***
"How do you know she's here, Erik?" I took the gun from his hand and took a shaky breath.
"We have eyes everywhere." He nodded toward the weapon. "Lift it up like you're going to fire it. I want to see how steady your grip is."
I lifted the gun and it bobbed around seeing that my hands were shaking so damn bad. "Ugh. I can't do this."
"Then I'll do it." He pointed his gun at my face and watched me. "See. Steady. I could care less about this bitch."
"Or you've just killed a million people and this girl is no different."
"Does it count that I've slept with her a handful of times?" He closed the car door and walked toward the small house tucked back in the woods.
"Gross. Has Nate... You know what? Don't answer that. I don't want to know."
“We fucked her together a couple of times. You know… when we were bored." He glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. "We could show you first hand if you-"
"Stop. Please. Gross."
"Us fucking her, or me wanting us to fuck you together?"
"Both." I reached out and slipped my arm into his. "I don't wanna fall."
"I'd catch you." He glanced over and winked.
"You're not nearly the bad ass you pretend to be, are you?"
"Oh, I'm a dick. I promise. I just like you. You remind me of my little sister. Makes me wanna be a little bit nice."
"Where is she?"
"Dead." He walked away from me and walked toward the house. I wanted to apologize, but it seemed like being quiet was the better option. Erik's story had to be beyond interesting, but I wouldn't be asking for the extended version. Too much death and dismemberment. Too much loss.
"Is she-" I started to whisper as Erik stopped and lifted his hand.
"Ashley is a cunning bitch, Jenna. She's going to be prepared for you. Watch your back just in case."
"Okay," I whispered. My heart almost stopped in my chest when he took off for the side of the house. "Erik! Where are you going?"
"Go in the front. I'm not here. Remember that."
"Shit." I walked toward the front door and tucked the gun in my back pocket. I didn't know how to break into a house, how to sneak into someone's place.
I knocked on the door and let out a long sigh. If it was my time to die, so be it, but the bitch was going with me.
She opened the door and stepped back with a surprised look on her face. "Wow. I figured you would come, but I remember you saying something about a knife in my back."
I stepped forward and punched her twice in the face, surprising myself a little. "Yeah, well, I left the cutlery at home. Forgive me."
"You sorry bitch." She reached for her back and I tackled her, knocking her to the ground as she screamed. I had to wrestle the gun from her hand and it went off twice before Erik walked in calmly.
"Stealth would be nice." He leaned against the wall.
"Shut up." I reached down and wrapped my hands around her throat. "You sorry bitch. Killing my brother and then you try and take Nate from me?"
"He'll never belong to you." She laughed as I tightened my hands around her throat.
"I could shoot her for you," Erik offered.
"I need to do this." I felt something inside me break. She was right. Nate wasn't ever going to be mine because of what happened. The light in his eyes died that night as if he'd truly become the monster the drug made him think he was. "I hate you so much. I hope hell welcomes you with torture beyond anything you can imagine."
"Jenna. Killing someone will change you. Let me do this." Erik pulled out his gun and moved to stand beside us as I tightened my hands as much as I could and banged her head on the ground a few times, screaming at nothing. At everything. "Jenna."
"Back the fuck off." I glanced up at him and lifted up to press my full weight on her throat.
She scratched and clawed at me, but I couldn't force myself to back up. Erik should have killed her. He was the murderer, not me.
"Please. Please, Jenna. I didn't know. It was all him. It was all Nate. Check it out," Ashley whispered roughly as her face turned a sickening shade of blue.
"I don't care who it was. You're dying for it." I dug my nails into her neck and arched my back, wanting to hear her choke out more than I wanted my next breath. "I hate you. Sick bitch."
"Jenna." Erik touched my shoulder and I jerked my head up.
"I'll kill you next if you don't back the fuck up."
“No, you won’t.” He pushed at my shoulder and knocked me back before firing his weapon twice.
“Why?” I scrambled to my knees.
“Because… someone was paying me something far more than a few favors to get it done, and that someone isn’t you, baby doll.” He winked and offered me his hand.
“What? Who?” I glanced down at Ashley’s bloody face and turned my back to her as a cry lodged in my throat. “I almost killed someone. They’re going to find her and they’ll have my prints all over her throat. What am I-”
"Never. I've been watching over Nate for twenty-six years. You belong to him as far as I'm concerned, which means you have my protection too. Go get in the car and I'll burn this place down. No one will ever know."
I looked up at him. "I'll know."
"Yeah, so live with it. We all do.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Nate would get rock hard over this. Get in the car. Now."
His voice was nothing more than an echo in my head as I stumbled out of the house and walked toward the car. The door slammed and I turned in time to watch him jog toward me as the house exploded into a million pieces. The force of it threw me to the ground, but I was in Erik's arms a few minutes later, struggling to keep consciousness.
Too much. It was all too much, and the one person I needed to help bring me through all of it wasn't available to me, nor would he ever be again.
Nate.