Page 110 of Heroes & Hitmen
I nod, unable to speak around the lump in my throat.
He brushes a tear off my cheek with his thumb, his smile crooked. “If you fall for some guy in Stillwater, I’ll break his legs,” he jokes. “Just warning you.”
A choked laugh escapes me, then turns into a sob. Then another laugh. This whole situation is justfucked.
“Don’t worry,” I say, wiping my eyes and steeling my composure. “Nobody compares.”
He smiles like he’s proud of that, then leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. We just breathe together for a long moment, and I know this is it.
This is goodbye.
When he steps back and hands me my purse, everything inside me screams.
“Go,” he says gently. “It’s time.”
I want to say a million things, but I don’t trust myself to speak. So, I set my phone down on the coffee table, along with the note I wrote to substantiate our story that I ran away, then start for the door.
I feel him watching me as I cross the room, but I don’t look back. If I do, I know I’ll never leave.
Still, ithurts.
All I’ve ever wanted is to be seen, to be loved, and that’s what Ares does. Heseesme. Helovesme. I feel it in my bones. But love isn’t freedom, and neither of us gets to keep both.
Maybe in a year, we’ll find our way back. Maybe that’s the lie I’ll cling to so I can make it through tonight, like breaking a bone clean so it heals faster.
I open the door, step into the hall, and close it behind me. Then I numbly walk to the elevator, pressing the button to summon it while trying to hold back the tidal wave of emotion surging in me. I know this is how it has to be, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. I step in and ride down to the twentieth floor still smelling like him, still aching.
When I step out and head for Jordan’s apartment, unease prickles down my spine. My wolf stirs, suddenly alert, but I chalk it up to adrenaline and nerves as I raise my fist to knock.
There’s no answer right away, so I knock again, hearing the shuffle of footsteps inside. Then the latch clicks, the door opens, and my blood runs cold.
It’s not Jordan who answers.
It’s our father.
Alpha stands in the doorway, dressed to the nines, his expression calm and cruel. “Evening, Miles,” he greets.
I barely have time to flinch before his hand clamps down on my upper arm and he yanks me into the apartment. The door slams behind me, my world tilting on its axis.
Jordan’s curled on the couch, knees hugged to her chest, mascara streaked down her cheeks.
“What did you do?” I choke out, not sure who I’m asking.
“I came here today to inform your sister she’d be paired with Elias Burke tonight, and in response, she shared some very enlightening information,” Alpha answers, lips curving in a sinister grin.
I blink at her in disbelief, but she won’t meet my eyes. “Jordan?” I ask, voice breaking.
She slowly turns to me, and that’s when I see it. The misery, the grief. The regret.
A different kind of pain splits me open as I stare back at her.Betrayal.
I stand frozen, numb, completely hollowed out and cut so deep that I can barely even function. This is what it means to be trapped. Not rules, locks, or chains, butthis. Realizing the one person you trusted most was never really on your side at all.
Alpha’s hand curls over my shoulder, the pressure of his grip making me wince.
Jordan shakes her head frantically, a sob tearing from her throat. “I’m so sorry, Miley,” she croaks. “I had to…”
CHAPTER 35
