Page 43 of Lethal Pursuit

Maya bit down on the inside of her uninjured cheek. There was no guarantee friendly forces would liberate them. Even if she survived this game, there was good chance she was going to die here eventually anyway. Her captors weren’t going to let her live, and probably none of the others either, especially if a rescue attempt happened. But Jesus, taking her own life? She’d sworn never to succumb to suicide after Pilar. That nothing would ever make her give in, no matter what.

It won’t hurt. You won’t even have time to feel it.

“Maya!” Jackson tried again.

It took an act of will not to turn her head and look at him. Clamping down on the desire to see him, she faced off with Khalid. Her voice shook. “If I do this and the shot kills me, will you let the others live?”

She could tell she’d surprised him, because he had to consider her words for a moment before answering. “I might. If the Secretary tells me what I want to know and gives the statement.” He turned to face Haversham, raised his eyebrow again in that maddening way that made Maya long to shoot him in the face.

He wasn’t going to give it. Maya released a shuddering breath and considered her limited shitty options.

If this shot killed her, maybe it would give Jackson and the Defense Secretary a reprieve. If they managed to escape, Jackson would have to carry him out. Either way, she had to believe that her death might help save the others. It was the only thing that gave her the strength to go through with this.

“Don’t give them the satisfaction,” Haversham bit out, his voice strained. “They’re all...fuckingcowards.”

She shut her eyes once more. Her entire body shook.

“Fucking hell, Maya, no!Pleasedon’t do this.”

The desperate plea almost undid her. Almost.

She filtered out the sound of Jackson’s frantic voice. Flashes of memory played in her head like a slideshow on fast-forward. She snagged one as it flickered across her mind’s screen, holding on to it with every last bit of strength. Pilar and her at a playground. They were in primary school, on the swings at the school playground, flying high in the sky. Her sister’s head was tipped back, her mouth wide open in a belly laugh.

Pilar. She’d see Pilar again.

She ignored the voices trying to pull her back to the present. Her index finger curled around the trigger. Tightened.

A split second,and it’ll all be over. There’ll be no more pain,no more loneliness.She drew a deep breath and released it slowly, savoring each heartbeat.I’ll see you soon,Pili.

When that last breath was expelled, every ounce of oxygen pushed from her lungs, her mind went blank.

“No, goddammit—”

She pulled the trigger.

An empty click echoed in her ear.

It took her a long moment to realize what it meant. For her to realize that she was still alive. For the moment, at least.

Her eyes snapped open, her right hand falling limply to her side, because suddenly she didn’t have the strength to hold the weapon anymore. The revolver clattered to the ground.

A choked sound came from beside her. “Maya,God... You’re okay. You’re okay, sweetheart. Oh, Jesus—you’re okay now. Come on, look at me.” Jackson’s hoarse voice penetrated her chaotic thoughts.

In the wake of the shock swamping her system, her body whacked out on her. The shaking returned with a vengeance, so bad her teeth rattled. It felt like she was convulsing. Every muscle jolted out of control. She bent forward at the waist and gasped in a breath of air, then gagged from the pain. And gagged again. Nothing came up except bile, burning its way up her throat. Jackson was saying something to her but she couldn’t hear the words over the roaring in her ears.

She slumped to the side, barely noticed when someone came forward to take the revolver beside her.

Jesus. Oh, Jesus Christ, she couldn’t handle this. Couldn’t take any more. She’d been ready to die. There was no way she could do through that again.

“Congratulations,” a voice purred from directly above her.

Blinking, she looked numbly up into Khalid’s face. He smirked in that oily way of his, holding the revolver.

“You won the first round.”

Her lungs heaved, desperate for air. She wanted to fly at him, rip him apart with her bare hands, broken wrist or not. She’d attack him and wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead.

Dismissing her, he spoke to a man off to the right. Maya seized her chance.

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