Blood.
Something must’ve pierced him when the car crashed. He’s bleeding.
He takes another threatening step toward me, and even though every muscle in my body burns with the urge to back up, to run from him, I don’t let myself move.
I need to get him to let his guard down. I need him to believe he’s won.
“Okay,” I say quietly, my pulse drumming hard and fast. “Okay.”
With a deliberate motion, I tip my gun up and toss it away.
Luca smiles, a look of satisfaction crossing his face.
Without letting myself hesitate, I lunge forward, moving as fast as I can. My hand comes up to grip his weapon the way Ryland taught me to, twisting it and shoving it to one side. He fires a shot, and I feel the bullet brush past me, inches from my body. The sound rings in my ears as I close the last bit of space between us and head-butt him as hard as I can.
My forehead catches his nose with an audible crunch, and he stumbles back slightly. Before he can recover, I twist the gun even more, breaking his grip and wrenching it away from him.
I stagger backward, so much raw adrenaline coursing through me that I almost drop the fucking thing. I clench my fingers around it, pointing it at Luca. Blood streams down his face, pouring from his nose and coating his lips, appearing almost black in the darkness.
He takes a half-step toward me, but his legs buckle and he goes to his knees.
He’s hurt worse than I thought. It’s probably the only reason that insane move worked.
My breath comes in choppy bursts as I stare down at him, holding the gun aimed at his head.
One of his hands reaches up to press against the shiny patch on his chest, and when it slips away, it’s wet with blood. He grimaces, dragging in an audible, rasping breath. Then he looks up at me, tilting his head to meet my gaze.
There’s something in his face I can’t remember ever seeing before, not in any of the times I’ve been around this man.
Exhaustion.
Bone deep, soul deep exhaustion.
He draws another breath, and it seems like it costs him something to do it. Like he knows it’s the last one he’ll ever take. His jaw clenches, and he shakes his head slightly.
“I never wanted to live without her,” he murmurs.
He doesn’t have to say the name for me to know who he’s talking about. Pain drips from every syllable of his words.
I nod, my throat going tight. “I know.”
Something settles in my stomach, grounding me. Anchoring me.
I hold Luca’s gaze, staring into the dark irises of the man whose pain has begotten so much more pain.
Then I pull the trigger and put a bullet between his eyes.
Chapter 23
Luca’s body pitches backward and slumps to the ground, life leaving it before it even hits the grass.
For a long moment, I stay frozen in place, staring down at him with my gun still raised.
My hand is shaking. I’m not sure I’m even breathing. Shock and adrenaline are finally starting to catch up with me, rushing through my veins so fast I feel wobbly on my feet.
A few days ago, I’d never killed another person. Now I’m not even sure how many lives I’ve taken.
But out of all the deaths I’ve been responsible for since this mess began, Luca’s is the only one I feel no guilt for.