Page 110 of Camera Stays On

“No. What’s it about?” I asked, watching him carefully. He was so much calmer than he’d been just a moment ago.

“The butterfly effect. How one small thing can change everything. I think about it often. If you hadn’t killed Ray, for instance. Or if I hadn’t confronted Purdy at the altar. What would our lives look like if those things hadn’t happened?” He walked slowly over to the kitchenette, as if he weren’t holding us hostage, hadn’t murdered most of the people on his film crew, and I hadn’t fucked his ex-girlfriend.

“You said Darius and Bea are dead now, too? That was fast.” He nodded and drew in a breath. “That means it’s just Mick and Juliet upstairs, which I’m sure they’ll end up taking each other out. Juliet is stupid, and Mick is a brute.”

I perked up for a fraction of a second. He’d been paying attention when I said Bea was dead. Good. Hopefully, she’d be able to get out safely, albeit slowly. On foot, it was a long trek, but on a damaged foot—the journey would be even worse. She needed every boost she could get.

“What about me and Andi? Are you going to kill us too?”

“I haven’t decided,” he said in such a monotone voice I knew he was telling the truth. He really wasn’t sure what to do with us, which meant that at any time his anger could flare, and just like he’d done to Gavin, he’d shoot us dead. “Do you really think she cheated on me?” he asked as he opened the cupboards and pulled out a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. Setting the bread down, he looked at me, and I cocked my head.

We’d been through this, hadn’t we? My days were starting to blur. I was almost sure he’d been informed it was all a lie. I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”

“Do you think she ever loved me?” he asked, gripping the peanut butter jar.

I licked my lips. My heart was beating so loudly in my ears it drowned out everything else. I dropped my head to my chest.

“No.”

It was like a clap of thunder. A crack in the very foundation that was Sawyer’s psyche. My gaze drifted up, and I watched as his eyes took on a faraway look.

“So, that’s why you did what you did.”

I nodded. He’d finally realized it all and how much of a bastard I truly was. I was ashamed to call myself his brother. From day one, I’d pretended to be okay with him having her, but all along I’d been on the sidelines, manipulating things so that eventually, she’d leave him.

The only thing I hadn’t planned was her actually wanting me.

“I’m sorry, Sawyer.” The words came out in a soft whisper, but he heard them. His eyes swung over to me instantly, and he blinked.

“Sorry? Well, that’s interesting. I’m not.” He whipped out his gun, swung it over at me, and pulled the trigger.

Chapter 50

Asher

NO SHOT.

Failure to fire.

I was still fucking alive.

Sawyer and I stared each other down for a long moment, and suddenly adrenaline flooded my veins. I stood up from the chair, gripped the arms, and ran at him with a loud cry. Crashing against him, we fell to the floor, and the chair exploded all around us.

“You bastard!” I tore the ropes from my wrists and screamed as my hands encircled his throat. I squeezed until he managed to shove me back. “You were going to kill me.”

“You deserve it!” he snarled, kicking me square in the chest with his boot. I fell to the ground and, while trying to catch my breath, looked around for the gun. The chances of him having another misfire were slim.

My gaze swept across the room wildly, and for a brief moment locked with his. His brow furrowed, trying to figure out what I was doing, and it hit him. I was looking for the gun. He started to search, too, and we both found it at the same time and dove for it.

“Fuck off.” I shoved him back as I crawled under the table toward the weapon. “If you’re going to kill everyone who takes interest in her, then you’re going to have to take down cities, you dumb fuck.”

“I’ll burn the world to have her again, Ash.” The way his tone turned icy made me freeze and turn back. In the scramble, I hadn’t noticed that he stopped trying to get the gun. I reached for it but realized it didn’t matter. Sawyer was already across the room, pulling open a drawer and reaching his hand in to grab a knife. “I’ll burn everything.”

I scooted out from under the table, moving slowly.

“Sawyer, this is insane. You cannot kill me just because Andi doesn’t want you anymore.” I raised my hands. His gaze flicked to the gun in my left hand, but then he snickered.

“Who says?”