I nod. "Yes," I say, meaning it. A devious smile flickers across my lips. "That sounds perfect."

Marco leads me outside after that, stopping in a little shack connected to the mansion to get us each a handgun. He tosses one to me, which I catch without hesitation, smiles, and then brings me over to a small stretch of grass where a few men are aiming at several black-and-white targets, all shaped like a person.

"Out," Marco barks as soon as we arrive, and his men nod quickly and obey, scurrying away. They know well enough not to mess with him.

"You're terrifying, Marco," I tease as the men rush away. I step in closer to him, pressing my breasts to his chest.

He kisses my lips again, smirking. "It's all part of the package, my love."

I grin as he pulls away to set up the target. I watch him closely, thinking to myself how much I like this. I like not having to worry about Sebastian anymore. I like this freedom.

The morning sun beats down on us, and Marco strips off his shirt as he walks back over to me, revealing a body full of muscle and sweat and tattoos. He stands beside me and switches off the safety of his gun, then aims it directly at the target, which is some thirty feet away.

"Watch me," he says in a rough voice. I do, focusing on the intense concentration in his green eyes as he squints at the target, brings his finger to the trigger, and then fires.

A crack breaks through the morning air, making my ears ring, and as I follow the trajectory of the bullet, I see it spiraling through the air… until it lodges itself right in the target's head.

A perfect shot.

"Wow," I breathe.

"I've had practice." He walks up behind me and pressing his shirtless body to my back. "Now your turn, my love," he says gruffly into my ear. "Cock the gun. Squint. Shoot the target."

I nod slowly, lifting up my gun. The sun is blinding, but if I squint hard enough, I can focus on the target, on the kill spot. He steadies my arm with his hands, his thick muscle guiding me forward. I take a breath, aim, and then, just like that, I squeeze.

The bullet rips out of the gun so quickly I feel myself stumble back, but Marco steadies me, keeps me from falling. I watch as the bullet flies through the air, spiraling, until it hits the target's shoulder, just a foot below the head.

Marco presses his jaw to my cheek. His voice is slippery as he says, "Not bad. But you have to steady it more, my love. Here." He pushes off of me and starts walking over to the target, then turns around. "Let's try this."

"Try what?" The hot sun keeps pouring down on me, making beads of sweat form on my forehead. I feel tired, so tired, but I just keep thinking about Sebastian and what he did to me, and it makes all of the anger and the pain rise up again. It makes everything fill with energy.

"You need more stakes," Marco yells back at me. "You need stakes to get your perfect shot. If we're going to do this, which we are, I need to make sure you are ready when it comes down to it."

I open my mouth to protest, but no sound comes out. "What are you talking about?" I finally manage to say. He stands right next to the target, so that his ear is inches away from the killshot in the center of the target's head. His intense green eyes stay trained on mine, his lip curled into a smirk. There is no mercy in his eyes. Nothing but revenge, hate for Sebastian. And as I grip my gun even tighter just from remembering Sebastian's name, I know I share that hate too.

"Shoot by me," Marco snarls. "Shoot the target. Right by my ear."

I hold my breath as soon as the words leave his mouth. My heart starts pounding, and my hand trembles, harder and harder. "What?" I say weakly. I have a horrible shot. I could so easily miss and hit Marco. And I can't possibly lose him too.

"Shoot it!" Marco repeats, louder and more harshly this time. "I trust you, my love. Shoot it. Aim it right by my ear."

I shake my head back and forth, keeping the gun trained on the spot by his ear but refusing to fire. "No!" I say hoarsely. "I won't-- what if I--"

"You won't miss," Marco shouts. "Remember what he did to you. Remember all of the pain he caused you. Remember how he betrayed you! Shoot the target. Pretend you're killing him!" Marco snarls.

My hands start shaking as I work desperately to keep the gun in place. I can't do this. I can't risk missing. I can't risk losing anyone else. I just can't. "But--" I start to protest, but Marco isn't listening.

He narrows his eyes, his whole face cold and determined. "SHOOT IT!" he screams, and I don't even know what I'm doing, but suddenly I feel myself squeezing my eyes shut. My heart keeps thudding in my chest as I start pulling the trigger and stumbling back, tears in my eyes. There's an earsplitting crack as the bullet whizzes out of the barrel and right by Marco's ear, hitting the target's head, missing him by less than an inch.

Marco doesn't move the whole time, and once the bullet collides with the cardboard with a loud crack, I crumple down and start crying, realizing how close I was to losing yet another person in my life. Marco only walks over to me, a giant smile spread across his lips. His face is filled with pride as he sits beside me, kissing at my neck. "I knew you could do it," Marco growls. "I knew you were strong, my love."

His green eyes seem to bore into mine as I turn around, still shaking, but the fear has now been replaced with rage.

Rage at Sebastian.

Rage at him for betraying at me.

Rage at him for fixing my life, only to ruin it even more than it already was.

I look up to meet Marco's gaze, biting down hard on my lips, and I say, "I just have one request" in the most determined voice I can muster.

"Yes?" Marco is still grinning at me, kissing my neck through his smile.

I take a deep breath and lock eyes with him, my eyebrows narrowing, my whole face darkening. I know I have to do this. I know I need my revenge. So I hiss:

"I want to be the one to put the bullet in his head." 

Chapter Twenty

The next few days go by slowly. Marco keeps training me, working on my shot, and soon I'm able to hit the target square in the head with my eyes closed. He spends his nights kissing me, telling me I'm his, wiping away what's left of Sebastian, and I let him do it all. I love him in a different way than I loved Sebastian. I love him for getting rid of someone else, not for who he is.

But still. It's better than nothing, I tell myself. It's better than Sebastian. Plus Marco feels good inside of me, and I like my room, and I like the food he serves me, like the way he tells me he loves me, and I like the safety living with him provides. I like not having to worry about losing anyone else. I like the security of it all, of being with him.

But no matter what I do, Sebastian never seems to leave my mind. I hate him more and more with each passing day, and sometimes I just clench my fists and imagine he's there, so I can punch him. All I want is for it to be the day that Marco and I go to his house and I get to pull that trigger, once and for all.

I know what I have to do this.

I know I have to end this.

Finally, after what feels like forever, it's time.

The morning of the day Marco takes me to kill Sebastian, I wake up with a start. As soon as I check my alarm, I race into the shower and get dressed, then hurry down the stairs to the door. Marco is waiting for me there, dressed up in one of those overly expensive drug dealer suits, a cigarette dangling from his lips.