Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Chris
Work Song - Hozier
S he’s the only thing I think of as they drive away.
When they take me out of the car in the middle of the forest, I don’t resist. Fighting isn’t on my mind. Ella is.
There are four of them walking me to the hole they dug for me. The president of the board, of course, Eugene Duval, is leading the way. The only two men they found who are bigger than me are on either side of me.
And behind me, my best friend, Luke Baker, isn’t saying a word.
It’s barely big enough for me, but deep enough that a strong man couldn’t dig his way out.
Duval’s unimpressed look doesn’t make me feel a thing.
All I see are blue eyes, perfect porcelain skin, and all I hear in my mind is the way she came undone for me tonight.
My beautiful Ella.
Duval plays something on his phone. It’s a recording of me admitting to Luke what I did tonight. That I murdered Megan McLean and threatened Ella to pin it on her if she didn’t accept me as her Shadow.
There isn’t an ounce of regret within me. I can’t feel it. Because I felt the way Ella was coming back to me tonight. I felt her mind open to mine. I felt that tug between our hearts.
It’s beautiful.
Why would I regret how I got to that?
Luke stays silent.
The only conclusion I can come to is that Ella warned him to record. It was going to be her only proof so she could get rid of me.
God, I love that woman. Nothing and no one can take her down. Not even me.
“It was a smart move, Christopher,” Duval says calmly. “Deserving of a Shadow.” He shakes his head. “If only you didn’t get caught. Things like this can’t go unpunished.” Huffing, he looks me dead in the eye when he adds, “I had so much hope in you. Your cunning brain is unmatchable. It’ll be hard to replace you.”
I suppose that’s meant to be a compliment.
Luke approaches me, looking me up and down with a completely unreadable expression on his face. Is he sad? Furious? Is he eager to kill me? Does he already regret it?
“I warned you,” he says with enough composure it keeps me calm too.
“And I told you I would stop at nothing to have her.”
“That’s why I have to be the one to stop you. I chose the spot where you’ll be buried myself.”
I nod, showing my understanding. He’s right; if he doesn’t stop me, no one else will be able to.
“I’ll take care of your father’s funeral,” he adds. Like a true best friend. I’ll kill you, but I’ll take care of your grieving family.
“I will get out,” I tell him. Licking my lips, a rush of unfamiliar fear pours through my body, numbing my limbs. I’m not scared of death…I’m scared of never seeing Ella again. “But if I don’t…tell Ella I love her. Tell her I tried with all I have to crawl out of a grave for her.”
His jaw tightens, and even in the dark of the night, I see the pain crossing his eyes. He’s my oldest friend. My brother.
“I wish you hadn’t put us in this situation.” His voice is strained, and I force myself to ignore the fact that I hurt my best friend in the process of getting the love of my life.
“I wish it was easy loving her.”
Nostrils flaring, he takes a deep breath through his nose, and he holds something in front of me. I will say, that hood doesn’t announce anything good.
He puts it on me, and next thing I feel is some sort of leather around my wrists. They slam together, and I understand Luke tied me with a belt when I feel the buckle against my skin.
“I’ll tell you what, Christopher.” I recognize Duval’s voice. “If you get out of this one…it’s all forgiven. I’ll grant you whatever you want. Good luck, boy.”
They force me to lie down in the grave they dug for me, and the longest minutes of my life start. Punished by the Circle. Buried alive.
The sounds of the shovels are unbearable, and the feeling of heavy soil slowly separating me from the world of the living is a nightmare I’ll never forget.
I expand my lungs, turning my head in a position that I think will allow me some sort of air pocket, but nothing is promised. So all I can do is think of the woman I love, and how I would go through this a hundred times over if it means I tried everything to have her.
When the world disappears, and it’s only me, I finally realize something. That Ella is going to be alone. Without me. And that I’m going to die without her . That everything I did…it separated us early rather than give us a second chance.
I can’t die like this.