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Dante made that clear when he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Inside I wanted to yell and scream, but Dante had warned me to behave. His warning had been heard loud and clear. I wanted to listen to him, I wanted to do anything and everything I could to make sure his father didn't kill me right there.

The men from earlier were fucking dirt, they were sloppy and careless.

But Bane . . . He wasn't a man who made those mistakes.

“Good. Then you knowwhat I am.Unfortunately for you, tonight you saw more than you were supposed to. For that, I am sorry. Ivy, I would suggest closing your eyes, I'm a firm believer that will make it easier on you. Watching will only hurt you more.” His hand slipped free from his pocket, the shine of silver sparked as he lifted a gun chest high. “I want you to know this isn't personal, it's business.”

All the strength I had, all the anger that had built up inside of me melted away.

This was a man to fear.

He was death, he was the devil in the room.

Closing my eyes, my mind flashed through vivid images of my life. And I was happy they weren't the bad memories. They were bright and at the same time meaningless.

They weren't the memories I would've expected to have in that moment. I guess I had imagined the idea of your life flashing before your eyes as being filled with mile stones that you've gone through, and memories you never wanted to live again.

The first kiss, the first time I sat in a car after I got my license, all the firsts . . .

Then the darkness, the day I was taken, the day I woke up in Remo's house, the first strike from his fist, the basement from earlier . . .

But it was nothing like that.

I saw the small town in Maine I grew up in, the horses of my neighbor as they trotted around outside, and the apple pies my grandmother would bake every year in the fall.

The smell was on the tip of my tongue, the cool air was on my face. I could feel the breeze as it swept through my hair, and hear the faint sound of the rooster I used to dread hearing every morning.

The pictures I saw were peaceful and soothing. I even felt the faint hint of a smile on my lips as the wind cast shadowed memories against my skin.

Then I felt the muzzle of the gun against my forehead. It was cold and hard, the smell sharp and like burning metal mixed with charcoal. Reality cracked like a whip across my face.

My memories snapped to black, returning me to the bedroom and the cuffs around my wrists, the two men standing over me and the darkness they harbored.

This was it, this was the moment everything would change. I wouldn't grow old, I wouldn't have children, I wouldn't see my mother again . . .

Taking a deep breath, I let my body relax. There was nothing I could do but accept the punishment brought upon me for doing nothing but ending up here.

Bane had said this was business.This is Remo's fault.Deep down I knew he had something to do with this. I did nothing to deserve dying here this way.

He stole my life.

He stole everything.