DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 43 - My Name

Jamie knew when Connor showed up because of the raucous it caused. The fire alarm was pulled and the entire building began to evacuate, but when Jamie and Joe attempted to leave their apartment, they were greeted by the security guard on duty that waved them back inside and said, "Not you guys."

That was why Jamie had his weapon; Connor was too powerful that he was unable to predict what would happen.

Connor knew Jamie was going to point a pistol directly at his head when he arrived. He had prepared himself for it, had squeezed his fingers around the steering wheel a few times before eventually exiting his car. He waited in the parking lot until the receptionist signalled for him that the apartment building was clear. He had to keep his hood down over his eyes, seeing Chris amongst the evacuated crowd, stomping around in his pyjamas. He had to make sure no one was in the building, especially Chris, or else they could all potentially be victims. Even as witnesses, they would be difficult to deal with.

As he stepped inside the condo complex, finally removing his hood, he threw a wad of cash onto their counter before heading for the elevator. He had been here thousands of times, but it had never been to visit Jamie, rather to visit Chris. He had never imagined that it would turn out this way.

Connor paused when he reached the door, unsure what awaited him. He knew it would be Jamie opening the door, but he wasn't sure if Jamie would even give him the time to speak, explain his side. Even worse, he had no idea what was happening with Joe—maybe Joe would be held at gunpoint instead. All these images circulated his mind, but everything fell silent when he heard the doorknob click.

They knew he was here.

He hadn't even knocked nor touched the door, but it pulled open. In an instant, Connor was gripped from his ty and pulled inside the appartement. Strangely enough, it wasn't Jamie that opened the door, it was Bridgette.

And it wasn't Jamie holding the pistol—it was Joe.

Joe had tears running along his face, his teeth gritted and such rage behind his gaze that he could barely hold the pistol straight. It seemed as if he was already prepared to pull the trigger, but waited until Jamie gave him the order to do so. Jamie was standing beside Joe, both staring at the front door where Connor stood, his eyes widened.

Jamie smirked, glancing towards Joe before eyeing Connor, such victory in his gaze. "Welcome, Connor McAvela."

Connor did not respond, instead his eyes locked with Joe, ignoring Jamie completely. He could not stop the aching and cracking of his heart as he watched Joe's trembling fingers attempt to tighten around the pistol. It eventually fell onto the floor and Joe rapidly picked it back up, aiming it back towards Connor who exhaled a long sigh.

Whatever Jamie had told him, it had broke him completely. His eyes were bulging from their sockets, so red that Connor worried a blood vessel had popped. The tears just continued to flood his face and Connor was certain that Joe's vision was blurry from them.

But regardless, he did not say anything.

Jamie was standing beside Joe, his arms crossed over his chest. It was strange, since for the situation at hand, he was dressed as if it was another normal day. A white t-shirt with black sweatpants, his hair gelled backwards and he had been cleanly shaved. But the expression behind his eyes were not the same, and as blue as they could be, they were almost navy by how much they had darkened.

Jamie was the first one to speak, tilting his head sideways and eyeing Connor from the dress shoes he always wore to the expensive luxurious jacket he wore. Then, he snickered, "Congratulations, you got everyone outside so no one can witness your death." After a short pause, he said challengingly, "If I blast your head open, do you think that jacket will go with you?" When he did not respond, Jamie smiled. "What about those shoes? Or your business—any of these will go with you—?"

"Jamie," Connor spoke quietly. Jamie heard the menacing undertone, but did not budge. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, almost bursting out into a fit of laughter when Connor hissed, "let him go."

"Alright then," Jamie stepped away from Joe with a smirk. Joe, his quivering fingers gripping the pistol tighter, did not look away from Connor, not even for a split second. Then, Jamie pointed to the door and said, "Joe, leave."

The room went quiet, but Joe was certain they could hear the clacking of his teeth. After a few seconds, Jamie faced Connor once again. "Are you really shocked? After what you've done to him."

"Joe, listen to me." Connor took a step forward. "He's manipulating you. None of what he said was true—"

"I saw the look in your eyes that day," Joe whispered, biting his bottom lip for a moment before adding, "when you saw her." He pointed to Bridgette and all their eyes turned for a second. When Connor's eyes returned to Joe's, he held in his breath. "You were shocked, in a panic, but I get it now. I thought it was because your research was proven wrong, but no."

Joe paused, clearing his throat. "Why were you so sure that Bridgette was dead?" Connor's eyes widened. "And why didn't you tell me even though you knew that this Bridgette was a fake?"

The silence that fell was so tense that all of them felt as if the tension was making them suffocate. Even alleged Bridgette who stood behind Jamie felt her heart begin to race.

When Connor's mouth finally opened, Joe interrupted him before he could even utter a word. "Tell me the truth!"

And finally, he said it.

It was sudden, but Joe saw the shift in his face. Connor went from the vulnerable pitiful victim who begged for his ex-husband to believe him, to a ruthless demon with no sense of empathy. His grey irises had grown paler and his face fell was blank when he admitted, "Because I was the one that killed her."

Joe could not believe what he had heard. All this was a huge nightmare, one that he begged himself to wake up from. But no, Connor had said these words. It was strange, since from the day he had met him, he had never seen any evilness in his eyes. But now, he could almost see the malice surrounding his body as an aura.

Connor clenched his jaw for a moment, lowering his gaze. "You must understand that this was not easy for me."

Joe couldn't breathe anymore. He had heard him, but his mind still fought to believe that this wasn't true, that he heard him wrong.

"Her passing was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, and I wish it didn't have to end up that way. But I had to do what I had to do, to protect myself." Connor's features twisted with such regret that Joe could almost see his memories flash past his eyes as he squeezed them shut.

Neither of them said anything, Jamie's eyes widening in shock. Even Joe had lowered the gun to his side without even realizing—both of them listened quietly.

"Sarah Mallory was her name. And mine was Tyler Mallory."