Page 90 of Final Sins

The revelation hit Alex like a physical blow. She staggered back, her world tilting on its axis. “I ... I had no idea you felt this way. If you’d told me sooner— If you’d told my parents?—”

Gabriel scoffed, cutting her off. “Right. Then your parents would have forced me to keep seeing that stupid shrink. No thanks.”

The gun glinted in the overhead light, a cold reminder of how quickly everything had unraveled.

Gabriel’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “There’s still a way to make it right. I know what the trust says.”

The trust. Oh. No.

If either of them died without offspring, the other inherited everything.

He could see she understood. “Cool, huh? So you’re going to go to sleep … and die. No worries. You won’t feel the explosions.”

He took aim at her, center mass. She tensed, ready to dive for cover, but there was nowhere to go.

He pulled the trigger.

She anticipated the sharp sting of the tranq dart needle. The instant brain fog, followed by blackness. The dart hit her abdomen, but the sting was hardly noticible, much less obvious than the soft clatter that followed. A small dart rolled across the floor. It had barely pierced her skin before falling away.

Gabriel’s face contorted with fury. “No!” he snarled, his composure cracking. He raised the gun again, finger squeezing the trigger.

Click.

The hollow sound echoed in the room. Gabriel’s eyes widened in panic as he frantically tried to clear the jam.

Alex’s instincts screamed at her to run, to tackle him while he was distracted, but the room tilted and swayed. Even that small dose of tranquilizer was taking effect, stealing her strength and blurring her vision.

“No, no, no,” Gabriel moaned, his movements growing more frenzied.

She stumbled forward on leaden legs. She had to do something, had to stop him before?—

The world tilted sharply, and she found herself on her knees, struggling to stay conscious. Through the haze, a face crystallized in her mind.

Jason.

She wished it had worked out. Wished she’d taken the chance. As darkness crept in at the edges, her last coherent thought was of his smile, warm and full of promise.

Then, nothing but darkness.

49

Jason pulledup to imposing entry of Alex’s mansion, taken aback, again, by the magnificent home. Palm trees swayed lazily in the warm breeze, perfectly-cut lawns, a green that practically glowed, stretched out in front of every home on the street. The air itself felt different here—heavy with the scent of jasmine and car exhaust rather than pine and safe and snow-tinged mountain air.

Their worlds were so different. No way he’d ever feel at home in this concrete canyon. What if Alex, with her sleek, high-tech life, never wanted to leave?

Was he an idiot for even trying to kindle something with her?

He almost drove away, but her security cameras swiveled toward him. He’d come too far to let his faith wane now. Before he could talk himself out of it, he sprinted for the door and tapped the doorbell.

He drummed his fingers on his thighs, scanning the perimeter. Nothing but stunning grounds and high-priced vehicles rolling down the street. Just like the high-priced sportscar in her driveway. So she was home.

“Come on, Alex. I know you see me.”

Silence greeted him, broken only by the soft coo of doves. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention.

Something was off.

Alex’s security was tighter than Fort Knox on lockdown. Even if she wasn’t home, her security system would be pinging her phone.

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