This can’t be fucking happening. I refuse to accept that someone at this table is going to die tonight and there’s nothing we can do about it.
Ella takes a deep, steadying breath, and I know what she’s doing. She’s retreating from her fear, forcing herself to remain in one piece, because I’ve seen her do it before. The day her mother died.
“Okay,” she whispers. “Russian Roulette. Six people, six rounds, one bullet. The person who goes first has a higher chance of survival.”
“What?” Silence whispers. “Aren’t the odds the same?”
Ella shakes her head. “I did research for a book once. If we spin the barrel, the odds are the same for all of us, but if we don’t then the first … the first person has a sixteen point … sixteen point …” Panic bleeds into her voice.
“Sixteen point one seven chance of firing the gun,” Y finishes for her, and Ella nods again. “And then the percentage goes up with each person.”
“Unless the first person has really shitty luck,” Lina says.
Silence glances around. “How do we decide who goes first? How do you pick who deserves to live most?”
The question has no sooner left Silence’s mouth that Lina snatches up the gun, points it at Ella, and fires. Ella takes in a small breath, I shout, and Gable is on his feet.
But the gun clicks.
My heart has never beat so fast. The floor feels close to dipping beneath me, but somehow, I remain upright, staring at Lina as she points a gun at my child.
“What the fuck, Monty!” Gable yells. Ella stares at Lina,her eyes impossibly wide, her face pale. Sawyer is cheering, and some of the men laugh.
“I chose for us,” Lina says, placing the gun back in the center of the table. “Out of all of us, Bambi deserves to live most.” She looks at Silence. “Sorry, love, I don’t know you.”
Silence nods, looking almost as shell-shocked as Ella. “Fair point.”
My muscles feel locked up, my mind in shambles. Lina takes my hand. “I’m sorry. But now Ella gets to go home.”
“What if you were wrong?” I whisper.
“I went with the odds.” She looks at Ella, who mouths a teary-eyed, “Thank you.”
“I’m choosing next,” Sawyer says. “Let’s do a Flynn special. Gable, your turn.”
Ella whimpers, and it tears into my heart. “Please, God.”
Everything feels too slow and too fast. I don’t like Gable, and part of me will always wish Ella had met someone else, but she loves him. He’s the father of her kids. He doesn’t deserve this, and she doesn’t deserve to fucking lose him.
“Sinclair,” I say, and he meets my eye. “Don’t fucking do this.”
He simply smirks. “Sorry, Chief.”
Gable lifts Ella’s knuckles to his lips and kisses them, their eyes locked as she cries. “I love you more than life, Gibson. Tell the kids every day I love them with everything in me.”
“I love you,” she whispers, her lip trembling.
He smiles, and it’s somehow believable. “I’ll always wish for you.” He snatches up the gun, pulls back the hammer, holds it to his temple, and fires.
Click.
I scrub my face, looking away while Ella lets outa cry and hugs her husband. Gable exhales and places the gun down, kissing Ella and whispering something to her that has her nodding.
Sawyer claps. “This is fucking fantastic! It could be the quickest game we’ve ever played. Lina, you’re next. I’m giving you good odds here, love.”
Lina sneers. “Go fuck yourself. Watching your brother bleed out was the highlight of my fucking year.” Sawyer blanches, and she picks up the gun and looks at me. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” I barely have time to react when she places the gun to her temple and pulls the trigger.
Click.
