63

Obey first, complain later.

The words ring in my ears as Jackson falls to the ground.They'retaunting me, reminding me of theveryfirst day I broke myownrules and fell intoJackson'slife.

Nowthere'sonly one ruler I want to obey, andhe'sthe man that would kill for me a hundred times over.

"Jackson!"I scream his name in pure agony.

Please let him be okay. Ican'tpray to god to save him;I'vedone things that would make god turn his back on me. I could pray to the devil, but I think Jackson is him by another name—a beautiful, fallen angel with the darkest of hearts.

But he just lies there, unmoving.

Above me, Aaronwheezesin pain. He tears the knife from his shoulder and lets it clatter to the floor, stumbling slightly on his feet.

"What goes around comes around, Keller,"he mutters in a rasp.

I only have a split second tomake my decision, butit'smore than enough. I dive forward onto my side, grabbingJackson'sknife fromAaron'sfeet.

My stomach is churning, but Idon'thesitate.

When my fingers close around the blade, it feels like coming home.

Aaron curses, swinging his gun down, buthe'stoo slow.I'vealready thrust the blade into his right shin with a scream.

He topples, firing the gun into the air as he hits the ground. The bullet smashes into one of the mirrors above us, fragments of glass raining down on us. I grab his gun, but I toss it away across the floor.

I need to feel every second of this, just like Jackson does.

The sensation of raw power burns through me. It's everything I've resisted. Everything I've told myself I shouldn't give in to.

I couldn't do it in the forest. I wasn't ready to accept my darkness.

But this time, I do. This time, I have a goddamn reason.

I scramble up and slam the knife down intoAaron'schest.

Again and again and again.

Hot flecks of blood are spraying onto my cheeks, but Idon'tstop. I feel my arms grow heavy as I plunge the knife down intohissoft flesh. I can hear my scream in the air likeit'scoming from a wild animal, and his guttural moans as the life seeps out of him. This man tormented Jackson and tried to tear his whole life apart. He deserves this.

Finally, my pace slows.

Reality hits me.

I just killed another man.

There's no denying it now. I'm a killer.

I just gave in to everythingI'vebeen fighting since that day when I was fifteenandI stood above my fosterfather'sbody, knowing hecouldn'thurt me ever again.

But no guilt or shame comes.

SuddenlyI'msocertainthatI'dkill again if it meant savingJackson'slife. It feels electrifying. Maybe Jacksondidn'tawaken anything in me. He just handed me a mirror to finally see myself, and for the first time, Itrulylove what I see.

I'm not trying to escape any longer. I'm a killer and there's no other way I want to be.

I raise my head, breathing hard asAaron'sblood trickles down my face.

"What goes around comes around,"I echo in a snarl at his dead body. His lifeless eyes are reflected in the mirrors surrounding him.

I quickly turn my focus to whereJackson'sbody lies yards away from me. I start to jump to my feetbuta movement to my side stops me.

I freeze. Fragments of a figure appear in the mirrors all around me before I see whereheactuallystands.

As he steps around the corner,I recognize the gangly, familiar figure.

Brock's face looks back at me. He's holding his gun.

"Brock,"I breathe."What are you doing here?"

For a second, relief floods me. If my team is here, at leasttheycan call an ambulance for JacksonandI can try to tell them the truth aboutAaron'scrimes.

But as Brock advances, I can see a look on his faceI'venever witnessed before. His usual soft features are twisted into a look of hatred.

My spine stiffens as it hits me. He'snot here to save me.

"You bitch," he spits, walking forward with his gun still raised toward me. "He'd only paid for me for half and now he's dead."

Understanding drops like an anvil in my chest, my voice shaking."You were working with Aaron. But why, Brock?You'remy friend."

He laughs."Yeah, your friend.That'sall you could ever see me as."

Sweat breaks out over my forehead."What are you talking about?"

"One day Aaron approached me at the bar. Told me everything you'd been doing. I didn't want to believe it at first, but then it all made sense. He showed me photos of you in Jackson's house. You rejected me, Ava. For him."

He gestures atJackson'sbody on the ground."For a murderer, the one we were supposed to be putting behind bars. You let a serial killer fuck you. You know how hard it is to be a nice guy in this society?"

I grit my teeth. Once,hisaccusation would have sent me into a spiral of guilt. I would have heard my fosterfather'scruel words screaming through my head, telling mehe'sright.

But not anymore.

"The version of me you wanted doesn't exist, Brock," I say. "I'm not apologizing for that. This world isn't black and white. They teach you that in the force but it's just not true."

"Don'ttry to lecture me, Ava,"he mutters."Youdon'tknow whatit'slike. Everyone on the force underestimates me. Hawkins thinksI'man idiot. Ryan and his buddies treated me like I was a joke. Betthey'renot laughing now. I planted the evidence to make Hawkins believe you and Keller were in on it the whole time.Aaron offered to pay me, sure, but the real reward was punishing you.You deserve it for choosing a psycho over a good man."

Pain sears through my scalp asBrock'sfree fists in myhair,dragging me across the floor. I gasp as he throws me against ahugeshard of a mirror, its jagged edge sticking upward above me.

He waggles his gun at me."I'mgoing to kill you, and everyoneis going tocall me a hero for it.I'mthe one who stops the killers in the end. I save the fucking day. Me."

My heart is racingbutI try to stay calm."Aaron is dead.It'sover.Don'tbreak the law any more than you have done already."

He sneers. "That's rich, coming from you."

The sudden sound of movement makes us both turn our heads.My heart flutters in my chest withfreshhope as I see Jackson stirring, propping himselfupoff the ground.Our eyes meet, and a surge of relief washes over me.

Brockjustlaughs."Still alive, huh, Keller? While you sit there bleeding out, you can watch me kill your girlfriend. The rest of the cops will thank me for it. The only person they hate more than me is her."

Panic fills me. I thrash againstBrock'sgrip, trying to knock him off balance, butit'sno good. He yanks my neck back by my hair. I twist in pain and reluctantly freeze.

"That'sbetter,"Brock mutters. His eyes flit back over to the other side of the room."Son of a bitch, where did he go?"

I follow his gaze.Jackson'sbody is gone. I canjustsee the slick pool of blood on the ground where he lay.

Brock glances around in fright, but nothing happens. Silence envelops us, and my stomach sinks with dread.

Jackson, where are you?

Have I been abandoned yet again?

Brock looks back at me, laughing in relief."Guess he made a run for it, huh? Wanted to save his own ass instead of saving you. Toobad,you'restill dying here tonight. You trusted the wrong psycho."

Brock'sfinger slides over the trigger.

Ican"thold back the sobs that rack my body. Waves of fear crash over me, drowning me in despair. Itcan"tbe true. I trusted the right man.

"I might be a psycho, but I'm the right fucking psycho."

We both whip around atthe sound ofJackson'sdeep voice behind us.

Before Brock can move another inch, Jackson grabs his head and slams it down onto the mirror shard behind us. The jagged edge slices up intoBrock'sthroat in a huge gash. A fountain of blood sprays across the room, reflected a million times over all around us.

Jackson ramsBrock'sneck down on the edge, again and again.

I fling my hands up to shield my face from the blood, but I can still see the grim smile onJackson'sface. His eyes are wild with primal power as he mutilatesBrock'sbody.

Brock gurgles out a dying whine before going silent. Jackson tosses his body to the ground in a heap and immediately crosses to whereI'mknelt.

He drops down to my level, his hands finding my face.I'mbreathing so hard thatI'mshaking.

"You didn't leave me," I stutter.

"Did you really thinkI'dleave you here alone, little dove?"he murmurs.

I shake my head and fall against his chest. Relief is pounding through me."Tell meit'sover, Jackson."

"It'sover.It'sjust you and me forever now."He tilts my head up to face him."You killed Aaron to save me."

I nod. Tears are stinging my eyes, but they're not tears of shame or sadness. They're tears of pure joy. "I'd do it again if I had to." I touch Jackson's chest and blood stains my fingertips. "You're hurt. We need to call an ambulance right now."

"It just clipped my shoulder,"he reassures me."I hit my head on the way downandit knocked me out for a minute."

Jackson's mouth presses into mine and I moan into his kiss.