Page 81 of Cruel Betrayal

We made so much progress, but now I’m sending us back to the beginning. Back to when she found out I’m a completely different person than I pretend to be. Back to when she questioned if I would be the one to end her life.

Noah presses the gun closer to my head. “You’re going to be at that fight, and if you’re not, I’m going to kill her.”

My heart stops as I look at Jade and try to offer her every apology I can manage, though I can’t say a word.

She gives a small shake of her head, anger settling in.

Please don’t shoot him. Don’t make everything worse.

Jade’s finger wraps around the trigger once more as she takes aim.

Chapter Twenty-Four

JADE

My finger trembleson the trigger.

I can’t pull it and risk killing Ezra. Even though I know I should, I can’t. Not when Ezra is there and looking at me like he’s begging me not to.

Not when I could lose him.

I swallow hard, fighting the ghost of Aiden’s voice circling around in my head, telling me to kill them both for the sake of the family.

Aiden is going to be pissed if he ever finds out Noah is standing right in front of me, and I can’t do anything. He’s going to lose his shit.

Noah laughs as he looks at me. “I knew you didn’t have it in you. You’re not like your siblings. You’re too weak.”

I should kill the bastard and hope his shot goes wide.

It’s not going to, though. Not when his gun is pressed against Ezra’s temple.

I lower my gun, putting it on the counter behind me before turning back to him. “What are you going to do now?”

He chuckles and nods to a spot in front of him. “Come over here. I don’t trust you to keep standing over there and looking like you want to kill me.”

“Idowant to kill you.” I stalk closer to him, still standing far enough away that he can’t grab me.

Ezra sighs. “The two of you don’t have to be at each other’s throats. I said I’d fight. It’s done now. I’ll meet you at training in twenty minutes, okay?”

Noah scoffs, ramming the gun into the side of Ezra’s head. “You’re not the one calling the shots here. I’m allowing the pair of you to live, which is nicer than I should be, considering all the two of you have done.”

I wish I had just left instead of arguing with Ezra. I don’t know what’s worth fighting for anymore.

He’s always going to do what his family wants, and it’s kind of hard to fault him for it when I was the same way before he came into my life.

I want to fight for him, though. I don’t want him to think I’ve given up on him just because of who his family is.

But I have to admit that I don’t know how to help him right now.

I don’t know the first thing about helping him out of this, and I’m going to have to go to Aiden and beg.

If begging is what it takes, I’ll do it happily, though.

Noah tilts his head to the side slightly, his eyes narrowing and that cold smile coming out to play. “You should consider yourself lucky.”

“I will when you’re dead,” I snap, venom in my voice.

Ezra sighs and shakes his head, stepping away from the gun, but Noah follows him, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.