Death of Me | Now Published to Kindle and Paperback!

The Aftermath

Chapter Forty: The Aftermath

"Weasel-face?" I asked, whirling on Vincent.

A strained chuckle left Jack, but it was lost in the background as Vincent and I locked eyes. Everything clicked into place, and I let a slew of profanities fly. It made perfect sense. Lucas had been uneasy about this deal for as long as I could remember. They all had. And once I had been brought in, Henry had been fixated on my every move. It was something we had brushed off on him being a pervert.

"So, this whole deal . . ." Vincent trailed off, eyes narrowing to slits.

"It's been me, the whole time," Jack told him. The look on his face was way too smug for someone who was minutes away from death.

Or should I have said seconds?

In one fluid movement, Vincent slid his gun from the table. The silencer was already attached, so there was only a muted bang as he leveled it at Jack's forehead and fired.

No grand speeches.

No threats.

Just a hole right between Jack's now lifeless tawny eyes.

My stomach rolled, and I had to turn my back on the grotesque scene. Touching my fingers to my mouth to try and stop the reaction, I took a deep breath. Before I had even exhaled, two hands came down on my shoulders. Vincent's touch was gentle, applying just enough pressure to let me know I wasn't alone.

"I'll be okay."

"I should've warned you," he murmured, pulling me back so that I was leaning on him. "Let's get out of here."

He waited until I nodded, and then kept his hand on the small of my back as he led me from the room. Just before the door fell shut behind us, I glanced back. Jack's head had fallen forward, and one could almost think he was just passed out if they didn't know any better. But I did. He would never take another breath. He would never again be able to terrorize the people I cared about. But there was still a pang in my heart for the man I had thought I had known.

"It's okay if you don't know how to feel, princess," Vincent murmured. When I turned my head to meet those steady forest eyes, he gave me a small smile. "They were both real. The man you knew and the man he turned out to be."

"I should be happy he's gone," I said, wrapping my arms around myself. "But I just feel numb."

"It's okay," he repeated, drawing me into his warmth. "The only thing that matters is he can't hurt you anymore."

"No. He can't hurt any of us anymore."

"I love you," Vincent said, tipping my face up to kiss me. I let myself fall into him for just a moment. When we pulled apart, I took a steadying breath. Then I squared my shoulders and headed for the steep stairs leading up into the warehouse.

There were people everywhere. Very rarely had I seen the warehouse this packed, but today was a win for us. We were one step closer to being able to breathe easy again. One more player to remove from the board before we were back in control again. Whatever our next steps were, they would define how things carried on in Valarian.

With the slightest pressure against my spine, Vincent urged me to head to the center of the room. The soft hum of conversation died out as all the attention swung our way. Vincent surveyed everyone gathered, and I noticed our closest friends moving to surround us. Every one of their faces showed a similar frown, but it was Angelica who caught my attention the most.