Page 301 of Second Sets Omnibus

I can do this. This is for Lyric and her safety. For Asher. For everyone else he wants to injure. I can only hope Olivia gets her ass up here before anything else can go wrong.

“River,” Asher begs with choked emotions as I inch closer to Van. Every step I take is a nail in my coffin. “Don’t,” he pleads, reaching a hand out to pull me back.

But I’m too far gone now. Lyric is the most important thing in my life, and I can’t lose her. She's my baby. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Even if it means putting my own life on the line. Shoot me. Not them.

“Don’t you fucking put your hands on her again! She is not yours! She has never been!” Van cries out, lifting the gun in Asher’s direction.

I’d rather endanger my life than have any harm come to Lyric or Asher. It’s my job to protect her. My fucking duty as a mother. And I obviously didn’t do enough to keep her from his grasp. Somehow, he swooped in when no one was looking and stole her from us.

By why? How? How is he even here?

“What’s going on, Van? Why are you doing this? Why are you here?” I whisper, wincing when his angry gaze whips to me and he points the gun right at my heaving chest.

Sweat prickles along my neck the further I walk. With small, measured movements, I inch across the platform until I stand directly before him until the gun pushes into the middle of my chest.

A breath away—within reach.

I turn everything inside of me off, shutting down. If this is my end, then that’s it. I’ve had a good life. Fought the good fight. If it helps Asher and Ly make a break for it, then it was all worth it. They’re worth it.

“I had to get your attention somehow. You blocked my calls. I couldn’t see you anymore! You wouldn’t even talk to me withoutturning your nose up at me,” he growls angrily in my face with a hint of betrayal sparking in his eyes. “So, here I am,” he says, lifting his chin in victory.

Every ounce of emotion vanishes from his face when he looks into my eyes. Blank. Dark. Nothingness. Reminding me of his expression at Dead End when I watched him from afar. I try to hold back the flinch when his finger runs down my cheek, caressing me like he used to.

“I’ve been watching you, Rivey. Protecting you from the shadows. You should thank me for the pictures I took. I had to look at you through your cameras to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”

My lips flap open and closed at his words. My stomach drops at the realization. Sharp memories float through my mind of the stalking I endured at the hands of…

“It was you?”

“Finally, you get it. It was for your own good. I had to keep my girls safe, Rivey. I had to make sure you two were always protected…”

“But Adrian. That… that guy!” My stomach clenches, threatening to spill the treats I had earlier. “He-he…” I stammer, reaching for the words desperate to escape my lips. “No. No. Not you…”

“Killed himself? I know. It was so tragic. But someone had to take the fall. Your little agent friends were getting too close. I had to throw you off the trail. And my poor cousin needed to die.” He scrunches his nose at the thought, turning my stomach more. “They took you away from me! You should have stayed in East Point. You should never have run from me! I can’t believe you didn’t like my gift.”

Red blood flashes in my mind. My pictures splayed across my front porch. Dripping. Red. Lyric’s screams. It all scrambles in my mind.

“It was always you?”

Hopefully, someone with a gun will get here soon before someone gets hurt. It’s the only thing holding me together.

“When they left, he promised me I could have you! He said you’d run right into my arms like they never existed!” His shouts reverberate off the walls again when he yanks the gun from me and points it in Asher’s direction with a snarl. “But you didn’t. And I was sent the fuck away by my father. An internship. Like I fucking wanted anything to do with my father’s career.” He rolls his eyes, scoffing at the idea.

“I never promised you anything,” Asher says with a fake calm, taking a step forward. His wide, hazel eyes dart to Ly, checking her over as she stands still in Van’s grasp. “I never said she’d be yours. I said she might come running to you for support. But that’s it.” He swallows a lump in his throat, his eyes darting to me as if he’s trying to convey a silent message meant for the two of us. “But I know now that I made a mistake that night. I should never have come to you for help.” He shakes his head. “I never should have done what I did.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Van howls, stiffening his arm. “You’re a goddamn liar. You all used River.”

“Like you did?” Asher retorts, cocking his head with confidence.

“I didn’t use her!” Van shouts manically, waving the gun around. “I didn’t do anything! She was mine!”

“Yours?” Asher scoffs, continuing to step even closer to us despite my silent protests.

No. No. Please. Step back. Don’t come any closer. I’ve got this.

“Yes,” Van growls, gritting his teeth. “I put my claim on her a long time ago. You had no fucking right to touch what was mine.” He shakes his head back and forth, squeezing his eyes shut.

My heart drops into my ass when Asher lurches forward, grabbing Ly by her other arm and yanking her out of Van’s death grip. She stumbles forward into Asher’s arms with a frantic yelp, knocking her out of her stupor. It’s a small reprieve from the craziness going on around us, like time stands still.