by Coralee June
“No,” I sobbed. “No. They’re wrong.”
“Flight logs have been released, and authorities are trying to get in contact with family members now. Gavriel Moretti has been on an international watch list for the last eight years. His father was a well-known criminal and is currently serving a life sentence in prison. We don’t know the details of the crash, but we do know that it caught on fire in the air.”
It caught fire in the air…
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“Turn it off,” Nix’s voice roared. I couldn’t see through the tears streaming down my face. Sunshine. Gavriel. Callum. Blaise. Ryker. They were all gone.
The baby.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“Turn it off!” Nix screamed. His booming voice echoed around me as I clutched my ears and curled in on myself. A booming crash sent glass shattering around me. He’d thrown a lamp at the screen.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
I rocked back and forth. Someone’s arm wrapped around me. “Everyone leaves,” I whispered. “Gavriel…” He was my brother. We might not have been close, but he was family. He found me. He’d saved me.
And now he was dead.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“Shh,” Alessandro whispered in my ear. Adrenaline laced with grief shot like needles through my veins. It pricked me. It stabbed at my gut, my chest. Each inhale felt stunted, like the air was leaking out of my lungs. “We’re gonna figure this out,” Alessandro assured me.
I cried out, letting the pain crush me and break through a curdling scream filled with sorrow. My throat was raw. I didn’t believe it. I couldn't believe it. Another crash sounded. I couldn’t even look.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
Alessandro left me to help Nix. “Calm down,” he ordered.
“Calm down? I can’t fucking calm down!” I opened my eyes and turned to look at them both. Nix was punching holes in the wall. Alessandro was trying to hold him back. Boom. Boom. Was that the sound of fists or my heart breaking? “Sunshine is dead. She was my person!!” Nix roared. “She was my fucking soulmate!!”
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
Alessandro let go of Nix and took a step back. I tugged at my hair, pulling the strands to keep me grounded. The stinging pain helped me stay present in the moment, even though my brain wanted to protect itself from the grief and trauma and just shut off for a little while. “She was pregnant.”
Nix punched the wall again. His fists created holes in the sheetrock, and spiders fled the punctures he made. “I know,” Alessandro croaked. He sounded helpless. “I know.”
“You don’t know. This is your fault!” Nix screamed. “Both of you. You should have never gone after me. You shouldn’t be here. If you wouldn’t have come here, the Ringleaders wouldn’t have done this. I hate you!” he screamed before looking at me. “I hate you both!”
I sobbed harder. My chest felt like it was cracked in two. What was left of my heart was suffocating in Nix’s clenched hand. “You don’t mean that,” I sobbed.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“I fucking hate you. I hate that you came after me. I don’t want you. I don’t want either of you!” he yelled.
Alessandro held his hand to his chest. “Nix, I know you’re hurting.”
Nix scrubbed his hands down his face. “You know nothing of hurting. Hurting is being ordered to set up a hit on a family of four. Their youngest child was three, Alessandro. Hurting is knowing you have access to a cure for cancer, but not being able to do anything about it. Hurting is hiring a chemist to poison crops for an entire town and watching them starve to death. Hurting is losing your best friend—the person you love most in this fucking world!”
I fell over to my side and curled up in a ball as I cried. It was like the night my mother died. I clutched my knees and sobbed. Alone. Everyone leaves you.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“I’m so sorry,” Alessandro croaked. Both of their voices were distant now. I wished I could make myself smaller. I wanted to disappear.
“You’re not sorry. You selfish bastard,” Nix growled. “You always wanted me to yourself, huh? Well, you might get your wish. The Ringleaders are going to kill everyone I care about. Are you still going to love me when Grace is dead? Are you still going to want me when it’s you six feet in the ground?”
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
“Yes,” Alessandro whispered. “I don’t regret coming here. I’m so sorry Sunshine is dead, but don’t make me apologize for wanting to be with you.”
“D-dead,” Nix cried out. “Dead.”
I bit my fist. I squeezed my eyes shut. Dead.
The Bullets were dead.
The Ringleaders send their highest regards…
Chapter Nineteen
Nix
My feet dragged across the hard ground. Dust filled my lungs as I walked. And walked. I waited until Grace was passed out and Alessandro was using the restroom. I left the motel without looking back. They were better off without me anyway. I moved tentatively. I moved without a sense of direction or a plan. I moved to put as much distance as possible between me and the people I loved.
It was always meant to come to this. I knew the moment I saw Alessandro and Grace walking around Sydney that this couldn't last. It was too dangerous. Loving me was a death sentence.
I refused to let anyone else from my life die.
I refused to let the Ringleaders murder more innocent people on my watch.
Sunshine, poor, poor Sunshine.
Her baby.
The only way out of this was death, and I was willing to die for the people I loved.
I found a car. Stole it. The old Nissan smelled like cigarettes and body odor. The seats were cut up, and it groaned whenever I tried to push it to highway speeds. I didn't care. I let it carry me away from Grace, away from Alessandro.
I drove. My mind felt like a broken mirror, the reflection too jaded and cracked. I stole a phone from a teenage girl wearing shorts that showed off her thong at the gas station. My heart knew what needed to be done far before my brain did. While sitting in the front seat, I reached out to the Ringleaders. I found failure at the press of a button. I gave myself up for them, I told them to find me. And then I drove far, far away.
The trade felt like my only option, and I wanted some relief from the pain I felt. I had to save them. I had to fix this.
I followed the sun. I thought of my best friend. Of her calm, reassuring smile. Her heart. Her kindness. Her sass. I thought about how she grew. How she found love in the four men who she ran from. The only relief I felt was that she died with the men she loved.
My mind fluttered to memories of us in our loft apartment, sharing what little we had and finding family in each other.
"Why did you save me that day, Nix?" she'd asked while munching on popcorn.
I looked at her and grinned. I couldn't really give her an answer. "I suppose it was fate. I just felt like I was supposed to, you know? I've always trusted my gut. It's never steered me wrong."
"I'm glad you did," she'd replied.
"Me, too."
I did my best to remember it all. Every smile. Every moment. All of me wanted to rebel, every memory was a painful declaration. It felt like saying goodbye as I swam through the many nights we spent together, cuddling, holding one another, and accepting each other for who we were. I didn't want to live in a world where I would miss her, even if it was a privilege to have someone so wonderful to miss.
She shouldn't have died. My gut was telling me that I was to blame for this. My gut was telling me that I had to turn myself in before anyone else died.
If only Grace and Alessandro had just stayed the fuck away. It was selfish of me to blame them, and even more selfish to take this road alone. I just didn't see another way
out of this. Gavriel was a monster of a man. If the Ringleaders could kill him, then what hope did Grace and Alessandro have?
I was at war with myself. Part of me was thankful for this time with them. I got to leave this earth knowing I had one last moment with the people who owned my heart. I reconciled with the boy who taught me how to love, and then I reunited with the woman who taught me I was deserving of love. The three of us could have been great. We were on the cusp of something difficult but great. We could have had it all.
But the Ringleaders fucking ruined everything.
They stole everything. My life. My friends. My lovers. My morals. My future. My talents, home, and soul.
Sunshine didn't deserve this. But at least we would be together once again.
People didn't understand our friendship. It was love at its core. It was a partnership unlike anything else. I would do anything for her. I left five years ago for her. I left for all of them.
And it didn't do a fucking damn thing. They still died. They still suffered.
I continued to drive. The night sky watched me scream and curse and sob. The road became blurred with my tears. Time felt like a pendulum—sporadic and sparse. My voice sounded tormented. I didn't even know my throat was capable of making such demonic sounds.
It wasn't until I noticed a truck following me that I pulled over. They were too close to be a civilian. The armored windows and bulletproof tires felt out of place. I got out of the car and put my hands up.
The headlights from my stolen Nissan provided the only light as a hooded figure got out of the truck and stalked over to me, gun raised and trained on me. "Nix Bailey?" he called, his accent American, his tone deep and sinister.
"The Ringleaders send their highest regards, eh?" I asked maniacally, my voice broken. I tilted my head up to the night sky. No sunshine, only the moon. Seemed fitting I would die without her namesake staring at me.
"Get on your knees," the voice said. I looked at my killer. He was tall with broad shoulders. Dark denim hung low on his hips, and the hoodie he wore kept his face in shadows. I obeyed. I had no fight left in me.
He started digging in his pockets while pulling the safety back on his gun. I watched in resignation as he pulled out a cell phone and aimed the camera at me. "My employers want proof of death, and I'm not in the mood to ride around with a body in the back of my truck."
"Just get it done already," I said with a sob. Snot dripped down my nose. "Just kill me."
"That's a first. My victims aren't usually begging me for death," he said with a dark chuckle. "It usually takes me ripping off their fingernails or cutting off their limbs before that happens."
His words should have made me feel some sort of fear, but I couldn't bring myself to feel much of anything but grief. "I'm not scared to die."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because my best friend is already dead!" My voice bled into the night. My throat was raw with emotion. Every muscle in my body flexed in pain. I hated this. I fucking hated this. I didn't think it was possible to cry anymore, but more fell.
"You talking about Moretti and his wife?" he asked carelessly while cocking his head to the side. "That crash was epic."
Heartless bastard. This was how all the Ringleaders approached death. They treated tragedies like games. "Shut the fuck up."
The man took a step closer and tilted his handgun to the side. "Last I checked, I was holding the gun. You don't get to tell me what to do. You get to sit there and beg for your life."
"I don't want this life," I spat.
The shooter let out a sigh like my internal crisis was boring to him. "I don't get it. According to the reports, you're a legit hacker. You could work for us. You could have a good life. It would be easy. Talents like yours shouldn't be wasted."
"I don't want the life of a Ringleader," I cried. "I'm not willing to sell my soul."
The man chuckled. "From what I hear, souls aren't really valuable. We care more about loyalty and power."
"Can we please just get this over with?" I begged. I was tired of waiting. I didn't want to give myself time to doubt this decision. I had to do this for Grace and Alessandro. As long as I was alive, the Ringleaders would be after me.
"No can do. My boss gave me very explicit instructions to make you suffer."
I cursed and pounded the ground with my fists. "How could I possibly suffer any more than I already have?" I asked. "I lost my best friend. I'll never get to be with the people I love."
My killer rolled his neck and shifted his weight from foot to foot. He looked far too casual for a man about to commit murder. But that's how all of these people were. They didn't value life. They didn't care who they had to step on to get what they wanted. We were all ants in their maze.
"I could always cut out your tongue so I won't have to listen to your whiney voice. This isn't even fun," the man said while shaking his head. "Come on. Be a man. At least fight me a little bit."
"I have no fight left," I admitted. Why was this guy even wasting time? Didn't he want to get this over with, too?
"Pathetic. The Ringleaders are better off without you. Maybe your boyfriend will actually fight," he said. My ears perked up.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Alessandro Gray and Grace Moretti are next on my list. Last I heard they were still at that motel you left them at. If I hurry, I can catch them and cash in."
Fury rolled over my bones. "You won't."
"I will. And it'll be easy."
I stood up. "Grace and Alessandro weren't a part of the deal. When I called, I said I was turning in myself in exchange for their safety."
The man shrugged. Beams from the headlights illuminated the corner of his face. I saw cold eyes staring back at me, shielded by his hood. "The Ringleaders don't really honor deals. It's not their thing, you know? Besides, I'm really wanting to buy a new boat, and the price on their heads is too good to pass up. Are you feeling tortured yet? I prefer emotional pain; it's more fun."
I stalked over to the man. "You can't do this," I yelled.
"I can. And I will. I'm the one holding the gun. You know what they call me, Nix?" he asked. Up close, I could see his wicked smile. "They call me Hunter. I hunt people. Names are quite funny, you think? What does Phoenix mean again?"
He raised the gun and aimed it at my chest. The last thoughts I had were of Grace and Alessandro.
And Sunshine. The world went black with thoughts of her brightening up the last seconds of my life.
Chapter Twenty
Grace
Nix was gone.
Gavriel was gone.
Sunshine was gone.
Blaise, Callum, and Ryker were gone.
But Alessandro was still here.
I felt molded to the bed, like I had been lying here for so long I was now one with the mattress. Grief and sadness were a part of me now. My heavy limbs couldn't move. My heavy heart couldn't beat.
"We need to leave soon, Grace. You have to get out of bed," he whispered softly while stroking my hair. I didn't understand his tenderness. Wasn't he sad like me? Wasn't he broken?
"What if he comes back?" I croaked. "He could still come back. If we leave, he won't find us. We can't—"
"He's not coming back, Grace," Alessandro said while rubbing my shoulder. He was too honest for my taste. I wanted to cling to false hope. A single tear rushed down my cheek. I felt a complex sense of hopelessness. I didn't want to leave the bed. I was swallowed by the idea of never moving again.
It's true what they say, you don't realize what you have until it's gone.
I had a brother. Someone who saved me. Someone who continuously protected me. Gavriel Moretti wasn't hardwired to love, and yet he hacked his way into my heart and gave pieces of himself to me. He didn't have to, but he did.
And now he was gone.
"Why did he leave?" I asked. Why did anyone leave? Why did people die? It wasn't fucking fair.
"I'm sure it's some martyr bullshit. He's hurting, Grace. Hu
rt people do really stupid things."
I rolled over to face Alessandro. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted. "You should go after him," I whispered. "I'll stay here."
"I'm not leaving you, Little One," he whispered before pushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. "Nix made his decision. You once told me that everyone leaves you. I refuse to do that. I'm never going to leave."
A fresh wave of pain washed over me. "But you love Nix," I croaked. "It's okay. I understand—"
"I also love you," Alessandro pressed. "You're my best friend."
"You're staying because you feel obligated to," my insecurities roared. The doubts were like a sharp blade I gripped tightly and on purpose.
"I stopped feeling obligated a long time ago," he admitted. It had to be a lie, didn't it? I was doubting everything today.
"But it's Nix."
Alessandro wrapped his arms around me and cradled me to his chest. I sobbed against his firm muscles. I gripped his shirt and wiped my snot on him. My breakdown wasn't pretty. I felt like I could have spent a month in his arms. I melted there. I felt like a selfish crater on his heart. But still, he held me. He chose me. He supported me.
Alessandro stayed. He stayed.
I thought this journey would lead to the love of my life, but instead, it brought me to my best friend.
A knock on the door clawed me free from my torment. "Nix?" I asked. Alessandro went stiff. He cautiously set me aside and grabbed the gun from the nightstand before making his way to the door.
"If it's a Ringleader, I want you to run, Grace. Run and never look back." I wouldn't be running. Alessandro and I were in this together. To the very end. Running seemed to just prolong the inevitable, anyway.
I got out of bed. My breathing was heavy. My heart raced. But what if it was Nix?
Alessandro looked through the peephole of the door and let out a curse. "Motherfucker."
"What?" I asked. Every bone in my body shook with adrenaline. I felt a spike in anxiety wash over me. I was ready to run.
"See for yourself," Alessandro whispered before unlocking the deadbolt and turning the knob.
