Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

62 I've Got This

Colton~~

"Are you sure you can do this?" Seong-ho asks after he parks the car, facing us toward the towering hotel. It's around 9 PM.

"What do you mean?"

"Killing her."

"I've killed before." I double check my gun.

"Those were rebels who were attacking us. That isn't the same as just killing someone. She'll probably be asleep."

"I've tortured people before. They weren't currently attacking me."

"This is permanent."

My hand tightens on my gun. "Leave your phone in the car," I snap and step outside, tucking the gun into the back of my pants. A knife is slipped into my pocket. I don't want to chance our phones going off in their hotel room because that would of course happen. "Would you like to kill her instead?"

He closes his door and shoots me a glare. "You know I can't answer that."

"Why? Because you'll be sad?"

"I know what has to be done. But think of your brother. You heard his phone call." Jonas wasn't the only person who wasn't supposed to be on that group text. "He'll never forgive you, Colton, no matter what you tell yourself."

I can't have this conversation right now. Time is of the essence. "Do you have your gun?"

"Yes."

"Good." I start walking.

"Colton—"

"We'll talk about it after."

Not surprisingly the man behind the front desk is more than willing to hand over the key card to Erik's room after he sees the picture we show him—and after he recognizes me.

Seong-ho catches my self-satisfied smirk and shakes his head.

I wipe one hand on my pants. With the other I take the key card.

"Would you like me to show you his room, Beta, Zeta?"

"That won't be necessary." Seong-ho turns away from the desk and, with a glance at me, heads for the elevators.

He already has one open by the time I reach the elevators, and I step inside with him, the doors sliding shut as I settle in next to him. It's only the two of us. He presses the button for the twelfth floor.

When the elevator passes the sixth floor, Seong-ho speaks up, "We could take them both back alive. You don't have to have her blood on her hands."

I pull out the knife from my pocket and slip it up my sleeve. "Jonas will never have her killed."

The elevator dings when it reaches our floor, and as I get out, Seong-ho mutters, "Exactly."

Jonas will come to thank me for this. I know he will. But Vienna . . . she said she won't forgive me.

It doesn't matter. I repeat it again and again, trying to reinforce the idea. The Society is more important than forgiveness.

If they're both asleep, I'll slice her neck, and Seong-ho will take care of Erik. If they're awake, I'll shoot her.

I come to a stop in front of room 1237. With Seong-ho behind me, his gun at the ready, I insert the card into the lock and pull it out. A light flashes green. Holding my breath, I press down on the handle and inch it open. Thankfully, the door doesn't have one of those deadbolts on it, or if it does, it isn't flipped. Inside the room is dark. The air conditioner hums. Erik breathes heavily while Iris lets out a snore on the same interval of Erik's breaths.

I tread carefully. Seong-ho eases the door shut behind us. There are two beds, and I can make out Iris's sleeping form on the bed closest to us in the blue glow of the alarm clock.

I pull the knife from my sleeve and crouch next to her bed. Somehow, she looks peaceful, even snoring with her mouth open.

Jonas snores too. I don't know why I thought of that.

Iris is not innocent, I tell myself. She's not. She'll ruin us all if I don't do this.

This is where you end, Iris. You got more time than you were supposed to.

I press the knife against her throat.