Page 53 of Ends of Being

Sure, we have a tracker on her at this point, but all it would take is one glance from them to see that their site has been tampered with. The first thing they’re going to do is dig that thing out, and if that’s the case, she’ll be lost.

I figure it would be better to have one of us guys be the decoy, but Lilith is correct in the theory that we’re a little too conspicuous to pull that off. I hate that she’s right.

So, after agreeing to her tentative plan, I make my way up to my bedroom, quietly opening the door and walking toward the bed. I can make out her body under the blankets, but she pulled the blanket up over her head, so I pull them back on one side so I can get in beside her. She’s restless for a moment, and worried I might wake her, I tense up, not knowing how she might react to having me in her space so soon. When she stops her fidgeting, I gently pull her into my body, wrapping myself around her from behind, and she instantly settles, sinking back into me with a sigh.

I rest there with her for a few hours, just until the dawn lights the sky, then I gently extricate myself from the bed so I can shower. With a new pair of slacks and a navy blue button-up on, I exit the bathroom, and she’s still sound asleep, so I leave the bedroom and make my way down to the kitchen, finding Matt, Tony, and Lilith already there.

I walk up to Lilith, and she meets my gaze head-on, her blue eyes staring into mine blankly as I snake a hand out and wrap it around her throat. She doesn’t flinch or wince, just stares into my face as I squeeze tight enough to take her air away.

“What you did was reckless.” She gives a curt nod, and I continue, “Your arrogance, your inability to see the big picture, and your refusal to believe that anyone other than you might know what’s best—you almost got my girl killed.”

I squeeze my hand even tighter, cutting off her air entirely, yet still, she just stares up at me, unflinching. I lean in close, so close my nose brushes against hers, as I whisper, “I should slit your fucking throat.”

I straighten, my hand relaxing enough for her to take in some air, but I don’t let go, and she doesn’t attempt to fight me. My blood is boiling in my veins, and my hand around her neck twitches with the urge to choke the life out of her, but I’m held back by that tiny little voice in my head, reminding me that we still need her.

Finally, Tony’s hand squeezes my wrist, and his voice is in my ear, telling me to stand down, so I release her.

She bends over at the waist, coughing and wheezing as she gets her breath, but then she stands and looks at me as she says, “If anything had happened to her, I would’ve slit my own throat.”

We stare at each other for a few long moments, but finally, I give her a nod and step away. I don’t bother dancing around the other elephant in the room and ask, “So, who’s going to tell her?”

Lilith raises a hand, saying, “I will. I think she will be more receptive to a plan that comes from me.”

I can’t really argue with that. I give her a long look, asking, “You know what they want, don’t you?”

She nods a little too enthusiastically for my liking. “I have a good idea, but I’m not 100% certain.”

All three of them are staring at me, waiting for me to say something, so I ask, “And you think that’ll end it?”

She gives a little head bop in response, and I can see the looks of resignation on Matt and Tony’s faces.

I smile. “Well, I guess it’s time I get myself caught.”

Chapter Twenty

Dare

Ittakesasignificantamount of maneuvering to get these asshats to take the bait.

And this was after giving them so many opportunities to pick me up that I was beginning to get concerned that an unrelated enemy would notice the giant target on my back and take a shot at me. And that’s their first mistake—not just eliminating me when they had the opening.

That’s what I’ll never understand about the so-called bad guys in books and movies. If they just went in quick and efficient, without asking any questions, it would save them a lot of trouble and a lot of blood. Although, I suppose, sometimes blood is the point.

My biggest concern is Toni’s reaction when she finds out what we’ve done. Sure, we told her one story and then went a completely different direction without telling her. I have a feeling she’s going to be a bitdisgruntled. Maybe even outright angry, but even if it turns out badly for me, I won’t regret it.

Trading my life for hers is a small sacrifice, given the depth of my affection for her. And honestly, it was all starting to feel a little uncomfortable for me, anyway.

Matt and Tony are also not at all impressed, and they’ve had no issue vocalizing their malcontent with the “dumbest fucking plan ever put together by two possibly suicidal maniacs.” Their words.

It seems the only two people involved in this plan, who have any confidence in it working out with me not being dead, are Lilith and me. Of course, Lilith may feel that way just because she actually doesn’t give a fuck if I live or die. Can’t say I blame her.

Caring about another person to the point where I don’t want them to be hurt by anyone, especially by me, is a foreign concept. Sure, I care about Tony and Matt, but not wanting to hurt their feelings isn’t something I’ve ever had to worry about. I’ve spent my entire life being content with only ever having to worry about myself, and since romantic attachments were never a priority, it didn’t really take a lot of energy to check that I was happy.

Then I met that sassy little bitch.

Honestly, even when I first met her, I wasn’t overly concerned with possibly developing an attachment to her. At one point, I even considered attempting to lure her in just to fuck her into silence, but then I accepted that it was far more enjoyable for me to keep my pants zipped and let her continue bothering me. Of course, the more she bothered me, the more I wanted her to bother me.

And then, one thing led to another, and we ended up even more entangled than ever, so deeply entrenched in our own individual stories we almost lost sight of the bigger picture.

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