Page 219 of Ruin My Life

I stare at the screen, the betrayal unfolding frame by frame. “Seems it was his plan all along.”

My heart pounds as I watch Brie shove Lee back and lunge at Connor, grappling for his gun. Panic jolts through my veins.

What the fuck is shethinking?

I lean in closer to the monitor as she shoves his arm down, redirecting the aim toward the floor. Her voice cuts through the speakers—sharp, commanding.“Lee, call Damon!”

Lee scrambles for his phone. My hand twitches toward mine, uselessly, as if I could go back in time and make the call myself.

But then I hear Connor laugh—low and cold. It turns my blood to ice.“You think one training session with Monroe makes you a threat?”

He moves like he’s done this a hundred times—because he has. He wrenches Brie back effortlessly. Like he’s been waiting for this moment.

Then he fires.

BANG!

I flinch. I’ve already seen the damage—Lee bleeding out across my kitchen floor.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen now,”Connor snarls.“I know Damon took you to Block Island on your little honeymoon. And I’m betting he showed you to his extra-special hideout, yeah?”

My jaw locks.

My mom.

This was never about Brie. It was about my mother. About the choice I made—to protect her first. Before Isabella. Before anyone else. I built her a safe place, far away from this world, and Connor’s going to use Brie to get to her.

Brie’s face pales, horror etched in every line. His arm tightens around her throat. Her feet barely touch the floor. She’s fighting, but she’s not strong enough to break free.

“You, my feisty little hacker, are going to introduce me to mommy dearest,”Connor drawls.“And you’re going to come with me willingly. Unless, of course, you want me to finish what I started and kill poor, innocent Lee?”

I grit my teeth, rage slamming through me like a freight train.

Connor. A fucking traitor.

I’ll kill him with my bare hands when I find him.

He raises his gun again, aiming at Lee with the same calm face he’d use when holding open a door or clinking his drink with mine.

Brie’s voice cracks.“Stop! Stop. I’ll take you to her. Just don’t hurt him.”

Fury rips through me, clawing at every edge of my restraint.

Connor eases his grip—just enough for her to breathe—and sneers.“Good girl.”

I shove away from the desk, my fists shaking, adrenaline searing through me like a wildfire. My heart pounds so loud it's deafening.

Two more gunshots ring out.

My eyes snap to Chavez who’s still hovering over my screen. “Laptops,” he says, which eases the tightness in my chest a little.

The laptops, of course.

He’s covering his tracks. Trying to, anyway.

“She’s still alive,” I say, mostly to myself. “He needs her.”

He can’t find my mom without her.