78

78
He was guilty as hell.

“I was only in the Sinaloa Cartel for money, Maya…” he breathed. “I wanted us to have a good life. What we made at the Service wasn't enough.”

He shook his head, running his hands through his hair, a tear sliding down his cheek.

“It felt like no matter how much I tried, you were never impressed by me. Never impressed by my efforts. It was like anything I did wasn't enough for you.

“Whenever I tried to take you out on dates, or for sightseeing. You still didn't love me back. I could feel that you didn't love me back.”

I folded my arms uneasily, feeling my blood pound through my body, tidal waves of emotions shooting through me through hundreds of directions all at once.

“I would do anything to win your love,” Brett breathed. “Whether it meant killing lots of people for money. I wanted so badly for you to feel the same way that I did, for you to want me just as much as I wanted you. So I started buying you expensive gifts with the money that I was making, and took you on fancy holidays. It was so nice to see the smile on your face…”

He let out a deep sigh, coughing up a sob.

“But whenever you kissed me, there was no passion. No sparks, no fireworks. I would feel on top of the world…

“Yet you would feel nothing.

“And after you went undercover, and I found out you'd fallen in love with another man…

“I just lost it. I ordered even more hits and murders. I was even more damn hurt and broken. Knowing how quickly that man had managed to catch your eye, but I'd been trying for years, and you still didn't love me.”

I could feel tears begin sliding down my own cheeks. I couldn’t believe that Brett had turned into such a monster, and it was all because of me.

“But I'm willing to leave it all,” Brett pleaded. “I'm willing to leave it all if you give me another chance.

“Please, Maya.

“I can't live without you.”

I was at loss for words. My throat suddenly felt so dry, and I could hardly compose a sentence together. I had to pull myself together, and keep myself strong for the sake of myself and for Donte. Nothing good was ever going to come from this.

I’d solved the murders. It didn’t matter what his reasoning was behind what he did. It wouldn’t fucking erase all of the sick, horrific, monstrous things he’d done.

He needed to pay…

And he needed to pay now.

“I understand how you're feeling…” I murmured. “But it's too late, Brett! You can't force me to love you! You can't force me to reciprocate your goddamn feelings! You can't buy love!”

I was seething. I wanted to bark at him until I couldn’t scream anymore. I wanted to bellow bloody murder until I was blue in the face.

He was such a monster.

He was such a fucking monster…

“Please don't speak like this, Maya!” Brett sobbed. “Everything I did, everything! I did it for you! Can't you see what you're doing to me? Can't you see that you're destroying me?!”

“You can't turn back the clock,” I snarled. “You can't undo all of the people you fucking murdered, all the lives you fucking destroyed! You make me sick!”

“Baby, please!” Brett cried hysterically.

He was crazy.

So fucking crazy.

“Don't do this…” Brett pleaded. “I'll kill myself!”

“Answer me this one question, Brett,” I said quietly, my voice dropping to barely below a whisper.

“What?” Brett mumbled.

“Did you tell Fibonacci where I was?” I asked, folding my arms. “Did you order Fibonacci to kidnap me?”

Brett’s heart hammered against his chest into a frenzy. From the look on his face, I knew what the answer was going to be.

And I could feel the bile swimming in my throat all over again.

Unable to process this.

Unable to comprehend any of this.

Unable to believe that I’d allowed such a bastard to be a part of my life.

“Yes,” Brett whispered. “I was hurting… After seeing Donte with you at the funeral. I wanted to pull you both apart. To push you away from him.