I nodded. “Can we maybe…have some privacy?” I was running out of time.
Don tilted his head toward the stairs. But I didn’t want to go anywhere with him. I just needed his stupid minions to leave so I could get this over with. Before he turned to go up the stairs, I threw my arms around him.
The smell of his cologne made me feel sick to my stomach. I tightened my arms around him, pulling him closer to me. I tried not to gag.
I heard footsteps. I pressed the side of my head against his chest and caught a glimpse of everyone leaving the room.
“I missed you.” My words were barely a whisper as I slipped my hands under his suit jacket. The side of my wrist brushed against his gun. Bingo.
“I know. You’ll be safe now.”
Safe? Was he fucking kidding me? I had never been safe with him. I grabbed his gun and took a step back, holding it out in front of me.
He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.
“Don’t say a word, Don.”
Instead of speaking, he smiled. Somehow that was worse. Like he was mocking me.
“I had a whole plan of what I wanted to say to you before I blew your head off. But really I just have a few questions.”
“Summer, what are you doing?” Miles said into my earpiece.
I ignored him. “I want to know if you feel any remorse for tearing my family apart?” I clenched my jaw.
He kept smiling and shook his head.
“Summer, put the gun down!” Miles yelled.
I grabbed the earpiece out of my ear and threw it on the ground. This was between Don and me. No one else. I lifted the gun and took another step back from him.
“For raping me?” I asked Don.
“Doll, you wanted it.” His smile grew. “Don’t pretend for a second that you didn’t.”
He was the devil himself. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I knew the blood in his veins was pure evil. My finger tightened on the trigger.
“We’ve done this dance already,” he said. “You couldn’t pull the trigger then, and you can’t do it now. Drop the gun.”
He was taunting me. But he was right, I could have already shot him. Why couldn’t I pull the trigger? I was running out of time.
“Weak.” He shook his head like he pitied me. “Your whole family was weak.”
I lifted the gun higher and held my breath for one second.
Weak. For two seconds.
The word tumbled around in my head. For three seconds.
He couldn’t have been more wrong. For four seconds.
And I knew that I needed to do the strongest thing I ever had to do. Because I refused to become him. For five seconds.
I exhaled and slowly lowered the gun. “You’re wrong, Don. I’m the strongest person you’ll ever meet. I lost my parents when I was eight years old. My grandmother a year later. I went from foster home to foster home and kept being told I wasn’t wanted.” I lifted my shoulders. “You kept my best friend away from me. You killed my unborn child.” I tried to hide the crack in my voice. “And I’m still standing, asshole. I’m here despite everything you did to cut me down. And you think I’m weak?” I shook my head. “You don’t know me at all.”
I saw red and blue lights through the windows.
It’s finally over. “Your game is done. The FBI is coming to arrest you. No one can ever pin you down for your crimes. So my team and I planted evidence on you.” I looked at Miles’ hoodie in his hand. “By the time the news comes on tonight, everyone will believe that you’re the New York City vigilante. V was saving this city, not destroying it. You’ll finally be put behind bars for good deeds. A little ironic huh?”