Page 254 of The Rules

"And what has the truth done for us?" she asked, quietly vicious. "What has it done for the people Crawford destroyed?"

He didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Because the truth hadn’t saved anyone. Not Lisa. Not the others. Because justice, when it came at all, came too late and too thin to matter. And the system he’d devoted his life to? It hadn’t just failed—it had turned its back.

Kath's voice softened.

"It's not enough," she said. "Not against men like him."

Ben's hands curled into fists at his sides. He wanted to argue. Wanted to scream that this wasn't who they were. But the words never came. Because she was right. And it gutted him.

He looked at her then—really looked. And it hit him like a punch to the ribs.

"If we do this," he said, voice low and hoarse, "I do it.

Not you."

Kath let out a small, incredulous noise—half-sigh, half scoff.

"You stay out of it. You don’t touch the file, the forgery, anything. I’ll carry it."

She stepped closer, but he kept going.

"If this goes sideways, if we get caught—this isn’t some slap on the wrist, Kath. We’re not bending the rules anymore. We’re committing a felony."

She shook her head, already rejecting the idea, but he cut her off with a look.

"I’ve already made my choice. I’ll cross the line. Hell, I’ll draw a new one in blood if I have to. But not with your name next to mine."

Kath stared at him, stunned silent.

And then—softly, fiercely—"You think I’ll let you rot alone in this? Not a chance." Her voice trembled—not with fear, but with fury. "You’re mine in this, Ben. Every step, every consequence. I’ll carry it with you. For the rest of my goddamn life."

They stood like that. Face to face. And for a breath, Ben couldn’t look away. He’d expected defiance—maybe even anger. But not this. Not that kind of fury—the kind that promised she'd walk into the fire barefoot just to make sure he didn’t burn alone.

It knocked something loose in him.

She wasn’t backing down.

And suddenly, the weight didn’t feel so impossible.

Then—Julian walked in.

Stretching his arms like he'd just woken from a nap, all lazy elegance and sharpened grin.

He took one look at them and smirked.

"Good," he said. "Now that we're all on the same page..."

He pulled out his phone, already scrolling. "I'll make a call." Ben watched him. That grin. That satisfaction. It crawled under his skin like rot. Something dark flickered in his eyes.

"Just make sure this doesn't come back to us," he said.

Julian looked up, smile widening.

"All due respect, brother..." His voice was pure velvet.

His teeth flashed like a wolf's. "This is what I do. It's what I'm really good at."

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