Page 160 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

"No." I sniffle and inch closer, Archer moving in my peripheral.

"London. Please. Just give me the gun. You don't want to do this."

"I do. I have to do this, Archer." His name on my tongue is like acid burning me to my core. I don't want to hurt him, but I have to, it's the only way out of this for me. "I'm sorry."

"After everything we've been through, you're really going to go through with this?" Archer's voice breaks and I feel the defeat in his every word deep in my bones. "I thought we had something special, London."

"Listen to him, London girl," Joe says plainly. "Do you want him to suffer because of your actions? Do you want Archer and his entire family to lose everything, including their lives?"

My heart pounds wildly and I keep my aim on Joe, who sits there, not bothered at all, and that only infuriates me more that he thinks he's going to get away with this, that he's so fucking sure I won't kill him.

Archer moves closer and I ache to close the distance and fall into his arms, to apologize profusely for even considering doing this to him, but I can't. I have to see this through, I have to.

"Don't do this, little tornado," Archer speaks low, almost a whisper.

I steady my finger on the trigger and stiffen my grasp on the gun. I look directly into Joe's eyes, eyes that I never want to see again for as long as I live, even if that's a short while.

But the only thing I can think about is Archer this morning telling me he loved me. It might have been a fever dream, and yet it felt real, so real that it weaved its way around my heart and swallowed me whole.

And the next thing I know, I'm lowering the gun and wiping the tear that rolls down my cheek, because as much as I want to, I cannot betray Archer, not when he's the only person on the planet that I've ever truly cared for, that I've ever actually loved.

Archer moves fast, snatching the gun out of my hand and pushing me away from Joe. "What were you thinking?" He shakes his head and I realize the damage has already been done. I might not have gone through with it but I've hurt Archer in a way I can never come back from.

"'Bout time you got control over that bitch," Joe spits out from his spot on the couch, crossing one leg over the other.

"The fuck did you just say?" Archer turns toward him, the gun slack against his side, still pressed in his grip.

"Don't get all feminist on me, Arch. You and I both know she's only good for one thing." Joe coughs, phlegm rattling in his chest. "Why don't you grab a drink and we can talk about it?" He nods his head toward me. "We'll put this bitch in the bedroom where she belongs. Don't worry, we can take turns. I’ll go first. I'm sure she won't mind."

I recoil, slinking back slowly against the wall, the weight of his words too heavy to bear, my hatred growing for him with each passing second. I regret not pulling the trigger while I had the chance, and now I've lost it forever. I've lost myself forever.

Archer's arm moves and the entire room and everything in it is engulfed in a slow-motion picture playing out in front of me. He trains the gun on Joe and pulls the trigger before either ofus has a chance to react, the bullet going straight through Joe's stomach and another through his chest. Archer shoots again in Joe's torso and I clamp my hands over my mouth to suppress the scream that escapes me, not because of Joe being shot, but because I wasn't the one to do it.

Joe gurgles up blood with his eyes wide and heavy, the realization that he was in danger all along hitting him. "You're going to pay," he struggles to get out. "You're going to?—"

But Archer doesn't let him get his last word out, because he shoots Joe one final time, straight through his forehead, Joe's body slamming back and coming to an abrupt stop, lifeless and bleeding out.

I can't control the tears as they roll down my cheeks and I look from Joe to Archer, his back to me, everything about him stiff and threatening. I want to move, to go to him, but I can't. I'm frozen in place.

"Archer," I mutter. "What have you done?"

Chapter 38

Archer

My palms sweat and my stomach is twisted in knots, but not because I just killed Joe Vito.

I wipe my browwithmy armandtry to keep the world steady beneath my feet.

"I had it figured out," I whisper. "I had it all figured out."

"Archer," her voice callsout and slices through me like a dagger tothechest.

"Don't." I turn toward her, the sight of her making all this somehow worse. "How could you?" If I thought what Madison did to me stung, that was nothing compared to this. London was supposed to be different. What we had was supposed to be real.

"Archer, please, you have to understand. I didn't do this to hurt you." London comestoward me, her hands out as if she's going to touch me but she isn't quite sure if she can.

"Don't touch me," I tell her to make it abundantly clear, my heart aching at the finality of everything. The moment she stepped foot in here with a gun given to her by my own fucking brother, that sealed both of their fates. I want nothing to do with either of them, not now, not ever.

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