But… the armed guards loomed over him, their expressionless faces hidden behind their reflective tactical goggles…
Seb stood by the elevator, blocking the only way out, and Melanie watched me with a smug look on her face as she toyed with the chilli pepper keychain I had given Jay all those weeks ago.
Every single person in this room knew how important Jay was to me.
They knew it, and they would use it against me until they got what they wanted.
I realized that even if I obeyed now, they would never let either of us go.
They would dangle my love for Jay over my head for the rest of my life…or until they had successfully damaged him beyond repair… whichever came first.
He was expendable to them.
A tool that they could use to control me.
Either they shot him now, or they chipped pieces of him away as punishment for any failures I might make…
I choked on a desperate sob.
Of course, the first time you fall in love with someone, that very love is the reason they get hurt…
I don’t know why I ever thought I deserved anything as good aslove.
I was freaking Murphquake.
Murphy’s law.
Of course,this would happen…
My heart broke as I found myself wishing I had never met Jay Reynolds. A wish I never in a million years thought I would ever find myself making.
My love for Jay was going to destroy him.
If I didn’t love him, there would be no reason to hurt him…
Suddenly, my mind made a connection.
The idea came to me so swiftly that there was no time for the thought to even register on my face.
Slowly, I reached forward, my hand hovering over the broken pieces of the manipulator.
Pausing for only a second, I met Jay’s eyes and watched as his brows pulled together in confusion. He knew me well enough to sense that I’d thought of something. He tilted his head in a silent question.
Holding his gaze, I let him see everything I hadn’t yet put into words, knowing this might be my one and only chance to tell him how I felt.
His frown deepened as he searched my face.
“Milo?” he asked, his voice somehow sounding young and small.
I swallowed, the very air around me heavy with the weight of what I was about to do.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Jay’s eyes widened, and his mouth parted in surprise.
Then, I reached past the manipulator and grabbed the extractor instead.
Tearing it off the charging port, I slammed the device into my temple, keeping my gaze firmly trained on Jay’s face as I called forward every memory I possibly could of him to the forefront of my mind.
