She Took The House The Car And My Heart

LeftWith Walls, Wheels, and Wounds 265

Chapter 265 Live On

If Reece Wright hadn't gotten caught and sentenced to death, Dorothy Sampson wouldn't have been so

heartbroken-and she definitely wouldn't have ended her own life.

If that hadn't happened, Brendan wouldn't have lost the only sister he had left in the world.

And it all cback to Kristian.

Brendan's thoughts spiraled into something darker, something far more twisted, though he still wore that same

unsettling smile. "If she hadn't spent that night by the sea, she wouldn't have caught a fever. And she never

would've toldshe wanted to chere to clear her head."

Freya's thoughts were spinning, scanning everything she knew, trying to piece it together.

Dorothy?

Her boyfriend who'd been sentenced to death?

And Brendan Hoffman.

She kept digging through memories until the pieces snapped together.

*Uncertain, but needing to know, she asked, "Your sister... is she Dorothy Sampson?"

"You're quick, K," Brendan replied, giving a roundabout confirmation.

He'd taken his father's last name, but his sister had used their mother's.

After their parents died, Dorothy was all he had left. But Kristian had ruined even that.

"Her boyfriend got caught because of what he did. Kristian helping the police wasn't wrong," Freya said plainly.

"If you want to point fingers, start with yourself. You knew what her boyfriend was involved in."

"I should blmyself?" Brendan shot back.

Freya still hadn't looked at Kristian.

"Right. I should blmyself," Brendan repeated, his tone suddenly soft. "That's why | brought her enemy here

to die with me. A fitting tribute to her memory." Brendan turned his eyes on Freya, still speaking with that

maddeningly calm tone. "Today, it's you, me, and Kristian. We're all going to die here... and join Dorothy on the

other side."

That was why he'd said no one could ever sentence him.

Freya glanced down at the sea, then at the setup around them.

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Jumping meant almost certain death. Staying meant a hundred percent chance of getting blown up. It was, quite

literally, a dead end.

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Kristian's eyes met hers. He said, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"How romantic," Brendan sneered. "But have you heard the phrase "Too little, too late? You think any of this

still matters?"

"Nyour terms and let her go," Kristian said firmly.

He'd been there long enough to understand exactly what Brendan was thaking. Now that the man had aired

every dark thought in his twisted head, it was only a matter of tbefore he destroyed the entire island.

If that happened... what would happen to Freya?

Kristian had to stall-had to give the others more time. And the best way to do that was to make Brendan fixate

on him. That way, the man wouldn't suspect a thing, and Kristian might just pull this off.

"You really want to save her, huh?" Brendan asked.

Kristian said, "Yes."

"Then stab yourself in the heart," Brendan replied smoothly. "If you can hang on for ten minutes, maybe I'll

think about letting her go."

"I want her released. Not your maybe," Kristian said flatly.

Brendan gave a lazy laugh, then turned to Freya. "Freya, your ex-husband's quite the character. Running a fever

and still daring to stand up to me. Where does he get the nerve?"

Freya's gaze instinctively shifted to Kristian, and at the smoment, he looked at her.

That split-second was all Brendan needed. He suddenly snatched Kristian's hand and drove an elbow into his

chest.

With Brendan's strength, if that blow landed, Kristian's ribs would've snapped like twigs.

But Kristian blocked it just in time.

Brendan seized the opportunity and darted away from Kristian, slipping from his grasp in a blink.

The space between them stretched in an instant.

In the next second, Freya raised the gun she'd taken earlier and aimed it directly

at Brendan. "Try moving again,

and | swear I'll shoot."

Her words lit a fire under everyone nearby. They raised their weapons, aiming straight at her and Kristian.

Brendan was dangerous, skilled, unpredictable. She'd always known that. If he hadn't been, her team wouldn't

have suffered so badly before.

"You think that scares me?" Brendan asked, not the least bit rattled. "If you shoot me, they'll shoot you. Simple."

Freya held her stance, yanking Kristian behind her.

The moment her hand touched him, she found he was burning up.

"I might get shot," Freya said, her tone steady. But she knew how to mess with Brendan's head. "You, on the

other hand, will definitely die first. And when you see Dorothy in the afterlife, she's going to ask if Kristian's

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Chapter 265 Live On

dead. What will you tell her?"

That jab landed. Brendan faltered.

Freya pushed further. "Want to bet? Let's see what happens first-your island

going up in flames, or Kristian getting rescued by my team."

"You don't even love him, do you?" Brendan was thrown.

"I don't," Freya said coolly. "But that doesn't mean | won't save him. And it doesn't

mean | won't take you

down."

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If she could, she would've put a bullet in him right then and there,

But if he died, her team would lose crucial information, and worse-the whole

island would go up.

"I'll let you go," Brendan suddenly offered, like he'd given it genuine thought. "just

hand Kristian over."

Neither Freya nor Kristian said a word.

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't trust me?"

"lI don't," Freya replied without hesitation.

"Then I'll be your hostage. Tieup. Dragto the ship." Brendan kept throwing out ideas. "Once you're far

enough away, you can give him back. Deal?"

"You rigged the ship, didn't you?" Freya's suspicion was instant.

"Yeah," Brendan said with a chuckle, stepping closer. "I loaded it with explosives. Once you're on board, boom."

Freya immediately backed up. "Don't cany closer!"

"Alright, alright. I won't," Brendan said smoothly, his tone casual as ever. "But here's my advice-don't bother

struggling. The moment you stepped foot on this island, you were already dead."

Freya felt strangely calm. Thank God she hadn't made a move on that ship. If she had, Natasha, Ashley, and the

crew might've died with her.

She stared Brendan down, mind racing for a way out.

Behind him, Kristian was thinking too, taking in every detail.

As frustration built inside him over how useless their backup seemed, he spotted

someone waving at him from

below the cliff.

In that instant, hope flared.

"Freya..." Kristian said her name.

She stayed focused on Brendan, not daring to let her guard down. "Speak," she

replied.

"Live on," Kristian said simply.

Before she could respond, he yanked her forward-and pushed her off the cliff.