REESE

chapter forty seven.

Reese POV:

Ten hours after tracker activation...

"You idiotic child." A demeaning taunt in a world where age is often mistaken to define ability.

"I have had enough of your insubordination." Lightheaded, I opened my eyes to Elroy Baudelaire sneering at Carver in the cell directly across from mine. "You're fresh out of chances and I'm fresh out of patience." Grabbing Carver by his hair, he yanked his head up so that they could meet eye to eye. "I should have had your brother killed the second he stopped being of use to me but I stupidly kept him alive wondering if circumstances would change in the future."

Slanting his head, he looked almost disappointed as he took in Carver's half-conscious state. "I won't make the same mistake twice." He slammed Carver's head into the floor, knocking him out instantly. My already laboured breathing stopped altogether.

Elroy stood up. Turning around, he glanced at me briefly before looking over at a quiet Henri leaning against my cell wall. "Kill him." He ordered his son while swiftly exiting the cell. "And make sure she watches while you do it."

Henri's calculating eyes immediately met my distressed ones. Despite feeling like I was seconds away from unconsciousness, pure terror thundered through me. "Comme tu veux Don." He replied flippantly while pushing off the wall and stalking towards Carver. "As you wish."

"No." I whimpered, my heart rate skyrocketing in my chest with fear. Henri only spared me half a glance as he sorted through the table of weapons positioned in Carver's cell. "Don't kill him." My voice was a mere whisper, a pathetic attempt at begging. "Don't kill him, please."

He settled on a machete.

The pain in my chest was like agony personified, it bled and bled and bled until I couldn't see anything but the bright blue eyes I loved so much, already starting to dim. Panic had me hyperventilating. "I'll give you the accounts." I pleaded. "I don't have an exact number of how much is in each one but I know there's more than enough. Billions—and I can get you more. All the money is yours. Just get me a laptop and—and I'll cooperate this time I swear. Please! Just let him go! I can give you my logins right now!"

Looking at the machete's blade, Henri frowned, then she started sharpening it. "I don't need your money anymore, Vanderbilt. Things have changed..." He paused. "alliances have changed. My people are demanding enemy blood and I'm going to make sure they receive it."

My head snapped towards Carver in alarm. His swollen eyes were shut, cloaked in unconsciousness. He was still, so very still, like his body had already made peace with this fate, but I hadn't. I couldn't. Eighteen years of trying to cement my place in this world and I had finally done it. I thought I was exactly where I needed to be and who I needed to be with but this brutal war-riddled year had opened my eyes in more ways than one.

I never knew what I was missing until I had the opportunity to miss it, Carver gave me that opportunity. A boyfriend had never been in my picture because I didn't see a value in just dating for fun, I wanted to date to marry. My first boyfriend was going to be my last and if that person wasn't Carver Asher Rutherford, I didn't want them. Carver was it for me but he couldn't bow out before we had even begun. I wouldn't let him.

"Please." I begged Henri. "Attacking your yacht and stealing the drugs was my idea. Every war crime committed in this war from our side was because of me. I designed those bombs that killed your soldiers in America, it was my weapons that caused the slaughter on the Port of Paris, it was my gun that killed your grandfather, it was my phone that filmed it. It was all me, not him. Please. If you want enemy blood take mine. Kill me."