Page 113 of The Love Interest
“You’re a lot of things, but you’re not a killer, Caden. Killing him would’ve destroyed you. Me, well, I just wish I’d made him suffer a bit more. So you don’t need to thank me. To be honest I’m glad I’m the one who got to make him pay for everything he’s done. I—”
“Hey, guys!” interrupts Juliet. “I’ve found it! I—”
A static hum fills the air, and a grid of red light appears just in front of the desk. Juliet looks up and realizes she’s trapped. I turn to Mr. Craike. His eyes are now open, and he’s holding a silver pen. Or at least it looks like a pen. His thumb is pressing down on one end.
Using his free hand, Craike reaches into his jacket and produces a gun. He aims it at Juliet. My mind flashes back to when he greeted me at the gates. He had two guns. One in his hand and one strapped to his hip. I took the first, but I forgot about the second.
I raise my gun. I’m out of bullets and he probably knows that, but I need to do something.
“Drop it,” growls Craike.
“Okay,” I say. I bend my knees and place the gun on the floor. Craike’s arm is shaking and his grip on the gun is going slack, like he’s struggling to keep it upright. From that, and the way his eyelids are drooping, I guess he’s only a few minutes from passing out. I just need to stall him. I rise and lift my hands above my head. “It’s over. Just put the gun down and—”
Craike barks a harsh laugh. “It’s not over yet, Caden. There’s something you need to know before you can call it a day.”
A gun goes off. The grid of light sends out sparks, then returns to normal. Natalie is holding her gun, aiming it right at Mr. Craike. She shot at him. It was a good plan, but with the barrier up, he’s untouchable.
“As I was saying,” says Craike, “you can either listen to me or I can kill Juliet. It’s up to you.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” I say. “She’s too important.”
“She’s nothing now! She knows about us, so she’ll never trust anyone again. And if she doesn’t tell anyone her secrets, I’ll never get paid. Because of you, she’s disposable. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you. I have something to tell you about Dylan.”
I turn and look at Dyl. He’s standing with his arms crossed. What could Craike possibly know about him that could damage me? What else could he be hiding?
“You’ve got nothing,” says Dyl. “You don’t know me.”
“Look at me, Caden,” says Craike. “I want to watch as the horror sinks in. Look away and I’ll shoot her.”
I suck in a breath, then turn and look at him.
“We were never going to kill Dyl. Do you think we would waste resources unnecessarily? We just transport the unchosen Love Interests to another country, wipe their memories, and have them try again until they’re picked. Your whole crusade has been for nothing.”
He’s lying. He must be. Healwayslies. I study his face, taking note of the twinkle in his eyes and the width of his smile, and realize he’s telling the truth. He’s doing what he always does, destroying an empire with a perfectly aimed piece of information. Everything that brought me here, everything I’ve done, was to save Dyl, and he wasn’t even in danger. People have died because I’m a gullible fool.
“That was beautiful,” says Craike. “Remember how stupid you’ve been while you grieve.”
He turns the gun on Juliet and pulls the trigger. His hand goes limp and his head lolls. He’s unconscious. He held on just long enough to do the unthinkable.
Juliet smacks the floor, her body alarmingly limp. I rush forward and crouch down in front of her. I can’t touch her because of the barrier, but I get as close as I can.
“Juliet?” Did he hit her? It’ll be close, but…
A circle of blood appears between her chest and shoulder.
NO NO NO NO NO.
It’s my fault it’s my fault it’s my—
Her eyes open and she takes in a deep breath.She’s okay.Using her right hand, she props herself up and inspects her wound.
“Juliet,” I say, “you need to get to the pen and bring the barrier down. Then we can get you out of here.”
“Oh my God, you think I don’t know that?”
I shut my mouth. With a grimace, she drags herself forward, moving toward the pen. She pulls herself forward another inch, then collapses.Come on, Juliet, get back up. You’re almost there.Her arms are shaking, but she manages to pull herself a bit closer. With a desperate lunge, she grabs the pen. She presses the clicker at the top and the barrier fades away.
Natalie and I rush forward. I reach Juliet and bend down beside her. Natalie goes straight to Craike. He’s unconscious, but she takes the gun from his slack hand anyway. Then she grabs him by the hair and smashes his head into the bookshelf. She pulls it back, then smashes it in again.
