Page 17 of Fatal Fantasy

“I’ve been looking for you, Carter. Every fucking day for the last six months. You thought you could just try to kill us and then disappear into the sunset?” He asks, and his voice instantly sends shockwaves from my head down to my toes, the grumble in his chest igniting a fire I never thought I’d feel again.

“I’m sorry, Jasper. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, you have to believe me,” I plead, knowing that convincing him won’t be so easy, especially not for a second time.

Back then, I was lying, but now, every word that leaves my lips is nothing but the cold, hard truth.

“I’ve thought about all the ways this could go, you know? Someone once said that you can drain the life from a person’s body with tiny pinpricks on the skin, small little cuts that’ll never know what mercy is,” he says, quoting me from the time we tortured the Masseria man together, and I inhale a sharp breath in preparation for whatever it is he has planned.

I’m already half-dead, but if I can heal the places in his soul, that I broke, before he kills me, I’ll finally experience peace before I go.

“Do whatever you want to me. I’m okay with it, as long as you’re the one who ends my life,” I whisper, wishing I could touch him, or look into his eyes while he absorbs my words, but I’m at his mercy, now.

“Tell me the truth. That’s all I want.” He steps closer, the scent of him forcing a wave of memories through my mind, but before I can succumb to my brain’s happy place, I feel a sharp sting along my belly.

He’s playing with me, dragging the tip of a knife along my skin, and I hiss through my teeth, hating how much I love when a blade cuts through my flesh.

Without hesitation, I confess everything that I lied about, and the things I did when I got to Emory.

The scouting, the planning, and even the bullshit sob story about my scars. I spill the details until my mouth runs dry, and my breaths are labored, but he doesn’t interrupt, listening while I outline the crimes I committed before I truly and fully gave them both my heart.

It doesn’t erase what I did, and how badly I deceived the two people who became my entire universe, but damn does it feel good to absolve myself of the guilt I’ve carried for too long.

“You tortured that man in New York, why?” He asks, finally speaking up after what feels like hours of my rambling, but he also slips the satin from my eyes.

My vision adjusts to the bright light as I blink slowly, and take in my surroundings, noting nothing that stands out against the plain brick walls.

“He knew me, and was going to tell the Corazza’s, which would’ve killed our deal. I was protecting us, while trying to convey the message my father gave me. It was supposed to be three days, I swear, Jasper. He lied to me, too,” I cry, the pent up emotions pouring out of my body, but when I finally get a good glimpse at one of the men I love, he doesn’t look at me like he once did.

His icy silver eyes used to light up when our gaze met, but now, the black in his irises has overtaken the unique color, and a fire set on my demise is lit in its place.

“You told me you’d die for us, Carter. All those times you promised that we’d be together until our final breaths, or that you’d lay down your life for mine, you were fucking lying!” He shouts, the huskiness in his voice vibrating off the walls, and I drop my head against the brick, feeling every ounce of pain I’ve caused him.

He’s spiraling, rehashing every moment of our relationship, and remembering things I forgot that seemed innocent, but stand out as red flags in his mind.

To be fair, I deserve every seed of resentment he carries, because there were days where I lied straight to his face, and he’ll never believe the piles of guilt I carried around with me on a daily basis.

“I’ll die for you, Jasper. Right here, right now. You need someone to blame for your pain, to absolve it somehow, and I’ll be that for you.” He stares blankly into my eyes, the first time he’s actually looked at me since removing the blindfold, and his icy silver irises hold nothing but harbored hatred, forcing me to realize just how far my betrayal pushed him off the edge.

“You’re not in charge, Carter,” he says, shaking his head as he turns away from my frail, tied up body, but the final shred of resolve I’ve been holding onto snaps.

“Do it! Please, Jasper, fucking kill me! Right now, with no witnesses around, just fucking put an end to my miserable life,” I beg, tears streaming down my face as the man I gave half of my heart to presents the one thing I’ve wanted every single day for the past half year.

In a second, he rips the gun from his waistband, cocking it and pressing the barrel to my forehead, and I audibly sigh in relief, more than prepared to reach the pinnacle of my desperate dreams.

“This is for my father, Tyson’s, and every-fucking-thing you stole from him,” he grunts, and I can’t stop the smile cascading across my face, more than ready to face my maker and atone for every sin I’ve committed in this lifetime.

One day, Jasper, we’ll find each other again.

My final thoughts are much happier than I assumed they’d be, but with him being the one to carry out my death sentence, there’s nothing better I could ask for as I finally cross the bridge to a different universe.

A few moments pass, and then a couple more, but I can sense his hesitation, like he’s battling an internal war inside his head, and rather than bargain, I choose to push him right over the edge.

“Pull the trigger. Pull the fucking trigger! Do it, Jasper! I want you to be the one to pull that damn trigger, please, do me one last favor, and fucking kill me!” I scream at the top of my lungs, absolving him of any guilt, and for the final time, his eyes meet mine.

Sadness, tears, and regret are pooled behind those beautiful silver irises, but I only nod softly, encouraging him to carry out the hit while my body is pinned up against the wall with no possible chance for escape.

Instead of fighting, or reasoning for him to take me away from here so we can start over, I decide to give him every ounce of permission he needs to do the one thing he came here for.

We were bred the same, instilled with the idea that promised vengeance would solve our problems, and right now, we’re the only ones who can save each other.