Bernard’s finger hovered over the trigger, his cold stare locked onto me.
I didn’t move. Neither did William.
Smoke curled through the air, the fire spreading somewhere behind us. The crackling flames mixed with the distant sound of shouting, but in this moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.
Bernard took a slow step forward.
“Do you know what your biggest mistake was, Emerald?” His voice was smooth, calculated. “Thinking you could ever win.”
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stand my ground.
“Maybe my mistake,” I shot back, “was thinking you could ever beat me.”
Bernard’s lips curled into a smirk. “Brave words for someone seconds away from dying.”
The gun shifted aiming directly at my chest.
William tensed. I felt it—the slight shift in his stance, the way hi
