Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

54 In Time He'll Realize

Colton~~

Of my ten shots, only four strike the head. For Vienna, all ten of hers hit right in the chest.

I set my gun down on the ledge while the targets are whisked away on a conveyer belt to be replaced by fresh ones. I let the headphones rest around my neck.

Vienna changes out her cartridge for a new one. "Is it Iris or your brother?" She can always tell when something's wrong with me.

With my finger I nudge the gun along the ledge. "Both?" The gun threatens to tip over the side. I prod it back to a place of balance. "She's an impossibility that threatens our dominance. She can't go on, and Jonas as the Preeminence should understand that better than anyone in the Society. At this point I'm convinced he knew the whole time."

She gives me a sad sort of smile, setting her gun on the edge as well. "It's like you've forgotten, Colton."

"Forgotten what?"

"What you were so worried about: your brother liking Iris. How can you kill someone you care about?"

The target in front of me is fresh, made out of a clear material with a black outline. In that target lies Vienna's answer. You have to imagine the person is only a target. A clear, blank slate. You have to believe they don't have any substance. That they're replaceable. That they aren't a living thing.

After you do that, it would be easy.

I brush my thumb over her cheek. "I don't know."

"You can't take her from your brother then."

"I have to."

"No, you don't. Lock her in a cell. Keep her trapped here. But you don't have to kill her. Your brother won't forgive you."

"In time he'll realize it's for the best."

"Let us hope you never live past your Expiration Date then, because I can't stomach the thought of knowing you'd take your own life."

She removes her headphones from around her neck and hangs them on the rack.

"Vienna—"

"Would you?"

"I—"

The door nearest to us opens, and Bently enters the gym. "Colton." His eyes seem slightly wild. His body too fidgety.

"What's wrong?"

"Erik's car was found in a ravine. There's no sign of him or Iris."

Vienna turns away, a hand on her mouth.

"He staged it?"

Bently turns his palms over, face up. "We don't know. If it wasn't intentional, he could have fled. Iris's body could have been taken by the current."

Vienna leans against the ledge—the barrier separating the shooters from their targets. "She really was a replacement for Molly."

Bently shifts his weight. "If you'd both excuse me, I have to go tell Uncle Raoul and Aunt Georgiana." Bently is not the person that should be delivering that kind of news to Erik's parents. Erik's still alive, even if he crashed, but he can't be in good shape. Rebels could even have been behind this. Of course, Erik would probably feel right at home with them.

By the time Bently has left the room, I've already decided I'm going to the site of the crash.

Vienna hangs her gun on the rack. She doesn't look at me.

"Vienna, I need to ask something of you."

She doesn't answer. She keeps her hands on the gun as if she's double checking it won't fall.

"I'm going to go find out what happened. I need you to cover for me."

She purses her lips, her body still angled toward the rack. "That's a horrible idea."

"He's my cousin."

"This isn't about Erik."

"Yes, it is."

"Don't lie to me." She presses her palms against the ledge that comes out of the rack. Her muscles flex in her arms. "It's insulting."

"This is about my family and protecting them so that one day you and I can both live here together in peace."

"Don't pin my happiness on the death of a girl. Go. I'll cover for you. But if you kill her, I will never forgive you." She walks toward the set of doors on the other side of the gym. She clearly didn't want to use the closer set of doors enough to walk past me.

I've loved Vienna. Since the night I found her sprawled in the maze's fountain after she tripped, I knew she was going to mean something to me one day.

But the Society—it comes before all else. Even if that all else includes my happiness.