Just as my thumb hovers over his name, the screen lights up. Incoming call.Flor.
I smile, wiping my eyes.
"Flor!" I answer, my voice thick with joy.
"Della." Her voice stops me cold. It sounds like she’s been crying.
The smile slides off my face.
"Flor? What is it? What's wrong?"
A sob comes through the line, harsh and terrified.
"Della, you need to come back. Now. David is sending a jet."
My hand tightens on the phone until my fingers ache. My other hand presses harder against my stomach, an instinctive shield.
"Why?" I whisper, though I already know. I can feel the ice spreading through my veins, freezing the miracle, I just found.
"It's Dorian," her voice shattering. "It’s bad, Della. He’s been shot."
One last salty tear of joy sunk forever in the sand.
Chapter 30
… AND ENDING
…another one is broken
Dorian
Seven hours ago
My patience is running out, evaporating. I am vibrating with a violence so potent I could crack a brick with just one finger right now. This scumbag, low life, piece of filth is about to arrive.
David set the meeting with Andy at 2 a.m. but I’ve been here for an hour. I needed to be here. As if standing closer to the trap could force time to move faster.
I am pacing the dark floor of the abandoned distillery. The air smells of rust, dust, and the sour ghost of old alcohol. It’s a dead place. Fitting.
The thought of Della and her message—Soon—makes me stop and breathe. That single word is the only leash holding me back. It gives me the focus and strength I need.Soon, my love. It’ll be over.
A static crackle breaks the silence.
“A car is approaching,” David announces. He’s stationed in the loft, connected to the surveillance feed. “It’s Andy.”
“Good.” I reply, the word tasting like iron. “Time to end this. For good.”
The heavy steel door groans and scrapes against the concrete, sliding open.
He steps into the cavernous space, nervous, his eyes darting around the empty gloom.
I’m standing in the shadows.
He cannot see me yet. But I see him.
And the recall of Della’s nightmare—her trembling, her screams—makes my fists harden and my vision tint red. This is the man who shattered the woman I love and murdered our dream of a family before it even began.
Now it’s my turn. I take a step forward, moving closer to the single, bare bulb hanging overhead.
