Page 214 of I See You

TearsstreameddownBraxton’sfaceasheshookhishead,but Hassanwasn’tmoved.HethoughtofSevynscreaming,broken, chained to a fucking bed, bleeding from wounds this coward gave her. He lifted the sword and in one swift, clean slice, took Braxton’s rightleg clean off. The scream that erupted from Braxton’s throat wasn’t human. Roman winced. Von turned away for half a second, even though they’d both been waiting on this.

Blood painted the interior of the jet as Braxton’s body twitched violently, still pinned up by his hands. And Hassan? He just stood there, sword dripping, eyes black, jaw locked. Ready for the next cut.

“Fuck!” Braxton screamed, but Hassan didn’t flinch.

“Shescreamedtoo,didn’tshe?”Hassanaskedcoldly,pressing the tip of the sword into Braxton’s stomach—not deep enough to kill, but just enough to make him bleed. “She begged you to stop, right? Looked at you with those beautiful, innocent eyes of hers… pleaded.”

HesetthesworddownslowlyasBraxtoncried,thelowerhalf of his leg laying useless on the floor, blood seeping into the carpet beneath him. Roman handed Hassan another blade.

“That’s the thing about eyes,” Hassan continued, his voice calm and deadly. “They’re the door to the soul. And when I look into hers, I’m in heaven. A nigga like me—cold, broken, ruthless—but to her? I was an angel.”

Hassan stepped closer, his voice growing darker with every word. “Thosesameeyesyoumadetrembleinfear…that’swhereyou fucked up.”

“Stop! Please!” Braxton cried out, body writhing as the pain intensified.

Hassan laughed—low and cold. “Damn… probably the same shit she said. But did you?”

Without hesitation, he carved the blade into Braxton’s eye. The scream that left Braxton’s mouth made even Roman and Von look away. Blood poured down his face as the eye dangled, useless.

Hassan’s phone rang.

He didn’t miss a beat—stabbed the other leg as Braxton howled in agony, then answered the call with a lethal calmness. “Word.”

“Hassan…”Harper’svoicecrackedthroughthephone.“Please come to the hospital. Sevyn needs you.”

In the background, he could hear the panic. Her family must’ve found out she was rushed in.

“Aight,” he said, hanging up.

He turned to Braxton, barely breathing, body hanging limp. “You lucky… there was so much more I had planned.”

Hassanpickeduphisswordanddroveitstraightthrough Braxton’s heart, killing him instantly.

“Let’s go. I want my blades and sword cleaned spotless,” he said, his voice void of anything but purpose.

Carlos stood, giving a slow nod. “Go to your wife.”

AsHassanwalkedout,Carlos’scleanupcrewcamein,stunned atthebrutalscenebutknowingbetterthantoaskquestions.Not a single drop of blood would remain—not on the walls, not on the records. This day never happened.

Hassan climbed into his Ferrari, blood still on his knuckles, heart racing with a different kind of fear. Roman and Von followed close behind.

If Sevyn wasn’t okay… Braxton wouldn’t be the last body they buried tonight.

???

Dorian sat in the waiting area, her leg bouncing uncontrollably as the silence gnawed at her. Sevyn was still in the back being worked on, and no one had come out with an update. Each passing second felt like a century, and the longer she waited, the angrier she became. Her cousin—the one person who had been more like a sister to her—was fighting for her life, and she was stuck here helpless.

When Hassan gave her the green light to kill Ariel, she did it without a second thought. No hesitation. She’d never killed anyone before, but for Sevyn? She would burn the world down. That’s how deep her love and loyalty ran. And if Sevyn didn’t make it... she didn’t know how she’d keep going. The thought alone made her want to scream, cry, collapse—something.

How was she supposed to explain any of this to Sevyn's parents? Ortoherownparents?Whatwordscouldpossiblymakesenseof whatjusthappened?Everythingfelttoomuch,tooheavy.Allshe wanted was her cousin beside her, laughing, talking shit, being Sevyn. The elevator dinged, pulling Dorian from her spiraling thoughts.

Harper rushed out, eyes already filled with tears. But Dorian could see it—this wasn’t just about Sevyn. Harper looked like her world had cracked in two.

When Harper took Celine back to campus, her phone rang. It was the hospice.

Helen had passed.

The words hadn’t even fully settled in before Harper's world tilted. Her heart cracked open right there in the driver’s seat, but she didn’t have the luxury to break—not yet. She wiped her tears, steadied her voice, and kept driving. Because as much as she wanted to curl up and grieve, she had Sevyn to worry about… and Hassan.

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