Chapter 51
Ace
“Walk away now,” he says, “and you’ll never know the truth.”
Silence drops.
Heavy.
Because now—
This isn’t just about stopping him.
It’s about something buried in her past.
Something that was never supposed to surface.
And I can already tell—
This?
This is only the beginning.
Not happening.
I don’t hesitate.
I move.
Gun steady. Closing the distance.
“Hands up,” I order. “Now.”
For the first time—
He shifts.
Not fear.
Calculation.
Then he smiles.
Wrong move.
“Tessa—wait,” she says behind me.
I stop.
Barely.
But I do.
“I need him alive,” she adds, quieter.
My jaw tightens.
Because I know what that means.
Risk.
More time.
More chances for this to go sideways.
But I nod once.
“For her,” I say coldly to him. “That’s the only reason you’re still standing.”
I adjust my stance.
Not kill.
Control.
Harder fight.
“Drop it.”
Slowly—
He raises his hands.
Too easy.
I don’t trust it.
“Trigger.”
“On it.”
Trigger moves in. Beast closes from the other side.
Boxed in.
No exits.
Tessa steps forward.
Too close.
I tense—but I don’t pull her back.
Not this time.
“Who was she connected to?” she asks.
He watches her.
And something shifts.
Interest.
“Better,” he says softly.
I shift closer to her.
Warning.
She doesn’t stop.
“Answer me.”
He exhales slowly.
“Your friend wasn’t just in the wrong place,” he says. “She was moving money.”
Money.
That lands hard.
“What kind?” she presses.
His smile returns.
“Not the kind you ask about.”
That’s it.
I step in, grab him, and slam him onto the metal table.
He hits hard.
Trigger locks his arms.
Beast secures his legs.
“You don’t get to play anymore,” I say.
Up close—
I see it.
He’s slipping.
Losing control.
Good.
Tessa moves closer again.
Focused.
Not afraid.
“You said it was your mistake,” she says. “What does that mean?”
He laughs—short, breathless.
“You weren’t supposed to take the fall,” he says. “She was.”
Everything goes still.
“What?” she whispers.
“She knew what she was doing,” he continues. “You didn’t.”
“That’s not true.”
But even she doesn’t sound sure anymore.
“Isn’t it?”
I’ve had enough.
“She’s not your scapegoat,” I snap.
“She already was,” he shoots back.
Rage hits hard.
“You’re done.”
He smiles.
Even now.
“You think this ends with me?”
That stops everything.
“What does that mean?” I demand.
He glances at Tessa.
Then back to me.
“It means,” he says slowly, “you’re still missing the bigger picture.”
“Then show me,” Tessa says.
I stiffen.
“Tessa—”
“I need to know.”
I hate this.
But I see it.
The need.
The truth pulling at her.
So I don’t stop her.
I stay close.
Where I can end this if I have to.
“Talk,” I say.
He leans forward slightly, restrained but calm.
Like he’s been waiting.
“Then you better start asking the right questions,” he says.
A beat.
Cold.
Controlled.
“Because the next answer…”
His smile sharpens.
“Is the one that changes everything.”