Page 71 of Bound to a Killer

“I don’t want to hurt either of you,” he says, his voice thinner now, fragile in a way it hadn’t been moments ago. “Ican’thurt either of you,” he adds, his voice sharpening as his eyes turn to her. “But I can’t let you go after them, either. This ends here, Wilson.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Choose. Her or me.”

My eyes flick from him to the metal door ahead. Aria has seconds left, if that. She needs me.

Damn him.

“Why?” I ask, swallowing through the knot in my throat. My eyes sting, already wet, because I know who I’d pick. And so does he.

His eyes go lifeless, all traces of his soul gone. He shakes his head slowly, broken. “They took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I thought you of all people would’ve understood that. But I guess not.” He exhales, slow and heavy. “I guess your attachments just never ran as deep. But that’s okay. We had a good run.”

His voice is a tight rasp, but his eyes carry a thin shine, mirroring my own. “I don’t expect you to understand. Just know that choosing that girl will weaken you, Ledger. Eventually, it’ll get you killed.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His voice sinks lower. “She’s ruined things between us. She’s ruined everything.”

“No,” I bite out, gritting my teeth. “No, we’ve had problems for a while. Long before Aria. We just pretended not to notice.”

My stomach coils, resistance and dread crashing together. “Whatever you do, the choice is on you, Tanner. Not me.”

With that, I snap my focus to the exit, my heart hammering as I sprint toward it, leaving what’s left of my old friendship behind.

Gunfire explodes behind me, echoing through the cavernous warehouse, twisting through Frankie’s cry.

For a moment, I stall, grief clawing at my insides. I force a quick glance back, swallowing against the permanent swell in my throat as I catch sight of him sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around him.

A breath hitches. My knees threaten to give out, but I clamp down on the emotion and whip back around, bursting out of the building.

He’s made his choice. The flood of emotions is too much to carry, so I shove it down and focus forward.

Aria needs me now.

My chest clenches. Pain blooms behind my ribs as I drag in ragged breaths. I snap my head around, searching. God, I hope I’m not too late.

Please don’t let it be too late.

Or else this would’ve all been for nothing.

My heart stills. Then spikes as I spot them.

Off in the distance, they both stumble, then drop. I sprint toward them, my gaze locked on the blur of movement. I fist my own hand tighter around Dee’s pistol as Antonio forces her beneath him.

She screams.

The sound slices through my chest, piercing straight to my heart and nearly knocking the breath from my lungs.

Visions of the assault from the cabin pop into my mind as I close in behind them. I’ll fucking kill him.

He’s too consumed by rage to hear my pounding footsteps behind him. By the time he notices, it’s too late.

I press my gun to the back of his head, digging into the thinning gray patch of hair at his scalp. He jerks once, hands stillgripping Aria’s neck, but loosening just enough that she coughs, gasping for air.

He laughs. Manic and unhinged. “I knew I liked you.”

“Shut up,” I snarl, cocking the gun in my hand.

Antonio lets out a breath, half laugh, half surrender. “I guess this is it,” he mutters, dropping his head.

Even now, he doesn’t beg for his life. Antonio never begs.