Page 5 of The Devil's Thorn
My chest tightens, but I meet his gaze head-on. “I didn’t choke. I calculated. Something felt off, and I trusted my gut.”
“You’re letting your emotions get in the way.”
“Maybe,” I say softly. “Or maybe I’m just tired of being someone else’s weapon.”
He goes quiet again.
Kellan taps the steering wheel once. “So what’s the endgame?”
“The endgame,” I murmur, “is pulling the trigger when I’m absolutely sure the bullet belongs to him.”
I let that sit in the air between us. Heavy. Cold.
Then I exhale and lean back.
“Drop me off at Anna’s.”
Ash’s eyes narrow. “Why?”
“She’s been waiting on me. I promised I’d stop by tonight.” I pause. “And I want to check on her.”
Kellan flicks a glance toward the GPS, already adjusting the route. “You think it’s smart, getting close to her right now?”
“I think it’s human,” I reply. “She’s the only person who ever cared without asking for something back.”
Which is a lie.
Because she did ask for something?—
She asked for my trust.
And she got it.
God help me, she got it.
“I’ll call you in the morning,” I add.
Ash’s voice is rough. “You sure she’s safe?”
“She’s harmless,” I whisper, mostly to myself.
The car slows in front of a quiet apartment tucked between a flower shop and an old bookstore. The porch light is on, casting a soft golden glow across the chipped steps and ivy-covered brick.
Warm. Familiar. Deceiving.
Kellan puts the car in park, and I reach for the door handle.
“Isabella,” Ash says behind me, voice low now. Like a warning wrapped in worry. “Don’t forget why we started this.”
I glance back.
“I haven’t,” I say. “But if I’m going to finish it… I need to do itmyway.”
Then I step out into the night and shut the door behind me. The car doesn’t drive away immediately. They wait—like they always do—until I reach the door and unlock it.
Only then do I hear the engine pull off.
I stand there for a moment, hand resting on the handle, heart a storm in my chest.
