Page 156 of Endless Anger
Unblinking.
Forever.
“Oh, quit whining, pussy. We’ll just eliminate the witnesses, and he’ll never know,” Tiernan snaps.
“We need the witnesses, dumbass. And you’re not in charge here, I am.”
“Fine.” Tiernan stalks toward me. “Then, we’ll eliminateonewitness. No one will miss this bitch anyway.”
Looking away from Willa isn’t possible; I try, but my gaze is fully stuck in position, locked with hers. Life drained from it instantly, like her soul bleeding out the way her body did first.
My sweater is ruined. I loved that one.
I’m going to die down here.
I’m going todie down here, and Asher won’t even know I loved him.
I mean, maybe he’ll know, but I never said it. Fuck, why the hell didn’t I tell him? Because I was scared? I’ve been scared every day of my goddamn life—that shouldn’t have mattered.
Coming to Avernia was terrifying, but I did it. Defending myself is nerve-racking, but I do that too, yet three little words were my limit? The line I couldn’t cross, all because the fear of abandonment was too strong?
Pathetic really.
I’m fucking pathetic.
A sob rattles my chest, and I try to catch it in my hand, but there’s no use. It spills out like old milk, tainting the air and grating against my ears.
I tremble, dropping my palms to the ground. There’s nothing else to fucking do—no chance I’m going to be able to dart and get something to fight back with. He’ll just shoot me anyway.
My family will miss me.
Asher will. Aurora too. Yuri maybe, and the Fury Hill Animal Shelter.
Foxe—God, will Foxe even recover from this?
What I should’ve been doing this whole time was getting him freed and then finding a weapon, but I wanted to save Willa.
I thought Icould.
My arms tremble, my elbows threatening to give out as thick blackboots fill my line of vision. There’s pressure on my head, and I close my eyes, hoping that wherever Asher is, he can feel my love for him.
If only I hadn’t spent so much time ignoring him. I wish he’d told me everything three years ago so none of this would have happened at all.
“Wait!” Foxe’s voice shatters the silence, and the pressure slips from my skull. I lift my chin, glancing over my shoulder as Foxe staggers to his feet, stumbling toward me. “Wait, don’t hurt her. I got her free and then told her we needed to get out of here.”
Tiernan and Beckett share a look. “No offense, but we don’t really believe you,” Tiernan says.
I whip my head in his direction. “Foxe,shut up. Don’t be an idiot.”
His jaw shifts, but he ignores me. “Fine, then realize that there is no one on this planet Asher Anderson cares about more than that girl right there. You kill her, and there’s no way you’re getting him down here. He’ll want proof of life, and your curse will continue on.”
“Foxe—”
Groaning, Beckett tugs at his hair again, ripping a few strands out. “Shit.Shit. He’s right, Tiernan, you dumb fuck. Get him out of here.”
My eyes widen as the third masked figure reenters, immediately heading for Foxe. They grab beneath Foxe’s arm, hauling him away, and tears pour down my cheeks.
“Stop!Take me, leave him! He didn’t fuckingdoanything!” I shriek, lunging for the exiting pair.
