That if anyone was going to kill The General, it damn sure wouldn’t be her.
420
But I owed her nothing. Not honesty. Not clarity. Not even a warning. So I simply nodded. “Good. We’re on the same page.”
Paula shrugged. “Just don’t tell my brother. He’s a fucking pussy. Zane would try to talk you out of it. The only person he ever stuck his
neck out for was this girl.” Her voice curdled with hatred as she glared at Chloe. “That’s why I had fun breaking them apart.”
Savannah made a small disgusted sound behind me. I didn’t blame her. At this point, I’d had enough twisted history to last me the rest of
my life.
I squeezed Savannah’s hand. “These men are going to stay here with you two tonight and watch you. Make sure you don’t try anything stupid.” My eyes pinned Paula. “Especially you. Any crazy thoughts spinning around up there? Don’t act on them.”
She lifted her chin. “You have my word.”
I didn’t trust her word any more than I trusted broken glass not to cut.
“We’re done here.” I said. “Stay here,” I ordered the men. “Watch them. If either of them tries anything stupid… assume they’re suicidal.”
Paula looked amused. Chloe looked like she was about to faint.
I turned to Chloe. “And you… I almost hope you try something. Give them a reason to finish you off.”
She paled instantly, every ounce of bravado leaking out of her like air from a punctured tire.
I grabbed Savannah’s hand tighter. “Let’s go, baby.”
She nodded and stepped beside me, but before we could get to the door, something tugged at the back of my mind.
I turned. “One more thing. If you both think you’re stepping foot into my jet, rethink it. We’ll send you across another way. Something…
fitting.”
I smirked, savoring their reactions–Paula’s narrowed eyes, Chloe’s collapsing spirit.
We stepped out into the hallway, and the heavy door thudded shut behind us. Savannah leaned into me, exhausted, trembling slightly. I wrapped my arm around her waist and guided her down the corridor.
She spoke first. “Roman… Do you think Paula’s telling the entire truth?”
“No.” I didn’t sugarcoat. “She doesn’t look like someone who tells the whole truth. She tells whatever piece benefits her.”
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Chapter 372
Savannah swallowed. “And Chloe?”
:
“Chloe just wants to survive. She’ll lie, cry, kneel, scream–anything.”
“And Jace?” she whispered.
I inhaled deeply. “I don’t know anymore.”
That was the real truth.
Savannah rested her head on my shoulder as we walked. Her exhaustion was a weight I could feel through her skin. It felt heavy and soft
and human. It was a sharp contrast to everything else around us.
“We’re really going to confront The General, aren’t we?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“You’re not afraid?”
I gave a low laugh. “I’ve been afraid of that man more than half of my entire life. This time, fear doesn’t matter.”
She squeezed my hand tightly. “What if… what if he tries to hurt you?”
“He won’t,” I lied smoothly.
She knew it was a lie. I felt her stiffen. But she didn’t push.
We stepped into the cool night air outside the building and Savannah exhaled shakily. “I hate today.”
“I know.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s almost over.”
She didn’t answer. Just climbed into the car with slow, drained movements.
I stood outside a moment longer, letting the night settle over me. Letting the weight of what was coming sink deeper into my bones.
Jace. Then Julius. Then my father.
The chain reaction that would burn down everything that’s been rotting in the dark.
I got into the car beside Savannah. She curled into my side, and her breathing softened into the rhythm of someone barely holding herself
together.
And as Alonzo pulled away, she whispered, “Roman?”
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