Chapter 37- She Killed Him

The man moved forward.

Sonia’s breath caught, every muscle tensed. Her fingers ached from clutching the file, this file that could bring everything crashing down or save them all, depending on whose hands held it.

Eric’s hand found hers in the darkness behind the broken statue.

“Stay behind me,” he whispered, his voice low but trembling, like he was trying to sound braver than he felt. His eyes, shadowed but steady, met hers. He was trying so hard to be her shield, her protector.

She wanted to protest. She wanted to stand beside him and fight this together, not hide like she’d done all her life. But the desperation in his eyes made her swallow her pride. He needed this to feel like he could keep her safe, even if just for a moment.

“I know you’re here,” the man said, “And I’m not leaving until I get what I came for.”

Eric’s jaw clenched. She could see the muscles in his arm trembling. “You’re not getting it,” he said, his voice low, rough around the edges.

The man let out a dark laugh that made her stomach flip. “Ah, the knight in shining armor,” he drawled, eyes glinting with menace. “So noble. So stupid.” His gaze shifted, scanning the shadows as though he could see straight through to where Sonia stood.

Eric shifted, shielding her instinctively. “Go,” he whispered, voice breaking slightly. “If it goes bad, you run. Promise me.”

Her throat tightened. Tears stung her eyes. She’d never been good at running from a fight not when it meant leaving him behind. “No,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Not without you.”

A flicker of pain crossed his face, and she realized then how scared he was. Not just for himself, but for her. He turned away before she could say more.

The man in the suit stepped closer, the crown pin on his lapel glinting like a dagger. “I’m done playing games,” he said, voice like ice. He rested his hand on the gun at his hip, and Sonia’s heart leapt into her throat.

Eric’s grip tightened on the knife. “I’ll kill you before you touch her,” he spat, his voice shaking with rage.

The man’s smile widened, a cruel, thin line. “You think a boy with a knife can stop me?” he sneered. “You’re both children, playing dress-up in a world you don’t understand.”

Eric lunged. The knife flashed in the moonlight, slicing across the man’s arm. The man yelped in pain, stumbling back, blood soaking the black fabric.

“Run!” Eric shouted, but Sonia couldn’t move.

The man fumbled for his gun. Eric grabbed his wrist, twisting. The gun clattered to the floor, skidding across the marble. Sonia’s eyes darted to it, her breath caught in her chest. She moved before she thought, grabbing it with trembling hands.

“Stop!” she cried, her voice breaking. “Please...just stop.”

The man’s eyes met hers, cold and full of hate. “You think you can stop this?” he spat. “You’re nothing. The Cartel will find you. They’ll find all of you.”

Eric’s knife pressed to the man’s throat, his knuckles white. “Then let them,” he growled, his voice ragged.

The man’s gaze shifted to Sonia, his smile dripping poison. “You’ll watch him die first,” he sneered. “Then you.”

Sonia’s hands trembled, the gun heavy, so heavy. Tears blurred her vision, but she could still see Eric—his eyes wide, his lips parted like he wanted to tell her something, but there wasn’t time.

She squeezed the trigger. The crack was deafening. The man’s eyes went wide, and he crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut. Blood spread across the marble, too red, too real.

For a heartbeat, everything stopped. Sonia’s ears rang. The gun slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees. She couldn’t stop shaking.

Eric was there in a heartbeat, gathering her into his arms. “You saved us,” he whispered, his voice raw with relief and something deeper, something that hurt.

She buried her face in his chest. “I didn’t want to do that,” she sobbed. “I didn’t want to be that person.”

Eric held her tighter. “I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “But you had to. And you did it for us. For me.”

Her tears soaked his shirt. He pressed a trembling kiss to her hair. “You’re not alone anymore, Sonia,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “We’ll fight them. Together.”

She looked up at him, his eyes rimmed with tears, his jaw tight. And she believed him.

She kissed him then, desperate and messy, like she could pour all her guilt and fear and love into him. His lips met hers, fierce and soft all at once, like he was trying to hold her together.

When they pulled apart, their foreheads rested together. “We have to finish this,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

He nodded, his eyes dark and steady. “Together,” he said again.

Sonia picked up the file, its edges damp with sweat and tears. She looked at the dead man, then at Eric, her heart aching but stronger somehow.