Page 20 of Black Hearts

7

Alex

In that moment,when Celeste said she wanted to kill Dwyer, her eyes lit with blazing intent, I knew she was finally mine.

Weeks ago, when she chose to stay with me and let me kill Dan Vallone, I thought I had her. I thought she’d finally given herself to me completely and wholly. But I was wrong back then. That was just a pale imitation of what could’ve been; what should’ve been.

This was the real deal.

She truly loved me now. She trusted me. She fully intended on staying with me.

The cherry on top was that she was just as perfectly fucked up as me.

“You sure?” I asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin was pale with dark circles under her eyes from the stress of her captivity in this godforsaken little room. Even so, she’d never looked more beautiful than right now.

She nodded firmly, her face etched with cold fury. “I’m sure. Please let me do it.”

Warmth radiated throughout my body as she spoke. I imagined our journey ahead, the two of us getting rid of every last Circle member together. I imagined the blood we would shed, the worthless lives we’d stamp out, and the young lives we would save in doing so. The whole time, Celeste would be beside me, aiding me in my revenge. Just like I always hoped for.

Christ, I loved her.

I pulled out a knife before realizing that was probably too much for her first time. I nodded to the gun I’d left on the floor earlier. “Know how to use one of those?”

She shook her head, wide-eyed.

“Pick it up carefully.”

She crouched to get the gun, then stood straight and held it up. I moved behind her, slightly to the left, my lips lingering near the shell of her ear. “We don’t want him dead right away. We just want to hurt him for a while. Draw it out. He deserves that much.”

“He might be able to tell us things as well,” she said, looking back at me.

I looked down at the disgusting pig of a man who’d almost defiled my girl. He was beginning to stir by the table. I sincerely doubted he’d tell us anything; he was a dyed in the wool Circle member. But Celeste was still right. If we applied the right pressure, he might be useful to us in some way.

“Yes. But he won’t even think of telling us anything until we’ve hurt him. So let’s do some target practice. Aim at one of his legs.”

“Wish I could aim at his crotch,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing with concentration.

I chuckled. “Patience, sweet thing.” My fingers ghosted over the parts of the gun she wasn’t touching. “Turn the safety off here.” I clicked on a tiny gray catch on top of the gun. “Now rest your finger on the trigger. Don’t squeeze it just yet. You’re gonna be surprised at how powerful it is. The force might knock you back at first, because you aren’t used to it.”

Celeste gritted her teeth. “I’ll manage.”

I smiled. “Aim this way.” I slowly moved her hand downwards, so that the gun was facing Dwyer’s left kneecap. “Now squeeze the trigger when you’re ready.”

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and squeezed the trigger. I tensed myself, waiting for the loud boom of the gunshot, but nothing happened other than a little click.

Celeste lowered the gun and turned to me, her brows furrowed. “What happened?”

“Gun must’ve jammed.” I took it from her and inspected it. “I’ll fix it.”

There was some gunk built up near the firing pin, but I had it ready to go within a few minutes. I held it out for her to take again.

Dwyer was awake now, glaring at us from where he was tied. “You wouldn’t shoot me, Celeste. You don’t have the guts,” he muttered in a shallow attempt to throw her off. I ignored him, knowing she had the strength and bravery to stand up for herself now.

“Wanna bet?” she said, holding the gun with the barrel aimed right at his face. She lowered it back to his kneecap. “When I’m done with you, you’ll be the only one in this room without any guts, you twisted old fuck. Literally.”

I smiled. I’d always loved her spark. “Go ahead,” I said softly.

Her eyes wavered for a few seconds, and I worried she was changing her mind. Then she lowered the gun and turned to me. “I just realized something,” she said softly.

---