Page 203 of Teacher's Pet

Jake tilts his head, considering me with something almost like admiration. Almost.

"One hell of a fight," he concedes with a smirk.

Then, he lifts the gun.

The barrel levels with my forehead.

He smiles.

"I’ll make sure your obituary is beautiful."

This is it.

The end.

My fingers curl around the necklace at my throat—the one Noah gave me. The metal is warm against my skin, a last reminder of the life I almost had. The life that could have been.

I close my eyes.

And whisper the only thing that matters.

"I love you, Noah."

Then the shot rings through the air.

Noah

Fingers tightening around the grip of my gun, I raise my arms, steadying my aim. My sights lock onto Jake’s head.

He stands with his back to me, his body a human shield, blocking my view of her.

Blood stains the snow around her, stark against the white.

I have to end this.

I have to kill him.

My finger twitches on the trigger-

"Easy now," Roman murmurs beside me, his own gun raised, his voice a low, measured warning. "We need him alive if we’re going to pin all of this on him."

My jaw clenches.

Alive?

Jake doesn’t deserve that.

A quick scan of the area confirms what I already suspected. Roman’s men are in position, their figures blending into the trees, mere shadows against the darkness. They move like ghosts, silent and waiting.

Jake is surrounded.

He just doesn’t know it yet.

Roman presses a hand to the earpiece in his ear, his voice barely a whisper.

"Let Noah take the shot. Only move in on my word. Your priority is securing the bodies and alerting local authorities. Should he harm Ana in front of us, beat him senseless, but keep him breathing."

Jake shifts slightly, and for a brief moment, I catch a glimpse of her.

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