Everything happened in a blur, like the seconds had collapsed in on themselves, bending around the impossibility of the moment.
Ryan's brother—Jordan—stood with a gun pointed at my chest, and for a terrifying beat, no one moved.
Not Kyle.
Not Leonardo.
Not even me.
The wind roared through the shattered front doors, throwing in dead leaves and cold air that bit into my skin like tiny knives. My hair whipped around my face, but I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. All I could do was stare at Jordan's face and wonder what had broken in him. What piece of his soul had Leonardo carved out to make him choose this side.
"You should've stayed quiet," Leonardo said casually, brushing dust from the shoulder of his dark coat like he hadn't just declared war. "But you never could, could you, Isabella?"
My mouth felt dry. "What did you do to him?"
Jordan didn't flinch. He looked eerily calm, like his mind had already left the room and all that remained was a vessel, hollow and obedient.
