Page 175 of Chalk Outline

The lump in my throat becomes tighter.

“I’m sorry, Winona. For all the pain you endured, for everything. This time, I deserve to die, andyoudeserve to live.”

“No, that’s not true.” I choke on the words, cupping my mouth. He’s breaking my heart again. He promised he wouldn’t do it.

My shoulders shake, and my heart aches with an unbearable pain that makes my hands tremble.

“Shh, that’s okay,” Reeve says as if he could hear me. “I’m ready. Just let me go this time.”

If you die, I die. It’s all or nothing.

“I never wanted to leave you. If I could do it all over again with you, every moment we’ve shared, I would—every single time. In every lifetime. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I would crawl to the end of the world and back if I had to; if it meant I could keep you for eternity.”

“Why is he doing this?”

“Because… that was the only way.” Reeve pauses. “I had to trade my life for yours.”

I don’t want him to trade anything.

“He wanted me. He went after you because he knew how important you are to me, and losing you would’ve wrecked me. You were free the moment we set foot in this place. Larson must have followed us from the party, probably on his own, when he recognized you. He’s had a vendetta since college because you rejected him and chose me.”

But why does the big boss want Reeve?

Why do all this for some random person without a connection to him?

Reeve went after them when they threatened to killme.

It doesn’t add up.

“Thank you for loving me. I love you, Winona.” The video ends with his glossy eyes gazing into mine, and a warm, genuine smile spreading across his outrageously gorgeous face.

A tear rolls down my cheek, and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.

“We’re supposed to bomb the facility once we leave,” Mitch says.

“You supposed to what?” I bark. “Not on my watch. Not with him inside.”

A new wave of determination surges through me, fueling my body and pumping my heart anew.

“Who’s the boss?” I demand, and they stay silent. I hear the crickets outside louder than I hear their breaths. “Who’s the boss?” I press, grinding my teeth.

“At first, we thought he was a prisoner,” Mitch finally says. “That’s why we wasted months trying to find out who he was while you were in the towers. There were a few prisoners whose identities aren’t known.”

“Everyone who goes there is a known criminal with a record.”

“Not everyone, and if you have connections, everything’s possible. You can make a record disappear and erase a person from existence. But he is not a prisoner,” Braxton claims.

“He is an operator,” I state, connecting all the dots.

“I assume he is quiet. Calculated. Playing nice.”

Wait.

What if it’s someone who used to work with Grandma?

What if he’s also a cop?

“Damn it, Winona, what did I say?” She spins around to face me, furious as usual, shooting me a look that makes my stomach turn. For a fleeting moment, her expression softens before turning hard again. “I’m looking for a guy. I was hoping to find him.”