Page 107 of Hunted By Valentine

“Fuck off,” Jack snarls. “Our dad was a deceitful bastard who played favorites and lied to us all. If you believed anything he said, you’re either fucking stupid or willfully blind. Why do you think she never killed Michael? Or asked us to do it for her?”

When Nicklas opens his mouth to argue, I take a step forward. “Just spit it out, Jack. Why didn’t she kill him until now?”

“Because now she fucking belongs to John Simmons. If you thought Michael was bad, it’s nothing compared to his brother. And now that bastard is the goddamn legal owner of our sister.”

The air in the room becomes heavy and suffocating, as if it’s filled with a dense liquid. My body tenses up, every muscle straining to contain the overwhelming emotions that threaten to burst out of me. Jack’s words hit like a sledgehammer, each syllable driving deeper into my core.

“That despicable, conniving bastard sealed her fate the moment they said ‘I do’,” Jack seethes.

Nicklas’ eyes bulge with disbelief, his jaw dropping in utter shock. Every muscle in his face tenses with horror as he struggles to comprehend the enormity of the revelation. His voice is barely a whisper, choked with emotion. “How could she keep this from us? From me?”

A searing pain explodes in my chest, constricting my heart with a vise-like grip. The overwhelming feeling of dread consumes me, its tendrils coiling and squeezing tighter with each beat of my heart. The weight of responsibility crushes down on me as I realize that this is all my fault, every twisted and horrifying consequence.

I push off the wall, stabbing a finger in Jack’s direction. “I’m going to find her.”

“The hell you are,” he seethes. “For all we know, you set her up. Or maybe you brought John here.”

Taking a step closer to me, Nicklas demands, “Why are you here, Valentine?”

I plant my feet firmly, my body tense and ready for battle. After fighting Jack, I don’t like my odds against Nicklas. Not that it matters. If he stands between me and Ruby, I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill them all.

My rage is a wildfire, consuming me with each passing moment as the pieces of the puzzle click into place, revealing the unbearable truth that tightens around my determination like a suffocating noose.

“I am the goddamn reason Ruby is in this mess,” I seethe, every syllable dripping with a venomous hatred that burns through me. Jack’s mouth gapes open, but I silence him with a cold, bitter laugh, one that holds no joy, only the crushing weight of truth. “Michael hired me to take her life. That’s why I’m here.”

Silence floods the room, thick and suffocating, before it erupts in a violent outburst.

Jack’s rage surges to the surface, his fists clenching as he steps forward. “You—”

But he’s once again interrupted by Nicklas. “Why would Michael hire you?”

With zero hesitation, I push my sleeve up and show them the mark on my wrist. The only thing giving away their surprise at my identity is their wide eyes. Apart from that, there’s no other tell.

“You’re the Hunter,” Nicklas mutters, his voice laced with bitterness and disappointment. “I fucking trusted you, Valentine. I let you near the two most important women in my life, and you abused my trust.”

His words are like daggers, slicing through my defenses, but I refuse to show weakness. Years of dealing with ruthless individuals like him have taught me to keep my composure.

“I am,” I say, confirming it with a sharp nod.

Jack curses under his breath. “So, what? You came here tonight to kill her?”

I shake my head. “No. I came here to be with her. To… because she’smine.”

“The fuck she is,” Jack growls. “She ran away from you.”

“She did,” I confirm. “After drugging me. But she didn’t do it to get away from me, she did it because… I don’t know why.”

I do know why. She did it because I wanted Michael dead, and she decided to follow through. But not before having some time to herself. Rationally, I know Ruby wouldn’t have killed her husband if she didn’t want him dead as well. But I planted the fucking idea, and I gave her a reason.

Where she deserves credit and respect, I need to own the blame. Especially for the things I never told her. Not from a lack of time, but simply because I didn’t think I had to, or because I didn’t want to.

Like the game of Russian Roulette. Yes, a part of me wishes I hadn’t done it, but a bigger part regrets that I never took the time to show her that there weren’t any bullets in the chamber. I removed the one I showed her before handing over the gun.

Jack shoves me back against the wall, anger emanating from every pore of his body. “You played her, Hunter.” Disdain and hatred coats my title as he speaks it. “You even lured her to your place of work.”

“I didn’t need to lure her, Jack,” I bite through gritted teeth. “Michael forced her into Holloway University to be close to me. I merely planted the idea, and he took care of the rest. But I didn’t once try to kill her. She was safe with me.”

Jack’s face hardens, a mixture of doubt and defiance. “So, what? You think your little confessions mean we’re just going to let you play the hero now?” he spits. “I don’t trust you. I don’twantyou anywhere near her.”

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