"Go to them."
"Ander, I'm not leave—"
"Now!" I demand, my tone direct and harsh.
"No. . ." She cries, begging me with her tear-filled eyes as she searches mine.
"Oliva, Go now! You don't need to see this. When you get there, call 911."
"Ander—"
'Damn it, woman, NOW!" I shout. She jumps in response, startled by my outburst.
"NO!" She deadpans back, taking a step toward me.
"V—"
"Anderson," She shoves at my chest; the sadness, fear, and shock have morphed into what now appears to be anger, and it's radiating off of her, directed at none other than me.
"This fucker has controlled me, abused me, stolen my family from me, stolenyoufrom me. . ." She chokes out a small sob but quickly gets control of it.
"I will not leave. I have more right than anyone than to watch the blood drain from his black heart."
We stand silently for a few beats, neither of us backing down.
Finally, I nod in agreement. She nods in return and steps beside me, grabbing my left hand and holding onto it for dear life. I squeeze hers back.
When I pictured my life, I never thought I'd be here. I never thought I'd have it in me to take a life, but I do, and I will. She will never be safe with him alive; Via and I both know that. I'll be damned if I let this fucker take anything more from her.
I raise the gun, and everything around me goes black as my hands shake viciously with the gun in my grasp.
Chapter thirty-five
Via
One Shot.
One shot, that's all it takes to end a life. One squeeze of a trigger, and it can all end. Every torturous memory that I've suppressed flashes in my mind's eye, and I wait for thebang.
It never comes.
Everything rings silent for a few minutes. Ander and I stand there, unmoving, clinging to each other, with the gun pulled on Liam's body that's hanging on by the tiniest shred.
Then we hear them. Anders's head falls simultaneously as his hand holding the gun lowers.
"Olivia! Anderson!" Their voices call out from the near distance.
"We are in here," Ander called back as he looked down at me, eyes sweeping over me as if to ensure I was okay. I gave him a knowing nod as I drew myself into him even closer, fisting his shirt and burying my head into him.
Jett pushed through the large barn doors first, and everyone filed quickly behind him. Everyone comes to a halt as they notice Liam's lifeless body lying feet away from us.
"Is he?" Jett asks, his voice stern.
I look to Ander. He nods firmly.
"He's alive. Barely."
"End him," Izzy and Jett say simultaneously, then flash each other a look.
