Page 49 of Dead Man's Wish
To be indifferent meant he was utterly nothing.
I worked my hands. My throat ached as he pressed harder on bruised flesh. My binding gave way, and I slipped one hand free. My pulse beat stronger against his fingers, but it wouldn’t be strong for much longer.
A thunderous roar of my heart moved through my ears, drowning out everything happening in this room—Peters’s snarls and grunts, my breathless gasps. It faded away to the blood rush in my head.
I reached up, but it didn’t faze or deter him. My nails raked from his temple and down his cheek, catching his eyes in the process. Little streams of blood welled up and dripped. He cried out when my nail cut his sclera, but he only tightened his grip.
The idiot is learning.
I knew this was going to be the end. I thrashed against his hold. My body demanded I defend myself one last time even though I resigned to this being the end. It would only burn more if I tried to breathe.
I love you, Jaiden. We were beautiful.
We were us. You were mine, always. I’m sorry.
The darkness closed in around my field of vision. The thunderous roar returned in my head. My mouth opened with one last pathetic attempt to breathe. I couldn’t fight him and my body’s needs at the same time. He was nearly obscured by the dark curtain closing on this chapter. My brain yelled for my lungs to breathe and I caved.
In the darkness, the pressure released from my chest and throat. I took a breath, a garbled wheeze as I fell over the edge.
So, this is death.
Twenty-Two
August 18, 2025
Jaiden Wells
I watchedthe GPS as my arrow closed in on her blinking dot. We’d driven like hell, stopping only when I needed to refuel. I assumed Bishop broke a lot of rules and protocols since we passed dozens of cops and no one made the effort to pull us over. We managed to cut the three-hour trip down to just over two. She’d been gone for over five and the sun was breaking the horizon and painting the world in a pastel glow now. On any other occasion, a drive at this hour through the wooded mountainside would’ve been beautiful.
But I was racing the Grim Reaper and the world wouldn’t be beautiful again until I left with Bexley alive in my arms.
It would become my personal hell if I didn’t.
I didn’t have to, but I glanced in my side mirror to see Kel and Mari following me with fierce determination through the winding landscape. We drove and stopped in mutual silence. We had that unspoken understanding of what we were about to do, regardless of what we discovered.
The GPS alerted the next turn into a paved driveway. Signaling them, I slowed enough to not skid across the pavement and took off down the covered path.
She’s a fighter. She’s a fighter.
Reaching the end of the drive, I saw Peters’s car was parked just off into the grass. The plates were from a different state, but it was definitely the make and model I’d seen him in when we were at the precinct. I pulled to the other side, giving Kel room to park. I killed the engine and engaged the kickstand, ripping my helmet off. They stepped out and looked around.
“What’s he doing here?” I eyed the car.
“Was he part of the search in any way?” Mari asked, but I shook my head. I hadn’t heard of Peters’s involvement in anything for a while now.
“The cabin is my best guess.” Kel nodded an agreement and Mari’s eyebrows tightened with sure devotion for finding Bex. “I don’t hear anything, but I’m not letting that doubt sink in.” I unzipped my riding jacket and threw it on top of the bike. I approached the door, noting water pooled at the steps. It trailed from the grass. Beyond, the yard was a small pond.
What the fuck happened?
I shouldered open the door. The front room was small, and a struggling sound caught my attention. Bexley lay beneath Peters, her hand falling to the ground. Peters’s face was streaked with blood. Her eyes fluttered close, and I bolted across the room. Rage burned from my core as I tackled the son of a bitch off her. He screamed in surprise before hitting his head on the floor and rolling his eyes around in dazed confusion.
Footsteps followed behind me, and Mari and Kel shouted for Bexley’s attention. I punched the spineless bitch and knocked a tooth loose before pinning him to the ground and facing them. She was soaked. Her clothes stuck to her body like a second skin. Water trickled out of her mouth. Her eyes weren’t completely closed, but she wasn’t responsive to their calls. Blood smeared across her mouth and forehead. The sight was enough to push me over the edge.
I left them to her for the moment and turned Jeffrey’s face to mine. “I want you to watch her, do you understand?” My fist connected with his fragile face again. The sound of bone breaking didn’t come, but his cry told me Bexley had already taken care of that and I made it worse. I flipped him onto his stomach, holding his head by his greasy hair so that he watched our friends help her.
Kel straightened Bex’s head and angled her chin. My heart broke, but the anger coursing through me held it together as they worked. Mari’s delicate, slim hands cradled her face and stroked her cheeks as Kel prodded her neck for a pulse. Tears from Mari dotted Bex’s forehead. He laced his fingers together, placing his hands in the center of her chest and compressing her fragile body. A crack filled the silence, and I slammed Peters’s face into the wood. A more satisfying crunch of bone echoed over hers. His cries fed the monster within me.
Tears rolled down Mari’s face as she bent over Bex, pinching her nose and covering her mouth. Two deep breathes filled Bex’s chest.
