Bile churned in Asher’s stomach when Cameron closed his eyes and let out a shaky groan. He was going to fucking murder that deranged son of a bitch with his bare hands.
Asher mentally shook himself. He had to stay calm. He had to keep Kyle talking. As long as he was talking, he wasn’t thinking about hurting Cameron.
“You had the same opportunities that I did.”
“Shut up!” Kyle bellowed. “You don’t know anything about me!”
Asher held both hands up in a placating gesture. “Fair enough, but this—” He gestured toward the gun. “—isn’t going to change anything.”
There was a part of Asher that actually pitied the man. Kyle didn’t deserve what had been done to him any more than Asher did. The only difference was that, instead of breaking him, the past had made Asher stronger. It had made him desperate and hungry for something better.
No, that wasn’t completely accurate. The real difference was that someone had been there for Asher, someone who believed in him and cared enough to help him change his life. If not for Luke, he might have ended up just like Kyle.
“This was supposed to be easy. Landon said it would be easy.” Kyle shuffled back another step, dragging Cameron with him. “But you ruined it!”
Asher didn’t know what he had supposedly ruined, but the guy seemed very insistent about that point.
“I could finally tell my story. I could tell everyone how you just abandoned me and left me to fucking rot.” He let loose a scream of rage and pain. “You couldn’t leave it alone, though, could you? I thought if we found your parents, then you’d finally let it go, but no. Not you.” He chuckled darkly. “Not Asher Fucking Dare. Always has to be the center of the whole goddamn world.”
Asher didn’t know what the hell to say to that, so he said nothing. Was the guy actually pissed because Asher hadn’t just rolled over and let him destroy his life?
“You were always Mitchell’s favorite,” Kyle blurted, as if this had been something to envy.
“Yeah,” Asher drawled, “and look where that got me.”
“Yes.” Kyle went very still all of the sudden, his expression cold and empty. “Look where that got you. From where I’m standing, it’s a pretty good place to be.” Almost absently, he twisted the muzzle of the gun against the side of Cameron’s head. “You took something from me. Now, I’m going to take something you care about.”
“So, that’s it?” Asher blurted, desperate to keep Kyle’s focus on him. “You’re just going to shoot us right here in front of all these people?” The reporters and cameramen had retreated to a safe distance, but they hadn’t left. Asher had no doubt that they were still recording. “What will that prove?”
“I don’t have a shot,” Ryder muttered out of the side of his mouth. He inched to the left, but Kyle moved with him, turning to keep him in his line of sight. “Keep him talking.” His voice was low, barely on the edge of Asher’s hearing. “Keep his attention on you.”
Asher’s lungs burned as he struggled to breathe. Curling his hands into fists at his sides to hide their shaking, he stepped forward into the open space Ryder had just created. If Kyle wanted to kill him, there was nothing he could do to stop that, but he wasn’t going to die without doing everything he could to save the man he loved.
“You’re right!” he shouted when Kyle’s index finger inched toward the trigger. “You’re right that I abandoned you,” he continued when that deranged stare fell on himagain. “You know what, though? I didn’t even care. I never thought about you, Kyle. Not even once.”
Kyle shook visibly as his face contorted into an inhuman mask of rage. His hand twitched, pulling the gun a few inches away from Cameron’s skin.
“Shut up.”
Bolstered, Asher took another step toward him. “I didn’t care what happened to you. Hell, I was fuckingrelievedto get away from you.”
“Stop it!” Spittle flew from his mouth as his shoulders jerked. He lowered his hand a fraction, almost as if he’d forgotten he still held Cameron around the neck.
Asher grinned, broad and condescending. “No one cares about your story. No one wants to hear what you have to say. You’re nobody.” His heart slammed so hard against his sternum, he was surprised no one else could hear it. “You’re less than nobody.” He chuckled darkly, letting every ounce of genuine disgust he felt trickle into the sound. “You’re pathetic.”
“Shut up!” Pulling the gun away from Cameron’s head, Kyle used it to gesticulate toward Asher with hard, sharp jabs. “Shut the fuck up!”
Seizing the opportunity, Cameron brought his heel down on the top of Kyle’s foot, reared back, and threw his elbow into Kyle’s midsection. Blinded by his anger at Asher, Kyle had no time to react. With a loud grunt, hestaggered back, loosening his hold just enough for Cameron to wrench free and dive to the ground.
“No!” Kyle bellowed, swinging his hand out to aim the barrel of the 9mm at Asher instead.
A single gunshot, loud and reverberating, cracked through the air.
Asher flinched, every muscle in his body coiled tight for an impact that never came. Relief washed over him, making him lightheaded as he patted his torso, just to make sure he wasn’t actually injured. But no. He was shaken and pissed off, but he wasn’t hurt.
Crimson bloomed across Kyle’s chest, staining the fabric of his white T-shirt. His eyes rounded, and his mouth formed into a slackOas he staggered to the side, but he didn’t drop his weapon. He didn’t go down. He lifted the muzzle again.
Two more shots rang out as Ryder advanced, both finding their marks in Kyle’s chest. His body jerked with the impact, and his own weapon fell to the concrete with a clatter. Kyle followed it down, crumpling to the sidewalk on his back, his gray eyes wide and unseeing.
