"I will kill Mira," he said, his voice low, dangerous, trembling with rage. "I will kill her right now. I will make you watch. I will make you hear every sound."
Bella did not look scared.
"Try," she said.
Samuel’s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face like a shadow passing over water. He had expected fear, tears, begging, not this calm defiance.
Then he heard footsteps on the stairs.
Jace appeared on the second-floor landing, his arm wrapped securely around Mira’s shoulders. Mira was pale, her skin the color of old paper, her face a ss of bruises in shades of purple, black and yellow. Her lip was split, her eye swollen nearly shut and her clothes were torn, with dark stains on her shirt that could have been dirt or could have been blood. She was leaning heavily on Jace, her steps unsteady and he moved carefully, supporting her weight without rushing.
Jay followed behind them, his weapon raised, his eyes scanning every corner.
Samuel’s face went white, the color draining from his cheeks so fast it looked like soone had pulled a plug. His hand trembled, and the gun pressed harder against Bella’s temple, the barrel digging into her skin, but she did not flinch. She did not even blink.
Leo walked into the room.
His gray eyes swept across the scene in a single, cold glance. Samuel’s gun pressed against his wife’s temple. His jaw clenched in anger, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
"Oh, so it’s you," Leo said, his voice flat and emotionless, as if he were comnting on the weather, as if he had already stopped thinking of Samuel as a person worth acknowledging. His gray eyes were cold and dead, like the surface of a frozen lake.
Samuel laughed, but the sound was hollow and broken. "Yes. It’s ." His eyes were dark, burning with years of accumulated hatred.
"Let her go," Leo said.
"No." Samuel’s grip on Bella’s hair tightened, pulling her head back further. "No, I don’t think I will. You’ve taken everything from . My childhood. My peace. My father’s attention." His voice grew cold and sharp, like broken glass. "He never looked at the way he looked at you. He never cared about the way he cared about you. I was just a tool to him, a weapon to sharpen and point at his enemy."
Leo took a step forward, not caring about the words Samuel was shouting. His attention was fixed entirely on Bella.
Samuel stepped back, dragging Bella with him. "Don’t," he said. "Don’t co any closer." He pressed the gun harder against Bella’s temple.
Leo stopped.
Bella’s eyes t Leo’s, her brown gaze calm and fearless, giving nothing away.
Leo’s jaw tightened. "Samuel," he said. "Let her go. This is between you and ."
Samuel laughed again, that sa broken, hollow sound, like a bell with a crack in it, like a voice calling out in an empty room. "It was always between you and ," he said. "But she got in the way. She made you happy and I couldn’t stand that. I couldn’t stand seeing you smile while I was drowning."
He looked at Bella, his eyes softening for just a mont. "I loved you," he said. "I really did. But you chose him by telling him. You chose him over ."
Bella said nothing. Her face remained blank, completely unreadable. Even Leo could not understand what was going on in her head. She gave nothing away.
Samuel’s grip loosened, just slightly.
Taking advantage of that mont, Leo moved.
Faster than Samuel could react, Leo crossed the distance between them. His hand closed around Samuel’s wrist, and he twisted. The gun clattered to the floor, spinning across the concrete and disappearing into the shadows.
Samuel cried out in pain.
Leo shoved him back, putting himself between Samuel and Bella.
Samuel stumbled, caught himself against the table, and looked up. Then he attacked.
He lunged at Leo, his fists swinging wildly, and Leo t him halfway. Their bodies collided with a sickening thud, the impact echoing through the warehouse. Samuel swung wildly, his fist connecting with Leo’s jaw. Leo’s head snapped to the side but he didn’t stumble. He didn’t even blink. He turned back to Samuel, his gray eyes cold as winter steel.
Samuel swung again, and Leo caught his fist, twisting it hard. Samuel scread as his arm wrenched behind his back, and Leo shoved him forward, slamming him into the table. The plates and glasses shattered, scattering across the floor like broken teeth, shards of porcelain and glass glittering under the dim light.
Samuel pushed off the table, spinning around and grabbing a shard of glass from the floor. He lunged at Leo, aiming for his throat.
Leo caught his wrist and twisted again. The glass clattered to the floor, and Samuel cried out, his face contorted in pain. Leo shoved him back, sending him stumbling across the room until he hit the wall and slumped to the ground.
Leo walked toward him.
Samuel scrambled backward, his hands sliding on the dusty floor, his eyes wide with fear. "Stay back," he gasped. "Stay back!"
Leo didn’t stop.
Samuel’s hand closed around a broken chair leg, and he swung it at Leo’s head. Leo ducked, then drove his fist into Samuel’s stomach. Samuel doubled over, gasping, the air driven from his lungs. Leo grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his feet, his gray eyes burning into Samuel’s blue ones.
"You wanted to fight," Leo said. "So fight."
Samuel swung again, but Leo caught his fist and squeezed. Samuel’s face contorted in pain, his fingers grinding together.
"I’ve been waiting for this," Leo said. "Every ti you sent her those creepy letters. Every ti you watched her from the shadows. Every ti you made her afraid."
He shoved Samuel back, and Samuel hit the wall again.
But this ti, Samuel didn’t stay down.
He lunged forward, swinging wildly, his fist connecting with Leo’s ribs. Leo grunted, stumbling back as pain flared through his side. Samuel followed, his fists flying, landing blow after blow. Leo blocked most of them, but a few slipped through, a punch to his jaw, a kick to his knee, a shove that sent him crashing into the wall.
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