’s reassuring presence at my back.

“Nice place,” Rebel whispered, running a finger along a perfectly aligned row of books.“Psychopath neat.”

He wasn’t wrong.Everything had its place -- shoes lined up by the door, mail sorted in a metal basket, kitchen counters empty of all but a coffee maker that gleamed under the overhead lights.No photos.No personal touches.Just order for order’s sake.

“He’s here,” Renegade said, nodding toward a sliver of light visible beneath a closed door.

I gripped my knife tighter, the handle still sticky from Ellis.My heart thundered against my ribs, but my hands remained steady.One more.One more and it would be over.

Renegade touched my shoulder.“You don’t have to do this one,” he said softly.“We can handle it.”

I shook my head.“No.It has to be me.”

He nodded, understanding in his eyes.This wasn’t just about revenge; it was about reclaiming what they’d taken from me.My power.My choice.

I moved toward the door.Denton was different from Ellis, which meant sneaking up on him.And it had to be now.If he knew Ellis was dead, he’d be more on guard.Right now, Denton had no idea I’d found him.

I pushed the door open with my foot, staying to the side in case he started shooting immediately.

Sergeant Denton stood by his bedroom window, a gun already in his hand.Unlike Ellis, there was no fear in his eyes -- just cold calculation as he assessed the three of us.I didn’t see a brace or cast on his leg.I’d thought for sure something had broken before.Maybe the damage hadn’t been as severe as I’d thought.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said, his voice as empty of emotion as his apartment was of warmth.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.

His eyes narrowed, taking in my bloodstained clothes, the knife in my hand.“You’ve got no idea what you’re doing.I’m not like Ellis.I’m not some jumped-up private who pisses himself at the first sign of trouble.”

“No,” I agreed.“You’re worse.You’re the one who orchestrated it all.The one who picked the target.The one who taught Ellis what to do.”

Something flickered across his face -- surprise that I figured it all out, perhaps.

“The drugs were supposed to make sure you didn’t remember anything,” he said, confirming my suspicions.“Most of them don’t.”

“Most of them,” I repeated, bile rising in my throat.“How many?”

He shrugged, as if we were discussing the weather rather than his crimes.“Does it matter?You won’t leave here alive to tell anyone.”

“Confident for a man outnumbered three to one,” Rebel remarked.

Denton’s smile grew colder.“I wasn’t just a sergeant.Grew up in a rough neighborhood.Learned a lot from the gangs in the area.I’ve killed better men than you with less effort than it takes to tie my shoes.”

“But have you ever killed someone who’s already dead inside?”I asked, taking a step toward him.“Because that’s what you did to me that night.You killed something in me.And now, there’s nothing left to lose.”

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