“It feels like something I chose.” My jaw tightens, and I take another step forward, facing him down. “Like I had something beautiful with a man I love. Like we made somethingtogether. You just tried to take something from me, Desmond. You tried to force me to give you what you wanted. Elio didn’t take anything that I didn’t want to give. And he’s worth a thousand of you.”
Desmond's expression twists with hatred. "You think you've won? You think because you killed my men and captured me that this is over? I have people everywhere. Associates, friends, family. They'll come for you. All of you. And when they do?—"
"They won't." Ronan's voice cuts through the threat. "Because no one is going to know what happened to you.You're going to disappear, Desmond. Like you never existed. And everyone who worked with you, everyone who helped you—they're going to disappear too."
"You can't?—"
"I can." Ronan leans down, getting in his face. "I'm Ronan O'Malley. I can do whatever the hell I want."
The room falls silent except for Desmond's labored breathing.
“You said you did all of this because of Siobhan.” Ronan’s jaw tightens. “But you’re going to leave your little sister all alone. No father, no brother to take care of her. I’ll try to make sure nothing happens to her. But all she’s going to know is that you abandoned her. You should have been thinking of her, Connelly. Not making up revenge plots for something that didn’t even happen the way you imagine it did.”
Desmond's face contorts with rage and pain. "You'll regret this. Both of you. When that baby is born and grows up in this world, when it learns what its father is, what its uncle is—it'll hate you both. And you.” He looks at me. “You think you’ve gotten what you wanted? You should have let me have you, you fucking bitch?—”
Elio backhands him so hard that Desmond’s head snaps to one side, and I see him spit out a tooth, his mouth swelling.
"Enough." Ronan's voice is final. "You've said your piece. Now it's time to pay for what you've done."
He pulls out his gun, checking the chamber.
Desmond's eyes widen. "Wait?—"
"Wait for what?" Ronan aims the gun at his head. "You killed my men. You assaulted and kidnapped my sister. Tried to destroy my family. And you think I'm going to show you mercy?"
"Please—" For the first time, Desmond sounds scared. "Please, wait?—”
Ronan’s finger tightens on the trigger, and something clicks inside of me. Something that I hadn’t realized I needed until right this moment.
"Wait." I hold out my hand. "Give me the gun."
Everyone freezes.
"Annie—" Ronan starts.
"Give. Me. The gun." I keep my hand extended, steady. "He tried to rape me. He tried to force me to marry him. He wanted to kill you and Elio in front of me. I should be the one to end it."
Ronan shakes his head. "You don't have to do this?—"
"I know I don't have to." I meet his eyes. "I want to."
For a long moment, Ronan just looks at me. Then, slowly, he hands over the gun.
It's heavier than I expected. Cold. Final. I look over at Elio. His expression is approving.Proud,even. He’s looking at me as if I’m the only thing he wants to look at for the rest of his life.
I think of those lessons, out behind the cabin. And I turn to face Desmond.
He's staring at me with wide, terrified eyes. "Annie, please—" he gasps. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Just let me live. I'll disappear. You'll never see me again?—"
"Annie, don't!"
I pull the trigger.
The shot is deafening in the enclosed space. Desmond jerks back in the chair, blood trickling from the hole in his forehead where the bullet entered. Blood is sprayed across the floor behind him.
He’s dead.
Dead.
