I try to stand tall, but he’s close, and I can feel the shift in the air. He glances over at Marcy, motionless in the grass, then back to me, a sneer curling his lips.
His words sting, but I refuse to look away. I swallow my shame, standing my ground. “I don’t love you, Jinn. Not anymore. I love Nico, Jace, and Levi. You don’t mean anything to me now.”
For a second, his expression goes blank. Something cold and dangerous flickers in his eyes. Then he lunges, grabbing my wrist hard enough to make me wince.
His voice is cold. “You think you’re done with me? You think you can just trade up for the next man stupid enough to believe your act? You’re not going anywhere, Carrie. Not without a price.”
Tears blur my vision, fear and fury tangling in my chest. I’ve never seen Jinn this cruel, this empty. All the love I ever felt for him is gone.
He yanks me closer, his breath sour and sharp. He puts the knife against my cheek and slowly drags it down. I resist the urge to whimper. “You’re not special, Carrie. You’re just another loose end. And I don’t leave loose ends behind.”
My chest goes tight with fear. I never thought Jinn would hurt me. Not like this. His face is a mask, all warmth gone, replaced with something I barely recognize. My heart hammers, panic clawing up my throat as I realize how wrong I was about him—and how much danger I’m really in.
I barely have time to react before something crashes through the brush behind us. A blur slams into Jinn, knocking him off-balance and sending him sprawling to the ground. I stumble backward, heart pounding, watching in shock as Jace lands ontop of Jinn, fists flying. The sound of flesh on flesh echoes through the trees.
Jinn tries to fight back, but Jace is relentless, his anger boiling over. Each punch lands harder than the last. Jinn only laughs through bloodied lips. “I win, and you’ll lose. You always lose.”
“Jace!” I scream, my voice shrill and desperate. “You’ll kill him! Stop!”
Jace doesn’t even seem to hear me at first, eyes wild, jaw clenched with fury. I run to his side, grabbing his arm. “Jace, please. We need him alive. Please!”
He finally looks at me, his expression blank and lost for a heartbeat. But something in my face must get through, because he lets out a harsh breath, then grabs Jinn by the collar, hauling him upright.
“You’re coming with me,” Jace growls, voice shaking with rage.
Jinn tries to sneer, but the next punch knocks the fight right out of him. His eyes roll back, and he slumps, unconscious. Jace lets him drop, chest heaving, hands still curled into fists.
I stare at them both, my breath ragged, the danger not yet gone but shifted. The woods are suddenly silent except for the sound of my heart racing and Jace breathing hard beside me.
Within seconds, Jace is already on his feet, grabbing a length of cord from his pocket and tying Jinn’s hands behind his back. He’s all business, jaw clenched tight, not looking at me.
“We need to go,” he says, voice flat.
I drop to my knees beside Marcy, feeling for her pulse. It’s there, weak but steady. Relief sweeps through me, but panic follows right after. “We can’t leave her behind, Jace. She’s my sister.”
Jace keeps his eyes on Jinn, ignoring me. “Marcy is not my concern. She made her own decisions.”
I look up, voice breaking. “Wait…you knew she was talking to him?”
He glances at me, his face unreadable. “I assumed. The way she acted—always hiding her phone, always looking guilty. She was jealous, insecure, desperate for attention. Didn’t take a genius to figure it out.”
My heart sinks as everything clicks into place. “You planned it, didn’t you? You knew she’d lead him here. You used her to get to Jinn.”
He doesn’t say anything.
My eyes blur with tears. “What about me? Did you even think about me?”
His head whips toward me. “Carrie, you weren’t supposed to be here. I knew Marcy would sneak out eventually. I put one of the club’s trackers on her. I never meant…” He trails off.
He meets my gaze, eyes burning with something dark and sad. “I want to kill him, Carrie. That’s always been my plan. But you’re right—we need him alive.”
He bends down, hauls Jinn up by the shoulders, and starts to drag him toward the edge of the woods. For a moment, I can only kneel beside Marcy.
Jace drags Jinn’s limp body up, not sparing Marcy a second glance. “We need to go now,” he says, voice sharp. “I’ll call 911 for her. Let her be, Carrie.”
I stare at him, torn, my hand still pressed to Marcy’s neck. She’s breathing, but she looks so fragile—so lost.
Jace is already pulling out his phone, typing in the emergency number, eyes cold and focused. “She’ll get help. We have to move, now.”
