Chapter Thirty-One — Visit Me #3
“Liar.” “Maybe a little.” Ronan rubbed his face.
“Jesus.” Elliot stepped closer. “You go.” Ronan froze.
“What?” “If Vance lets you.” “No.” “You need to.” “Why?” “Because Saint expects me.” “And?” “I’m unavailable.
” Ronan stared. “That sounded way too casual.” “I’m trying.
” “Poorly.” Elliot continued. “If Saint built everything around controlling me, my confession changed the game.” “Yes.” “They lost leverage.” “Yes.” “So what do they do?” Ronan’s expression tightened.
“Shift to me.” Exactly. Elliot’s chest went cold.
“No.” “What?” “You don’t go.” Ronan laughed.
“You just told me to.” “I changed my mind.” “In six seconds.” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because you’re the next target.
” Ronan stared. Elliot stepped closer. “Saint already wanted you corrupted.” “Yes.” “They predicted you’d protect me.
” “Yes.” “Now I confessed.” “Yes.” “So you’re the only thing left.
” Silence. Ronan’s face softened. “That is deeply romantic in the worst possible way.” “I’m serious.
” “So am I.” Elliot caught his shirt. “Don’t go anywhere alone.
” Ronan’s eyes dropped toward Elliot’s hand.
Then back. “You’re in custody.” “I know.” “You cannot physically stop me.” Elliot’s jaw tightened.
“Don’t make me regret confessing.” Ronan went still.
Wrong. Elliot immediately heard it. “That sounded—” “Manipulative.” “Yes.” “Very.” “I’m sorry.
” Ronan stared. Then touched his cheek. “I’m not going alone.
” Elliot exhaled. “Promise.” “Promise.” Good.
Then Ronan’s expression changed. “What?” “Vance wants me with them when they search the old facility.” Elliot’s hand tightened.
“No.” “Called it.” “Absolutely not.” “Elliot.” “No.” “You just told me I should go.” “I was stupid then.” “That was thirty seconds ago.” “Growth.” Ronan laughed.
Elliot did not. “I mean it.” “So do I.” “Why do they need you?” “Nathan said Saint talked about me specifically.” “That makes it worse.” “They think there may be something addressed to me.” “Absolutely fucking not.” Ronan smiled faintly.
“There he is.” “Ronan.” “I’ll have Vance.
Officers. Tactical if needed.” “Saint got past all of them already.” “And you?” Elliot froze.
“What?” “You promised no more murders.” “Yes.” “You confessed.” “Yes.” “You chose your mom.” “Yes.” Ronan stepped closer.
“Now choose to trust me.” Fuck. Elliot looked away.
Unfair. Effective. “I hate you.” “No, you don’t.
” “I could.” “Work on it while I’m gone.
” Elliot’s chest tightened. Ronan saw. The joke died.
“Hey.” “What?” “I’m coming back.” “You can’t promise that.
” “No.” Elliot looked at him. Ronan smiled softly.
“But I can try really fucking hard.” That was somehow worse.
More honest. Elliot swallowed. “Visit me first.” Ronan froze.
“What?” “If they move me.” His voice came quieter.
“If you leave for Saint Augustine’s before they decide where I’m going…”
Ronan stared.
“Visit me first.”
There. The request he had made in bed as hypothetical. Not hypothetical anymore. Ronan’s face changed. He touched Elliot’s jaw.
“I’m not disappearing on you.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Elliot closed his eyes. Ronan kissed his forehead. Same place as before. The first promise. The cuffs. Everything.
“Visit me,” Elliot whispered.
Ronan’s forehead rested against his.
“Every fucking chance they give me.”
Elliot opened his eyes.
“You’ll get bored.”
“I’ve tolerated you for years.”
“True.”
“Plus prison might improve your personality.”
“Fuck you.”
“There he is.”
A knock sounded. Bell opened the door.
“Time.”
Ronan stepped away. Elliot immediately felt the absence.
He hated it. Ronan moved toward the door.
Stopped. Looked back. Still here. Then left.
Bell closed the door. Elliot stared at it.
For several seconds, he let himself feel the fear.
Not of prison. Not even Saint. Of Ronan walking out one day and not looking back. Then Bell sat across from him.
“We need to discuss charges.”
Reality. Fine. Elliot looked toward him.
“Okay.”
Bell opened the folder. Before he could speak, shouting erupted in the hallway. Both froze. An alarm sounded. Not fire. Security. Bell stood.
“What the hell?”
The door remained locked. Elliot’s pulse jumped. Outside, voices. Footsteps. Then someone shouted:
“GET DOWN.”
Bell grabbed Elliot’s shoulder and pulled him beneath the table. A gunshot cracked somewhere beyond the room. Elliot’s entire body went cold. Ronan. No. He lunged upward. Bell caught him.
“Stay down.”
“Ronan is out there.”
“So are armed police.”
“Let go.”
“No.”
Another gunshot. Closer. Elliot fought him. Not enough to injure. Enough. Bell swore.
“Elliot.”
“RONAN!”
No answer. The lights flickered. Then went dark.
Emergency red lighting came on. The security alarm continued.
Elliot’s heartbeat hammered. Saint. It had to be.
They had changed the game. He had confessed.
Saint had lost control. So Saint had come to him.
A speaker somewhere in the hallway crackled.
Static. Then a voice. Warm. Male. Undistorted.
The same voice from the marine sciences building.
This time live. Elliot knew immediately.
“Good afternoon, Elliot.”
His blood went cold. Bell stared toward the door.
“What the fuck?”
Saint continued.
“I told you confession would ruin everything.”
Elliot stopped breathing. Then the voice softened. Almost affectionate.
“But don’t worry.”
A pause.
“You can still fix it.”
Elliot stared at the locked door.
“Where is Ronan?”
Silence. Saint laughed softly. Then:
“Exactly where I need him.”
Every instinct Elliot had ever possessed came alive at once. The promise. No killing. Ronan. Saint. Five bodies. Choice. Bell tightened his grip on Elliot’s shoulder.
“Do not move.”
Elliot looked at him. Then toward the red-lit door.
And for the first time since confessing, he understood exactly what Saint wanted now.
Not secrecy. Not obedience. Not another body.
Saint wanted Elliot to prove that when forced to choose between his promise and Ronan’s life, the promise would always lose.