She scowls. “So that makes hurting me okay?”
“You hurt me a lot worse when you left. I had to make sure you paid for that.”
“Allora, enough.” Silver steps forward. “Nothing he says is going to change anything. It’s time to decide.”
She pulls in a shaky breath.
“We vote,” Silver continues. “Death or Prison. Everyone here has a vote. Majority decides his fate.” He pauses. “Death.”
He turns to Metal, who doesn’t even hesitate. “Death.”
Bones shakes his head before saying, “death.”
Nitro seems torn but eventually shrugs. “Death. We don’t rape women.”
“Fuck you. You were there that night thirteen years ago,” Tex growls at him. “You thought it was funny.”
“I was an immature ass and no oneactuallyhurt her. No onetouchedher. And no onerapedour VP’s teenage daughter! I was an ass for letting her be scared like that, but I have the marks Silver gave me for participating.” He lifts his shirt and the crisscross scars across his back show a man who paid for his sins in blood.
Tex turns away. “Whatever. You’re a traitor like the rest of them. Like you’ve never raped anyone.”
“Never!” Nitro hisses. “Never ever. I’ve done some shit, but notthat.”
Tex is quiet as Silver turns to Rage.
“Death.”
Then to me.
This is hard because I know what I want to say, but I don’t want this to haunt the woman I love.
“Say it,” she whispers. “Be honest.”
“Death.” I spit out the word grudgingly. Not because I give a shit about him but because I’m worried abouther. What we’re about to do.
“Allora.” Silver says her name quietly, eyes searching her face.
“Death.” It comes out like a hushed whisper but we all hear it.
“I’ll see you in hell,” Tex growls.
Silver pulls a gun from the back of his pants and I see Allora’s eyes widen, so I’m momentarily confused. It’s smaller, a .38, and the handle is decorated with pink mother of pearl.
“Mom’s gun,” she whispers.
He nods, proffering it. “She would want this.”
Her hand shakes as she takes it. She stares down at it for what feels like a long time but is really only about thirty seconds. Then she lifts it, aims at Tex, and stands there.
None of us move.
Hell, I don’t think any of us breathe.
She waits a long time. Minutes tick by, and I have no idea what she’s thinking but I know she’s scared. Conflicted. It’s harder than people think to kill someone in cold blood, especially when it’s not a life-or-death situation.
“Are you going to do it or not?” Tex yells. “What’s the matter? Scared?”
“Shut the fuck up!” Silver backhands him.
