Page 5 of Endgame
Couldhehave taken her?
No.
No.
No.
I put a hand over my throat, massaging the area.
Think, idiot.
I’m pacing again, just like Dad does before he has a big case and isn’t sure which line of defense to take.
Since he’s the person I idolize the most, and I’m basically a carbon copy of him, I do just that. Pace Lotus’s room. Over and over and over.
Before I give up and go wake Mom and Dad, I pause at her desk and frown. There’s a folded piece of paper I must’ve missed earlier.
In her handwriting, it reads:Mom, Dad, and Everett.
Bile rises in my throat. This can’t be good.
I unfold it anyway.
Hi, fam.
First and foremost, I love you. Over fifteen years ago, you let me into your home. I was no more than a few days old, and you already claimed me as yours.
Throughout the years, you’ve shown me what true love and family are all about.
You’ve held me through the bad times, laughed with me in the good ones. You’ve always been patient and caring, and again, I love you for it.
That’s why it breaks my heart to say that I can’t stay.
See, something happened. Something really bad that you wouldn’t like. Now that I’m gone, Everett will fill you in on it. It hurts too much to repeat it, even on paper.
I’m sorry about that. For ruining everything.
For putting myself in a position that, in turn, putsyouin a difficult position.
But don’t worry. I’m fixing whatever it is I broke. You don’t have to worry about anything. Once I’m gone, you won’t have to choose between me and the Royalty. I know what your group of friends and business connections mean to you.
This is how I get to pay you for the love you’ve given me.
I love you. I miss you already.
Thank you for being the family I never deserved.
Lotus.
My heart, my ribcage, my insides—they’re crushed. Turned to dust.
“No.” I crumple the piece of paper and fling it at the wall.
My next victim is the wastebasket by her desk. I kick it, watching the contents spill over her rug.
Among a few crumpled papers, two plastic sticks stand out.
Both have a small digital screen in the center.
