Maddox POV

“You kill me, and you’ll never know the truth about Ryder,” she said, her voice sharp and trembling.

My hands shook so hard the gun nearly slipped. My chest tightened, breath uneven. “Argh… fuck it,” I muttered under my breath, the words cracking.

I forced my steps forward, each one heavier than the last, until I stood over Dunlop’s dead boy. A bitter smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth, though it felt more like a mask than anything real.

I bent slightly, ...