Out of the corner of my eye, I spot movement. Alfred, our head of security, charges—
Bang.
Bullet to the forehead. His body crumples, his lifeless eyes staring into nothing.
The blond laughs—the sound sharp and manic. He kicks Alfred’s body and drags his boot through the blood like a child smearing paint.
He grins at me.
Then he aims his gun at Maxwell.
My mouth parts in a scream, then I—
Bang. Bang.
Two shots crack behind me.
My heart stops.
Maxwell jerks, his eyes wide, then he looks down. Rivers of crimson spread across his dress shirt. His face twists in pain, and he collapses to the ground.
“No!” I cry.
I turn around.
Smoke curls from Elias’s gun.
Not the blond’s.
Elias’s.
He did this. This monster who stood in our home. Came to family weddings. Who pretended to be one of us.
Fury scorches through my veins. The monster has the gall to appear shell-shocked, his fingers white-knuckled around his gun. His gaze, heavy with something resembling regret, snags on Maxwell for a beat.
But the expression vanishes.
An inhuman scream rips out of me, and I launch myself at him.
Elias blocks my attempts and hefts me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing.
I kick, scratch, and bite. Anywhere I can reach. Feral with hatred.
“You shot my brother! You fucking piece of shit! Just kill me now because if I don’t die, I’ll make the rest of your fucking life a living hell!”
Elias ignores me, carries me into the elevator, and enters the override code.
I thrash in his hold, trying to break free.
But it’s useless.
Through the ringing in my ears, I hear the blond’s wild and gleeful laugh as the thugs continue their slaughter.
But I barely notice.
All I can see is Maxwell, the brother I’ve looked up to my entire life, lying lifeless on the white marble floor, his blood pooling around him as the elevator doors close.
My brother. My protector. My anchor.
