Page 75 of Judgment Day

My heart cracked open. There was no other way out. Sadie was lost. She was too far gone. One of us had to die. And Grey wasn’t only living for himself anymore. He had a son.

“End it now, and my friend won’t kill you afterward,” Grey said, never taking his eyes off Sadie. “Will you, Lincoln?”

Lincoln shook his head. “No. I won’t kill you right away.” He swallowed. “But you’d better fucking run.”

It was a lie. I saw it in his eyes. Something flashed in them, a hint of regret.

Sadie’s hand shook. She was crying as she looked at Grey. She touched his face with the hand that wasn’t holding the gun. “I never wanted this,” she said, her voice cracking.

“I know,” he replied coldly.

It was a moment, ten seconds, tops. But it was all Linc needed to bolt across the room and shove her against the wall.

The noise echoed through the church. A loudpopI would never forget as long as I lived. And then a scream, loud and piercing.Myscream.

My body went ice-cold. I was shivering, frozen. My pulse was like thunder rolling in my ears. I wanted to move, to bolt out of the chair. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t.

Grey ran over to me, kneeling in front of me. Another scream tore from my throat, clawing its way out of my chest. He was saying words, probably asking if I was okay, probably telling me he’d get me out of here. But all I saw was Linc. And the blood pooling on the floor beneath him from where he’d been shot.

His eyes went glassy. A single tear trailed over his cheek as he looked at me, through me, into me, and mouthed,I love you.

FORTY THREE

“Take care of her.”

Those were the words Lincoln said to me just before he sacrificed his life for Lyric’s.And for mine.In that moment, something changed. It shifted, made room for us both. I’d once called him selfish. I said he didn’t deserve her.

I was wrong.

I couldn’t have saved her without him. We had a bond now that was rooted in Lyric, in our need to do whatever it took to keep her in our lives.

My first instinct was to make sure she was okay. Her screams sliced through the air. The pain in her voice was a tormenting, palpable thing. Seconds ago, she was so brave, so fucking strong. Now she was in pieces.

As I kneeled, hearing her cries, watching her break, the darkness pulled at me, flooding my veins with a thirst for vengeance. The demons beckoned me, with wicked smiles and curled fingers.Come.And I followed them, straight into the deepest shadows of my soul.

I brushed Lyric’s hair from her face. It was stuck to her skin, painted on by her tears. “I’ve got you, sweet dove.” I pressed my lips to hers. “I’ve got him, too.”

Justice was a friend I knew well. I’d served it on silver platters for the past seven years. There was always a moment, right after the attack, when I felt satisfied. I felt fulfilled. I was sure that made me a monster. But I’d rather be a monster with no regrets than a hero who lived a lie.

I bolted up and chased Sadie, catching her before she made it to the door. While I’d kneeled before Lyric, I’d grabbed the metal clamp that Lincoln was using to cut the cord. Sadie used this clamp as a weapon to make my sweet girl bleed. I was using it as a weapon for revenge.

I snatched her by the throat and pinned her against the wall. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, my memory took me to a different place and time, when Sadie was a proper lady with innocent eyes and a pure heart. Before this world tarnished it. Then I heard Lyric’s sobs, remembered Lincoln’s sacrifice, and those memories vanished like smoke in the wind.

She tortured Lyric.

She took my son.

She shot Lincoln.

She sacrificed innocent girls.

She killed Liam.

There was nothing innocent or pure there. Not anymore.

“You were wrong.” I gripped the clamp tightly in my fist, using it to push her hoodie up her body. “I will save them both.” I steeled my spine. Took in a breath. Blew it out. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you.” I squeezed my eyes shut and plunged the metal upward into her sternum.

Her hands flew up, closing around mine. I shoved the clamp in deeper, twisting it, feeling her body give from the pressure. Her body jerked. I opened my eyes, watching as blood poured out and coated our hands. I let go of the clamp and stumbled backward. She slumped over, then fell to the floor.

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