His jaw tightened. "When. You two will be okay, no-one's dying on my watch."
The certainty in his voice steadied me. This man had survived war zones, had clearly been through hell. If anyone could get us through this, it was him.
I had to find hope where I could.
I just hoped he didn't plan to sacrifice himself.
The van door suddenly swung open, the interior light blinding me for a moment. My heart leaped into my throat as a silhouette stood there. It took me a moment to adjust to the light.
Alfeo stood there, his expression unreadable, only worrying me more. I let my gaze drop, my heart stuttering as I saw it. The gun was still in his hand, ready.
"Change of plans," he said, his voice flat.
Fuck.
16
ELENA
Alfeo's eyes flickered, wild and unfocused, darting frantically around the confined space of the van like a cornered animal searching for escape. The whites showed all the way around his irises, giving him a manic, unhinged appearance that sent ice through my veins. There was something terrifying in that gaze—the look of a man who'd crossed a line he hadn't meant to cross and now saw only one way forward. I'd seen fear before, seen anger and desperation, but this was something else entirely—this was the unraveling of a human being happening right before my eyes.
I held my breath. We all did.
"He shouldn't have gone for his gun," Alfeo muttered as he shook his head. "But I can still fix this."
But there was no fixing this. Not now. Not with that gun in his hand, which was trembling ever so slightly.
The silence was suffocating.
No one dared speak. The only sound was the metallic rattle of the gun as he shook it in frustration. My heart was a drumbeat in my throat.We're going to die here,I thought.Mom will never know what happened to me.
"Fuck it," he snapped. "I need to run. Can't have any baggage."
Ivy's breath hitched, her voice breaking through the tension. "I thought—" she sniffled, tears streaking her mascara, "I thought we shared something special, Alfie. Was it all nothing?"
What was she doing?
He scoffed as he climbed into the van, aiming the gun at Jackson as he stepped around him. "Special? You were just a whore. A hole to fill." His words were venom, deliberate and cruel.
Ivy's shoulders shook with sobs, her face crumpling.
Was she just acting? Surely she had to be?
"Why, Alfie?" Ivy cried, and he rolled his eyes before crouching down and turning his attention to Jackson. He let the gun lower as he cocked his head, smirking at Jackson.
"I swear, these fucking whores?—"
In that split second, Ivy pulled a hand free. Before I could process what was happening, she thrust her arm forward, a hissing sound filling the van as she sprayed directly into Alfeo's eyes.
He howled, clawing at his face, and Jackson seized the moment, lunging forward. He slammed into Alfeo, knocking him out of the van. The gun went off with a deafening crack that made my ears ring, and Ivy's scream echoed in the van.
Gunfire shattered the air again.
I ducked instinctively, curling into Ivy as Jackson and Alfeo wrestled outside on the gravel. The sound of fists connecting with flesh made me wince. Ivy's hand found mine, squeezing hard enough to hurt as we huddled together. We were frozen. Helpless. The copper tang of fear coated my tongue.
Another shot went off, and Ivy cursed, her body flinching along with mine at the sound.
"They're away from the door!" Ivy gasped as she dared to glance up. I turned, realizing the pair of them had moved their struggle alongside the van. I listened, following the movement as Ivy and I broke apart.
