The Best Intentions

Chapter Twenty Nine

*Aubrey Burke*

When Devin told me what happened, I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second. All my senses left me, replaced by numbness. Then I hung up and ran as fast as I could.

My destination wasn't far. Not even my inability to catch my breath could stop me. I threw open the door once I got out of the elevator. I walked inside to see Devin sitting on the couch.

The room was eerily quiet. I think Kit was on his way. I didn't know where Samantha was, though I wasn't sure if she would care.

But I did. I loved Sabrina more than anyone else. She was my sister and she always would be, even if we'd been having rough patches lately.

"She'll be okay," Devin whispered, his voice cracking halfway through. He was covered in blood, her blood. "I didn't...I thought she...But she'll be okay now."

I gasped, relief overtaking me and filling me with new energy. I started to walk into the medical room, then froze in the doorway. Sabrina was struggling to get out of her healing pod. I ran over, grabbing her arms as I pushed her back inside.

"You aren't healed yet!" I exclaimed. "Stay in there, you only have thirty minutes left."

Sabrina shook her head, her eyes drooping. "No...No, Aubrey, wait. Please don't. Don't leave me alone."

Grinding my teeth, I asked, "Who stabbed you?"

Sabrina met my eyes behind the glass, and for the first time since I had met her, she really did look broken. Seeing her like that terrified me. "It was-" Sabrina visibly shuddered- "Samantha. She's working for Mendoza."

My blood ran cold. "What? Are you sure?"

Sabrina nodded and closed her eyes.

I backed out of the room and grabbed Devin. He seemed to jump into action, the sad look in his eyes instantly replaced with anger. "Who do we need to kill?"

"Stay with her," I ordered, pushing Devin into the medical room. I typed in the code on the keypad to close the door, then hurried over to the armory. Kit trusted me with the password, which still surprises me.

When I was done, I made sure the armory was locked up before anxiously waiting for Samantha's return. My heart was pounding in my chest, making it hard to breathe normally. I looked down at my hands and noticed how hard I was trembling.

Samantha walked through the door five minutes later. She grinned instantly when she saw me. "Aubrey, I didn't know you were still here."

I felt sick.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" I asked, forcing myself to fake a smile.

"Where to?" she asked.

I grabbed her hand. "We need to talk about something. Come on, just follow me."

I led her towards the docks. It took about thirty minutes, and we were mostly silent. Samantha tried to make small talk, but I wasn't in the mood. As we got closer and closer, it started to become transparent that something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?" Samantha finally asked when I stopped walking. She stepped in front of me, then looked around in confusion.

Even in the middle of the night, with the assistance of some street lights, I could make out her concerned face.

I looked down. It took everything I had in me to keep my voice even. "When did you start working for Natalia again?"

Samantha's eyes widened, but she stayed silent. Shock and guilt came off of her in waves, and it was so hard to stop myself from manipulating her to be calm so she would tell me the truth. "How did you know?"

I teared up, betrayal hitting me hard in the chest. My voice was cold when I said, "Luckily, Sabrina survived. Devin brought her back to Dark Skies." My voice suddenly raised until I was shouting. "Honestly, what were you thinking?! You know how much Sabrina means to me! How could you do this to me?!"

Samantha started to back up. "I didn't do anything to you."

Resolve settled in my chest. I blinked my tears away, then asked, "Why'd you do it?"

She turned away, staring out at the black river. Her voice was hoarse, but she spit it all out. "You of all people should know how much I hate her. I tried so hard not to, but I couldn't help it. Seeing her with Kieran everyday...I just couldn't get over it. I couldn't get over him. You and Devin are the only two people I care about."

I had never wanted to cry more than I did in that moment, but I wouldn't let myself. I pulled the gun out of my bag and aimed it at her back. She turned around when I was ready to pull the trigger. I hesitated for a split second, and she used that to her advantage.

So many emotions went through her mind that I couldn't tell what she was feeling. All I knew was that she was scared, and that made me want to throw up. "Aubrey, what are you doing?"

I exhaled, trying not to let myself start shaking. "I care about you, I really do. But she will always come first. She's my sister, and I would lay down my life for her. You betrayed me when you tried to kill her."

Samantha got down on her knees. "We can work passed this! Don't do this, Aubrey. Please, please don't do this!"

"I can't trust you anymore," I whispered.

Samantha jumped up. "I love-"

The gun went off, deafening me. I immediately dropped the gun as my ears started ringing. Samantha met my eyes, disbelief sparkling in hers. I was grateful she didn't look afraid, but it didn't last long. She put a hand over her chest, then looked up at me again. She opened her mouth to say something but never got the chance.

I took a step forward, ready to catch her, but she fell into the river before I could.

I stood in place for a moment before slowly falling to my knees. I choked up and closed my eyes for a moment as a sob clawed its way up my throat.

I looked up at the stars, loathing myself for what I had just done. I thought I would be okay with it, but I wasn't. I wanted to undo everything that just happened. Maybe we could have made it work.

But I meant what I said. Sabrina came first, and I'd give up my own life to save hers.

I wiped my tears away with a humorless laugh. I couldn't be the bad guy anymore. I couldn't keep hurting people.

"I think I'm done with the villain gig," I whispered up at the stars.

I didn't get a response.