Page 190 of Teacher's Pet

The word death lingers in the air, a ghost pressing against my chest.

I tense. Every ache, every wound suddenly feels irrelevant.

"You’re going to kill me?" I whisper, not sure if I even want the answer.

Jake exhales, as if my question exhausts him. "It was all so simple. Pin the murder on you after we got what we needed from Noah. Use you as leverage. But no, you had to go and give my cold-hearted brother something ridiculous like a conscience." His grip on the steering wheel tightens, his knuckles turning white. "So, I had to exhaust my next best option. Get my brother back in line. Cover my people’s asses."

A smirk stretches across his face, chilling and cruel.

"Planning your suicide was the easiest part."

A cold, trembling horror grips my entire body.

"You were drowning in guilt over Levi. Guilt over what you did. Cole tried to talk you down, tried to get you to turn yourself in at the party, but in the end, it was all too much. You took matters into your own hands."

I glare at the gun, my vision blurring as the weight of his words crashes over me.

"You’re going to kill me with it," I whisper. "Aren’t you?"

Jake’s smile widens.

"There we go, Ana. Now you’re getting it."

Fear coils around my throat, strangling me. I turn my gaze outside, watching the snow start to fall, coating the ground in a thin, undisturbed layer. My thoughts spiral, every mistake, every regret flashing before me.

But through it all, one thing stands out. One undeniable truth.

I love Noah.

And now I may never see him again.

Tears slip down my face, burning against the fresh wound on my cheek. Dread suffocates me, the lingering presence of death breathing down my neck.

"And my dad?" My voice shakes. "My mom? Is that why Walker and Cole stayed back? To kill them-"

"Only if you didn’t cooperate, love," Jake says, his tone suddenly clipped. "But you got in the car, didn’t you?" He glances at me through the rearview mirror, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Which means Cole and Walker shouldn’t be far behind us."

His grip on the wheel tightens.

"For this to work, we all need to be there for your suicide."

The finality in his voice sends ice through my veins.

I am running out of time.

"That kid," Jake sighs, shaking his head as he grabs a phone from the side door. The way he says it, so casual and dismissive, sends a chill up my spine.

With a flick of his wrist, he tosses the phone onto the dashboard. My stomach knots as I recognize the childish case.

"That kid could’ve walked away alive that night," Jake mutters, almost thoughtful. Then his voice hardens. "If only he hadn’t recorded my deal."

My breath catches.

"That’s Levi’s phone?" I whisper.

Jake hums in confirmation, tapping his fingers idly against the wheel. "Mhm. After Cole gave him a good tap, Walker and I retrieved it. Incriminating as hell at the time, but now…"

He snatches the phone back up and tosses it into my lap.

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