The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 181

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

Landon obeyed.

Silas’s attention moved between us, passing over Landon and Zane before returning to me.

“You know what the worst part is?”

None of us answered.

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“I spent years imagining tonight.” Emotion strained every word now. “I thought when you finally remembered my name, something would change.”

Landon remained quiet.

A humorless laugh escaped Silas. “Nothing changed.”

“Then let that be the end of it. You wanted him to remember you. He does.”

“No, Astra.” The sadness in his smile hurt to look at. “He remembers what I became.”

“That isn’t all you have to be.”

The gun dipped.

Barely.

I almost didn’t trust what I was seeing.

“Yes,” I whispered. “That’s it. Just put it down.”

Landon took another cautious step toward him.

Silas’s attention dropped to the weapon before wandering across the wreckage around us-the broken monitor, blood staining the floor, Landon’s battered face, the marks around my wrists and Zane’s bloodied knuckles.

His shoulders seemed to sag beneath the weight of it all.

“I had a daughter once who looked at me the way you do,” he said. “Like there was still something worth saving.”

He swallowed hard. “I wish I believed you.”

The pistol started moving back toward his head.

“No!”

I surged forward, but Zane caught me before I got anywhere, hauling me against him and locking both arms around my body.

“Silas, please!”

Landon moved too. “Mercer, don’t-”

Silas looked straight at me.

Blood streaked his battered face, tears caught along his lashes, and somehow, through all of it, he smiled.

It wasn’t the pleased smile I’d seen when he watched himself on the news or the smug one he wore whenever he thought he’d outsmarted everyone.

He just looked tired.

Thu, Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

“I’m sorry, Astra.”

Everything inside me seemed to drop.

“For everything.”

“Silas…”

The gun went off.

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My scream tore out of me as Zane turned me into his chest, one arm locking around my body while his other hand covered the back of my head. He pressed my face against his shirt before I could see where Silas fell.

“No, no, no…”

I didn’t even know whether I was speaking aloud.

I tried to pull away, but Zane held me tighter.

“Don’t.”

“Zane…”

“Don’t look, Trouble.”

Chaos erupted around us. Doors flew open and footsteps thundered into the room as voices began shouting over one

another.

“Police!”

“Secure the weapon!”

“Get a medic in here!”

I instinctively tried to turn toward the commotion, but Zane’s hand stayed firm at the back of my head.

“Astra.”

Something in his voice made me stop fighting him.

He eased me away just enough to take my face between his hands. Blood marked his split lip and smeared his knuckles, his breaths coming almost as unevenly as mine. His eyes moved over my face as though he needed to convince himself all over again that I was standing in front of him.

“Eyes on me.”

I did.

Police and paramedics crowded the room behind him. Equipment hit the floor. Orders flew back and forth, and somewhere among all of it I could hear Landon’s voice.

Zane kept himself between me and whatever was happening behind him.

“He…” I couldn’t get any further.

“I know.”

“I tried to stop him.”

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

His forehead came down against mine.

“I know you did.”

Whatever I’d been holding together finally gave way.

I folded into him, clutching fistfuls of his shirt while he wrapped himself around me.

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Silas had kidnapped me. Used me to punish someone for something that had nothing to do with me. Terrified me for days.

I didn’t forgive him.

I wasn’t sure I ever could.

But somewhere during those four days, I’d seen glimpses of the man he might have been before grief and anger consumed everything else. Maybe that was why this hurt in a way I hadn’t expected.

After everything he’d done, some part of me had still hoped he would choose differently.

He hadn’t.

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12:02 Thu, Aug 13

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

I’D DO IT AGAIN

ZANE

The first thing the paramedic told me was to let go of Astra.

The first thing I told him was to go fuck himself.

He stared at me. I stared back, unblinking.

Whatever he saw on my face convinced him this wasn’t worth arguing about.

“Fine. Stay beside her.”

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Astra sat on the open back step of the ambulance with a silver emergency blanket wrapped around her shoulders. One of the paramedics crouched in front of her, gently turning her wrists to examine the red marks left by the ropes.

I stood between her knees.

Her fingers were hooked into the bottom of my shirt and hadn’t let go since we’d come outside.

I kept feeling the little tug of her grip every time she moved. I needed it more than I was willing to examine.

The entire property was lit by flashing blue and red. Police cars packed the narrow road, officers moved in and out of the house, and people in gloves were carrying equipment through the front door.

The place didn’t look quiet anymore.