Serena stepped into the room and assessed the situation while Victor covered us with a very impressive and very, very nice assault rifle.
She prodded Michael in the chest with her gun, a look of disgust on her face. The amount of blood seeping into the pillow was starting to alarm me. What had I done?
"He needs medical attention." I told her. "I think I really hurt him. I didn't mean to."
Serena went back over to Michael and tugged the pillow up so I could no longer see his face. Before I could realize what she was doing or react to it, she pressed the pistol into the pillow and fired twice.
I was in shock.
"What did you do?" I whispered, then screamed. "Why did you do that?" I launched myself at her. When Maurice stepped in front of me and snagged me by the waist it was like running into granite.
"Don't." He said in my ear. "It's what she wants."
"How could she?" I sobbed, sagging into him. "What is wrong with you?!" I yelled at her over his shoulder, struggling to break free.
"What's wrong with you?" Maurice asked evenly, tensely. "Calm down."
"She just killed him!" I exclaimed, then turned to her. "How could you do that?"
"He let you get the best of him. What use is he to me?"
"He's a human being! He's useful to someone!" I yelled, then pointed at her, "It's you who's not-"
"Kate!" Maurice said sharply. It was the first time in a very long time he'd raised his voice to me and it caught my attention.
I stopped and looked at him. He wiped the tears off my face a little roughly. "I need you to keep it together." He said quietly.
"I've been keeping it together all night-" I began.
"I know you have."
"I can't – I'm so tired – and I'm so-"
"You can," he stressed. "I know you can."
"Take him upstairs." Serena directed Victor, who stepped up behind him.
"No." I declared, grabbing Maurice's shirt in both fists.
With the muzzle of an assault rifle at the back of his head, there wasn't much more that he could do than to gently detach me and push me away.
Victor gave him a shove toward the door.
I really wished he hadn't asked me to keep it together because what I really wanted to do was go nuts and just have it all be over. I really didn't think I could do this anymore.
Maurice stopped at the door and said one word: "Evan."
Oh.
He wanted me to be the way I'd been on the roof that night – wanted me to not only be in control of myself, but in control of the situation.
Except that I'd had nothing to lose that night. This was a very different night.
I didn't know if I could do what he was asking. I knew Evan. I had no idea who Serena was or how to manipulate her, not to mention that I'd just watched her murder a man in cold blood.
I tried to nod. I could see that he believed I could do it, but I wasn't certain that I could.
So, I wiped my face one more time and turned resolutely to Serena, whose gun was back on her hip. But her fingers tapped at it restlessly.
"Please," she invited. "Do something stupid."
"You have absolutely no fear of consequences, do you?" I asked, indicating Michael's body. "No human decency."
"Your human decency obviously hasn't gotten you very far in life."
"No? Let's see. You're a miserable, selfish narcissist, and yet I'm pretty damn happy in life."
"Perhaps. But that life has gone as far as it's going to go."
"You keep saying that and yet here I stand." Okay. I was coming back.
"I can take care of you anytime."
"What are you waiting for?" Easy, Kate – he didn't expect you to provoke her to violence. At least not so soon.
"I'm not certain that you've suffered enough." She said, strolling over to the door . "I'll be back." And she slammed the door behind her.
Immediately, I went over to the bed and put my hand on Michael's chest, just to be sure. Nothing. Oh, God.
I couldn't bring myself to remove that pillow from his face. I couldn't bear to see what she'd done.
What I'd done. I'd done this to him. This was my fault.
There was no more sobbing, the tears just ran. I was going to go back to the chair, but my rebellious nature wouldn't let me. I sat cross-legged on the table waiting for her.
Without warning I heard two sharp cracks from upstairs, then nothing more. I looked up at the ceiling, willing it to reveal what had happened.
Silence.
I jumped off the table and paced fretfully, imagining every conceivable scenario.
What did this mean? I was numb. I couldn't think.
It was mere minutes, but it felt like hours before I heard the key in the lock.
Serena came back in, throwing the door wide in triumph, eyes gleaming.
"What was that?" I demanded.
She said nothing, and just walked, eyeing me, to the far side of the table, so I had my back to the open door.
She smacked her hand down on the table between us and it made a hard sound.
My eyes never left hers, even when she straightened.
"Look." She said simply.
I glanced down.
His ring.