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"I want to see it."

Cassian's slightly taken aback. "What? Why?"

"Because… because they'd hurt me enough. I've been their puppet for years and I want them to see me before they die. And I want to see it for myself. I need to. Otherwise, I won't be able to believe that they won't come for me or Illyana again. Please. I need to see it."

Cassian's jaw works back and forth as he stares at me, then he lifts his hand and gently cradles my cheek. "Are you sure? Watching someone die is… challenging."

"I need to."

"Okay." Cassian takes a deep breath. "I'll take you."

I expected an abandoned warehouse or a dark alley somewhere for their execution, but Cassian brings me to an office building in the middle of the city. The music of car horns, squealing tires, and the chaos of the New York City streets floods the air above me as we take the stairs down to the basement.

And then down further.

Cassian's hand remains locked in mine as we walk down and down, deeper than I even knew buildings like this could go, until the chaos of NYC is nothing but a distant hum far above us. A short, well-lit corridor stretches before me and the air carries a hint of metal as I breathe and walk forward.

One gray door swings open and Valentina strides out, only to halt when she sees us. Her brows lift as a flash of surprise sparks in her eyes. "Sabina. I didn't expect to see you here." She glances at Cassian with a very heavy unasked question sitting between them.

"I need this," I say, not needing Cassian to speak for me. "I need to see them die with my own eyes. I need to know, without a doubt, that they won't come back."

Valentina's lower lip twists into her mouth as she nods. "I respect that. Do you want them to see you?"

I nod. "Yes."

"Alright. Follow me." Valentina flashes me a warm smile, then she turns and strides down the hallway with her high heels clacking like the ticks of a doomsday clock. She leads us to the farthest away gray door and pushes it open, then steps aside and ushers us inside.

Cassian's grip on my hand tightens as he walks in first and I gratefully squeeze him back.

It's a large, square, empty room with stone floors as gray and empty as the walls.

Boris and Leo kneel on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs, gagged and blindfolded. Bradley stands behind them while Ruslan paces in front of them, but that stops when he sees me.

"She's come to say goodbye," Valentina says before anyone can ask why I'm here.

It's… odd seeing them like this. Two men behind the worst night of my life and one responsible for mental and emotional scars that run so deep, I'll be in therapy for the rest of my life.

They look small on their knees like this. I can't decide whether it's because Bradley is so large and broad that he makes everyone look small, or because I'm finally facing them down while surrounded by friends and knowing I'm safe.

Either way, they're small and pathetic.

How was I ever scared of men like this?

Bullies. Twisted, cruel bullies so caught up in their own greedy schemes that everyone else is just a stepping stone. It ends here.

Valentina moves forward and pulls the blindfold off Boris first. His eyes dart around wildly and he strains against his bonds with a vicious snarl. Bruises shadow his face, and I imagine there are a thousand more underneath his clothing. Those wild, dark eyes fly around and then lock on me so suddenly that air rushes past my lips in a gasp and I can't breathe.

It gets worse when Leo's blindfold is removed and he looks at me immediately. The gag does little to muffle the curse of bitch that spills past his lips. Every instinct within me tells me to run, that being here is like throwing a rabbit into a pen with coyotes.

Until Cassian's grip flexes around my hand. A simple touch reminds me that I'm not alone. Not anymore.

So I take a deep, slow breath and glare back at Leo.

So many times I played this over in my head, even when I was younger. I'd fantasize about Leo dying, about me being the one to kill him, and I'd say something cool or damning before his life would end.

Now that I'm here, I don't want to waste my breath. There's nothing at all he deserves to hear from me. I just want him to see me and know that I won.

I survived.