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“Owen,” I said, low and urgent, “I never meant to kill Wesley.”
“But you did.”
“Yes, and I regret it every single day. But he shot me twice. In my back and chest.”
“You should have fucking died.”
“I know. Where’s your mom?”
His hand twitched around the gun. “She’s dead.”
“Oh, jeez. Owen, I’m so sorry.”
“Fuck you. Stop lying.”
“I’m not lying. I loved your mom.”
“You fucking killed her.” He snapped the gun up again, his eyes wild, a caged animal cornered by grief.
“No. Wait.” My mind tumbled back to that shootout in the warehouse. Nikki’s eyes had been on me when she’d cut Ebony’s throat. When Ebony slumped to the ground with blood pouring from her neck, I fired my gun at Nikki as she sprinted away. Blood splatter proved that I’d hit her.
“I didn’t know she was dead. I honestly thought she’d escaped. I thought you both did.”
“Why did you do it?” Owen’s voice was ragged, laced with a pain I understood all too well.
I choked back my guilt and loathing for the twisted lies I’d told to this boy. “I’m sorry. It was my job.”
“Wesley and I, we . . . we—” His words were charged with anger and sorrow.
“I never expected to fall in love with your mom or you boys. But I did. And I wanted to help you get out of that life. I tried Owen. I tried.”
“How?” he spat.
“I begged Nikki to leave Albert. I said I’d take you all into witness protection. I would look after you.”
“Liar.” His voice cracked like a whip.
“I’m not lying.” I inched closer.
“I’m sick of your bullshit.”
“Let me help you. Before you do something you can’t come back from, Owen. End your family legacy here.”
“You ended it when you killed everyone. You’re a fucking murderer.”
“Your father was evil, Owen. He didn’t love you.”
“Shut up.”
Taking a step closer, I leaned forward, and tilting my head, I pulled back my ear to show him the burn scar. “See this? Your dad did this with a lit cigar.”
“You probably deserved it.”
“He did that to me because I stopped him from beating up your mom in a drunken rage.”
He clenched his jaw, but his eyes belied him.
“He beat up your mother. Abused her. She protected you from all that, and I tried to protect her and you and Wesley.”
