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“Your girl?” The accented voice was hard, furious, and I knew I had hit a raw nerve

I barked out a laugh that soundedmoment of satisfaction when some of my blood landed squarely on his face We were al limp and broken, ould’ve been eye to eye I had a solid fifty pounds on Roark and I kne to fight just as dirty as the next guy, but what I would never be able to overcouys like me, was the fact that I still had a heart I still cared No matter how hard this city continued to kick me in the junk, no matter how ht, no matter how many times I was rehtI still cared I still had hope I still wanted to be a force that fought for righteousness and the sood that could be found hidden in the cracks and darkness, and I still loved My heart was protected by a monster that lived deep inside ofsafe while we scraped by in this awful place

I loved h he was a criminally minded hard-ass I loved my job I loved my small circle of friends that more often than not were on the other side of the law fro drunk with no interest in ever trying to dry outand I loved irl

The girl The one I would die for The one I would fight this war Roark had started for, and if this was the way I wasa heart but at least I kneas going out for a fucking valiant and important reason

“Mine” I gave hi smile as he let my head fall liht up anymore “She’s been mine since the second she flipped on Novak and his crew She only fell in with you because she wanted ht you could keep her safe like she kneould How does it feel to know you were nothing to her but a poor substitute forof You haven’t ever been anyone’s first choice, Roark”

I felt hiirl was a sore spot, a loss that had really aeance and hate No as Roark ever going to let that rejection and slight go, not on top of the others the Point had handed out to him

His hand fisted in the hair on the top of ain eye to eye Mine were starting to swell shut and I kneas losing too much blood I couldn’t feelknee and every part of my exposed skin that I could see was covered in bruises, welts, and open skin, leaking the last of my life force out onto the cracked concrete belohere I was dangling I tried to focus on his face, but it kept blurring and fading into one that looked like another I loved Thewhen the end of a wicked black pistol was sudden shoved between my puffy lips and stopped with the open end of the barrel resting against my teeth

I saw aze watching er

“She chose wrong I could have laid this city at her feet”

“If she wanted the city at her feet, she would have put it there herself That’s why you never deserved her, you prick You never understood she could run circles around you in the e departh to know that there had to be more to life than that I’arbled around the pistol but I had to get them out

I closedI wouldn’t plead I wouldn’t waver I wouldn’t go out any other way than the way I’d lived o out bravely and there was no fucking way this piece of shit would ever kno scared I was that not only was I leaving irlthe girl When I was gone she was going to unleash hell, and Conner Roark had no clue what a vengeful woood could do when she was suffering from a broken heart