Page 167 of Stolen Hearts

His face contorts in pain as he suddenly yanks his gun out of his belt and swings it wildly toward Megan.

“WAIT!”

Castle roars as Megan kicks Jeremy hard in the arm just as he manages to squeeze the trigger. I scream as the shot fires wild off to the side, right into the pile of rusted old gasoline drums.

…Which immediatelyexplodeinto flame.

I scream, flinching and looking away as a wall of heat slams into the side of my face.

“CALLIE!” Castle roars.

I turn, my eyes wide with fear as the flames roar up the plywood wall of the old boathouse, licking at the corrugated metal roof. I rip my terrified gaze back to Castle, who’s managed to wriggle himself to standing now, his arms still bound behind him, his shoulders and his biceps rippling as he strains his bonds to the limit as he leans toward me.

“Megan!” he yells. She’s not even hearing him. She’s just standing there, transfixed, staring at the wall of fire with a look almost of idolatrous adoration in her eyes.

“MEGAN!” Castle bellows. “Whatever you want, I can make it happenright fucking now! But I can’t help you if I’m dead! And you can be damn sure I won’t ifsheis!”

Megan doesn’t blink.

“MEGAN!” he roars. “Whatever the hell you want!! Anything—!”

“What Iwant, Castle!!” she suddenly screams, whipping around with tragic fury etched across her face. “Is myfucking family back!!”

In the blink of an eye, she’s storming over to me. I scream, kicking at the floor and vainly trying to somehow get away from her. The knife glints in her hand as Castle roars and roars and slams forward against his binds over and over again, screaming my name.

Wood starts to snap and crumble as the fire begins to devour the wall near us. Metal whines as the ceiling sags, and I scream as Megan suddenly surges right into me. Her eyes are wild with mania, and my throat seizes up when she suddenly has the point of her knife right against it.

“DON’T DO IT!!” Castle roars, his face strained, his eyes wild, his arms bulging as he strains against the rope. “MEGAN!” he screams. “Look at me! Look atME, Megan!”

She tenses, her nostrils flaring as her eyes go in and out of focus. She’s shaking, and I gasp as I feel the knife point zigzag across the skin of my neck. I cry out when I feel the prick of the blade and the first few droplets of sticky hot blood trickle down to my collarbone.

“MEGAN!!” Castle screams. “You want someone to pay for what happened to Jason?! To Matt, and to Bryce?!”

She nods silently, staring with unseeing eyes as tears fall down her face. The flames grow louder around us, engulfing the wall behind me as the metal roof sags and whines even more.

“Well, guess what?!” Castle roars. “It wasME, Megan!Igot them killed!” His voice breaks, his eyes brimming with pain and regret as they lock onto mine. “It was all me, okay?! You’re right about all of it! I was reckless, and stupid, and careless, andI got them killed!So, you wanna kill someone?!” he snarls. “Thenkill me!”

My eyes bulge, and my throat presses to the blade as I scream.

“NO!” I sob. “No, STOP IT!”

“Kill me instead, Megan!” Castle roars over the thundering flames and wrenching metal. “C’mon! She’s nobody to you! She’s not who you want to hurt!!I AM!” His face is haggard and lined, and he coughs as smoke fills the boathouse.

“C’mon, Megan!” he rasps. “C’mon!”

He slams forward, his arms wrenching over and over as he tries to break free from the ropes.

“MEGAN!”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers to me, her eyes hollow and sunken, her infinite pain etched across her face. “I’m sorry.”

She starts to press the knife harder against my jugular.

“You wanna hurt someone!!” Castle screams, slamming forward over and over again, the ropes refusing to give. “Then hurt me! Don’t hurt her!! HurtME!”

Megan smiles sadly as our eyes lock, tears running down both of our faces before she turns to look at him.

“But thiswillhurt you, Christopher.”

---