Zane and I sprint from the room, and she and Holden are nowhere to be seen.
“You piece of shit!” I yell, looking everywhere. We run our hands all over the walls, looking for where they could have gone. We search the metal doors we’re trapped between, and nothing.
“Where the hell did they go?” Zane asks, pulling his mask to the top of his head. “Where did you take them?!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt Precious,” Jay pauses. “Much. Your little hacker, on the other hand? I’m going to make him wish he died in that explosion.” I hear Holden scream in pain, and I see fucking red.
“Fuck! Jay, goddamnit!” Zane yells, slamming his fist on the metal door.
We start frantically searching for a way out when we hear that screeching noise, and the door that slammed shut opens up with Dex on the other side; he jerks his arm for us to follow him and takes off running, us right on his heels.
We skid into the window room, sweeping around us. “Leo found the switch in the monitor room. This place has secret rooms every fucking where,” Dex explains, making his way slowly to that room.
“They have Les and Holden,” Zane says. “Find him.”
We hit the living room doorway right when Jay presses a gun to Holden’s forehead, and Leo and Gage come out of the camera room. “That’s far enough,” Jay says, pushing harder. Holden locks scared eyes on me, and I have to swallow the panic threatening to bubble over.
We all hold our hands up, stopping in our tracks. “Just let him go, Jay,” Zane bargains. “You can have me. Let him go.” I jerk my head at Zane, and he subtly shakes his head.
“You never did fucking listen,” Jay growls, swinging wild eyes at us. “Everyone fucking dies. Then. She. Is. Mine.” He jerks a remote from his pocket, stabbing a button. A glass door slams down in frontof us, blocking us in. Gage and Leo jump back to keep from getting smashed.
“Jay!” Zane pounds on the door. “You don’t have to fucking do this!”
Holden locks eyes with me again; his eyes harden. “HOLDEN! NO!” I yell.
Holden sweeps his leg out, knocking Jay off his feet. I watch in horror as they grapple for the gun. Holden starts to get the upper hand when Jay smashes the gun into his face, knocking him back to the floor. Jay jumps to his feet, shoving the gun back to Holden’s head, finger tightening on the trigger. “HOLDEN!” We all yell at the same time.God, please, not Holden.We start banging the thick glass door, knowing it will just ricochet if we shot at it. I can feel the sweat pouring down my back under my hoodie, praying we’re strong enough to break it.
Where the fuck is Ghost?
I see movement behind Jay and glance over. Les is creeping up behind him while his whole focus is on killing Holden, knife shining in her hand.
“Yes. Yes. Yes,” I chant under my breath. “You got this,Il mio sole.”
She leaps, and Jay turns with the gun aimed right at her. She hits him hard, the gun skittering across the floor. Holden scrambles back, grabbing for it.
“Come on, Baby girl!”
“END THIS, BEAUTIFUL!”
They both land on the floor hard, her underneath him. She jerks her head up, smashing right into his nose. Howling in pain, he drops back, rolls, and tries to get away. She leaps, grabbing him by the hair and jerking his head back.
“MARCIUME ALL’INFERNO!”
Her signature line rings loud and clear as she slices his throat, letting him drop to the ground.
We watch in slow motion as she drops to her knees behind him, chest heaving. Holden slides up behind her before she can go down completely. “The button,Il mio sole!” I stab my finger at the glass. “Hitthe button.”
In slow motion, she reaches over, hitting the button. We all run out, dropping to our knees around her and Holden. “It’s over,” she whispers.
Surrounding her, we say the one thing we’ve wanted to say since this started.
It is truly over.
Chapter 45
Alessa
Istill can’t believe Jay is finally dead, even after three days.
