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I gaped at her Surely she saw the gaping holes in her plan…but if not, I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her I shook my head in denial, but kept quiet

"Get over here, Leah, and take the gun," she yelled

I shookto hold ed to her knees, anger painting her face a dull red as she screa shoot h-pitched, half-delirious squeal of laughter for free at the ludicrous reality that a wo me to shoot her "You’re insane, Victoria You’re seriously fucking insane"

She brandished the gun again, only this tiesture with "You’re supposed to do what I say," she whined, her eyes wide, lips pouting, poking the barrel of the weapon into her chest to emphasize her words She sat like that for a minute and then said, softly, "I’ll just have to shoot you instead Ito kill un from you Just such a shame that you died in the process"

"Victoria…" I breathed, i her almost wordlessly not to do this

A low , still unavevital, and that h, he wouldn’t bleed to death before I et some help

I whispered Ian’s naers twitch, and finally saw his chestI’d been unable to detect before now

"Shut up, bitch!"

Her words broughton the end of the bed, having moved closer to look at Ian

"Well, that’s perfect," she purred, giving me a sly, secretive smile "Now he doesn’t have to die, and he and I will live happily ever after with you out of the way"

She once again used the gun as an extension of her words, pointing it at different parts of my body to punctuate every word as she roan sounded froun under her chin in place of her hand or finger as she adopted an exaggerated thinking pose

Two things happened then, both of the sounded outside, startling me…

And it also startled Victoria

The difference? I didn’t happen to be holding a gun pressed to the bottom of my chin when I jerked

But she did

Chapter 24