Chapter 63 Blood and Truth
The door opened and Marcus stepped inside, then stopped dead when he saw the scene. Xander's body slumped in the chair, the blood pooling on the concrete, pierce standing with the gun and elena frozen against the wall.
"Boss?" Marcus's voice was careful. "What happened?"
Pierce didn't take his eyes off Elena. "He had a knife and went for her."
Marcus looked at the blade on the floor, then at Xander's body. "I'll handle cleanup. You should get her out of here."
"Elena." Pierce's voice was quiet. "We need to go."
She didn't move, didn't respond just stared at Xander's corpse like she couldn't look away.
Pierce kept his gun away and moved toward her carefully. "Elena, look at me."
Still nothing, her eyes were glassy and distant.
"We need to leave." Pierce reached for her arm.
The touch seemed to break through something because she flinched, pulling away from him, but her gaze finally shifted from the body.
"Come on." Pierce's voice was firmer now. "Let's go."
Elena moved mechanically, like a puppet on strings. Pierce guided her toward the door, one hand on her lower back, she didn't resist but she didn't acknowledge him either.
Marcus watched them leave. "Boss, I'll take care of this. You just...take care of her."
Pierce nodded without speaking.
The walk through the warehouse was silent except for their footsteps echoing on concrete. Elena moved like she was sleepwalking, her eyes unfocused, her breathing shallow.
Derek was waiting by the SUV. He took one look at Elena's face and his expression changed.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Get in," Pierce said.
They loaded into the vehicle. Elena climbed into the back seat and immediately turned toward the window, staring out at nothing.
Derek got in the passenger seat, glancing back at her with concern. "Boss?"
"Just drive," Pierce said quietly.
The drive back to the cabin felt endless.
Pierce sat in the back beside Elena, watching her stare blankly out the window. She hadn't spoken since the warehouse, hadn't looked at him,hadn't moved except when directed.
He'd seen shock before. Knew what trauma looked like. But seeing it on Elena, because of him, felt like a knife twisting in his chest.
"Elena," he tried once.
No response.
Derek kept glancing in the rearview mirror, his worry was clear. Pierce shook his head slightly.
When they finally pulled up to the cabin, Elena didn't wait for anyone. She opened her door and walked straight inside, her movements stiff and mechanical.
Derek turned to Pierce. "What the hell happened in there?"
"Xander's dead." Pierce's voice was flat. "He tried to attack Elena and I shot him."
"In front of her?" He asked.
"Yes." Pierce said quietly.
Derek swore under his breath. "Boss..."
"I know." Pierce got out of the vehicle. "Just... give me some time."
He found Elena in their bedroom, standing by the window, arms wrapped around herself. She hadn't turned on the lights. The room was dim in the fading evening light.
Pierce closed the door behind him.
"Elena, you've got to say something." His voice was rough.
"I can't stop seeing it." Her voice was hollow. "Every time I close my eyes, I see the blood. The way he just... stopped breathing."
Pierce moved closer but didn't touch her. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."
"You promised me." Elena's voice cracked. "You promised you wouldn't kill him."
"He had a knife." Pierce voice was sharp. "He was going to..."
"I know!" Elena spun to face him, and Pierce saw tears streaming down her face. "I know he was attacking me. I know you were protecting me. But you promised and then you just..." She pressed her hands to her face.
"I made a split-second decision to save your life," Pierce said, his voice harder now. "And I'd make it again."
"That's not the point..."
"Then what is the point, Elena?" Pierce's frustration broke through. "You insisted on coming. You demanded to see my world and I tried to stop you and you wouldn't listen."
"I didn't think..."
"What? That I'd actually have to kill someone?" Pierce stepped closer. "This is what I do, this is who I am, you knew that when you chose to be with me. So why you so surprise?"
"Knowing it and seeing it are two different things!" Elena's voice rose.
"I told you that at the warehouse door!" Pierce's control was slipping. "I warned you that once you saw it, you couldn't unsee it. But you pushed, you kept on insisting. What did you think was going to happen?"
Elena stared at him, her face pale. "I thought you'd keep your promise."
"I also thought the man who betrayed me wouldn't try to murder you in front of me!" Pierce's voice was sharp. "But we don't always get what we expect, do we?"
"So this is my fault?" Elena's voice rose.
"No. It's mine." Pierce ran a hand through his hair. "For letting you come, for thinking you could handle seeing the reality of my world, for believing we could actually make this work."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you wanted to see who I really am." Pierce's voice went cold. "Well, now you have. I'm a man who kills when necessary. Who breaks promises when lives are at stake. Who chooses survival over morality every single time."
"Pierce..."
"You're in my world now, Elena. Really in it." His eyes were hard. "My world doesn't have the luxury of keeping promises when someone's coming at you with a knife. It doesn't have room for hesitation or second thoughts or moral debates."
"I know that..."
"Do you?" Pierce challenged. "Because five minutes ago you were frozen in shock because I did exactly what anyone in my position would do. What I've done dozens of times before. What I'll probably have to do again."
Elena's tears fell faster. "I just didn't expect..."
"What? That I'd actually do it in front of you?" Pierce's voice was brutal. "You wanted the truth. You wanted to see the ugly parts. Well, now you got exactly what you asked for."
"That's not unfair..."
"None of this is fair!" Pierce's voice rose. "It's not fair that Xander betrayed me. It's not fair that Rodrigo wants you dead. It's not fair that you had to watch me kill someone, but this is the reality we're living in!"
Elena wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "I can't... don't know if I can..."
"Can what? Accept who I am?" Pierce's jaw was tight. "You already made that choice, Elena. When you came back to me, when you said you loved me despite everything, when you insisted on coming to that warehouse. You chose this."
"I chose you," Elena said, her voice breaking. "Not...not watching you kill someone."
"They're the same thing." Pierce's voice was flat. "I am what I do and what I do is whatever it takes to keep the people I love alive. Even if that means breaking promises. Even if that means you looking at me the way you're looking at me right now."
Elena stared at him, fresh tears streaming down her face. "How am I looking at you?"
"Like you're afraid of me." Pierce's voice went quiet. "Like I'm a monster."
"I'm not afraid of you..."
"Then what?" Pierce stepped closer. "What is it you're feeling right now?"
Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know."
"That's the problem, isn't it?" Pierce's eyes were dark. "You thought you knew what being with me meant. You thought you could handle it, but the reality is messier than the concept."
"I'm trying..."
"I know you are." Pierce's voice softened slightly. "But Elena, this is my world. This is what it looks like. Blood and violence and impossible choices and if you can't accept that, if watching me do what I have to do breaks you, then maybe we need to reconsider this."
Elena's breath caught. "Are you saying you want to end this?"
"I'm saying you need to decide if you can actually live with who I am." Pierce's voice was careful. "Not the version of me you want me to be. Not the man who makes you feel safe and loved. But the man who put a bullet in Xander's chest without hesitating because he threatened you."
Elena looked at him, and saw the truth written in every line of his face. This was who he was. What he did. The reality under the love and protection.
"I need time," she whispered.
Pierce nodded slowly. "Take all the time you need."
He turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked.
"Downstairs. You need space." Pierce's hand was on the doorknob. "I'll sleep on the couch tonight."
He left, closing the door quietly behind him.
Elena stood alone in the bedroom, wrapped her arms around herself, and finally let herself break down completely.
She'd wanted to see his world, now she had and she didn't know if she was strong enough to survive it.a