Page 148 of Traitor

I just need to fucking move.

"If you don't want to do this, that's okay." Bones' voice is soft but laced with steel, unwavering. "He'll die anyway. In agony. You can skip this, Temper."

I lift my eyes to his, those blue-gray eyes that have haunted my dreams and my nightmares alike. I see it — the pain that connects us. It stretches between our hearts like a rope, knotted and frayed.

And I realize something.

This man — this man who destroyed me — he would die for me. By my hand or any other.

The weight of that hits me hard. I should have known before, but it's only now, standing here on the precipice of my vengeance, that I truly see it.

When I had him tied in my basement, when I had my knife to his throat, why didn't I recognize it then? I look at the ink scarring his neck. A moment of relief passes through me. For the first time, I don't see it as a punishment. I see it as a mark of our shared pain. Worn on the outside, laced with his guilt.

Our demons have been dancing together for months now. A dangerous, wicked tango — my anger, his guilt. They've clawed at each other, tearing, scraping, wounding. Both of them whispering, demanding his blood. And yet, he persisted. Survived. Fought.

Even when death tried to kiss him so many times, he didn't flinch. He took every hit, every wound. Because that's what he knows how to do. Because I was his first love, and he'd rather let me kill him than let me go.

And he was mine. My first and only love.

The thought is too much. My eyes blur, my chest seizing up.

"I just needed a moment," I whisper. "Take me to him, Bones."

He doesn't say anything. Just presses a hand to the small of my back, a steady weight, guiding me forward. Holding me upright. Keeping me from collapsing under the weight of this moment.

And I know. I know that no matter what happens, he will be there.

He pushes open a heavy door, revealing a long, dimly lit hallway. And standing along it, every single one of his brothers.

Even Ghost. Even Joker.

I stop, staring at them. Their faces are hard, unreadable.

"They just wanted to show you their support," Bones murmurs. "That you're not alone. Ria is here, too."

I follow his gaze and see her. Her curly blonde hair shines like a beacon between the dark figures of Tank and Domino.

"You got this, Tempe," she says, voice like steel. "It's time to make him feel what you felt."

She's never looked more serious.

I nod. Strength pulses through me.

I can do this.

With one last breath, I step forward. Bones moves with me, leading the way as he opens the final door.

We step inside.

The heavy door clangs shut.

It's just the two of us now.

And the monster tied to a chair in front of me.

He's gagged. Naked. Bound so tightly with thick ropes around his chest and ankles that his skin bulges against them. His arms are wrenched behind the chair, his wrists knotted together.

His eyes blaze with fury, his muffled screams trying to push past the gag. But I don't want to hear his voice. I don't want his words to take root in my mind, festering, rotting. He doesn't deserve last words. I don't deserve to hear them.

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