Page 146 of Madness & Mercy
He doesn’t answer, grinning like the question amuses him. Then, without looking away from me:
“Come out, Luca. Put your hands up.”
Luca emerges, jaw locked, eyes burning.
“Let him go,” I snap. “This is between you and me.”
His smile deepens.
BANG.
The shot is clean. Luca staggers, blood pooling at his shoulder.
My chest constricts. My mind claws for answers, but nothing makes sense.
“Where’s Silvio?” I bite out.
Julian tilts his head—not the lazy, amused tilt I’ve seen a hundred times, it’s sharper, like a predator lining up a shot. “Sorry, he’s a busy man. Business, you know.”
I raise my voice. “What’s wrong, Silvio? Can’t do your own dirty work? You want me dead? Come out here andfinish it yourself,you fucking coward!”
“I already told you, he’s not coming.” Julian steps closer, until his shadow swallows mine. His breath grazes my ear. “Not because he can’t kill you. He just…couldn’t be bothered.”
My fists clench. My chest feels like it’s caving in. After everything—the lies, the setups, the bullet in Luca’s shoulder—I should hate him. Iwantto hate him. But my heart refuses to obey.
I meet his gaze and hold it.
“You may be a stalker. A killer. A liar. A manipulator. The mostdangerousman I’ve ever fucking met.” His lips twitch like I’ve just flattered him. “And I wouldn’t care. I don’t care that you’re going to kill me. I don’t care that you never loved me.” I step closer until the cold steel of his gun is pressed to my forehead. “BecauseI love you,Julian. And that’s why—”
I lean into the barrel. “—you can blow my brains out, gut me, skin me alive, tear my fucking heart out, and I’ll still love you.”
For a fraction of a second, something flickers in his eyes. Then it’s gone, replaced by that same slow, venomous smile.
“Crazy…” he says softly. “You’d let me kill you without a fight… because you love me?”
I nod once.
“I’d do anything for you. Just… let Luca walk. Don’t touch my family. I’m the hit, right? So kill me. Take the money. Walk away from that bastard. You deserve better than this. And I—”
I breathe in, steady. “I deservethis.”
“Nico, what thefuckare you—” Luca’s voice is sharp with panic.
“Luca, stop,” I murmur without looking at him. “This is the only way.”
The gun clicks.
“You’re right, I never loved you,” Julian says. “But thank you… for making this so easy.”
I laugh, short and bitter. That’s a lie. It has to be. Or maybe I just need it to be.
I close my eyes, letting the cold metal sink into my skin.
Then—
SLAM.
The gates burst open. Gunfire erupts, metal shrieking.
