Chapter 24 · Death is the Only Way

"You knew they were gonna take him, didn't you? You just stood there and let them take Pip!" Vera slams me into the pipe so hard my spine rattles. Her forearm crushes my throat. Her face is an inch from mine and she's shaking. "Answer me, Jace. Did you know?"

"Yeah," I choke out. "I knew."

Her eyes flare. She presses harder. "You bastard. You watched them grab him and you did nothing."

"I watched them grab him four times," I say. My voice is raw. Blood tastes like pennies in my mouth. "This is the fifth."

She freezes. Her arm doesn't move but her grip loosens a fraction. "What?"

"Four loops. Four deaths. I let them take him. I followed. I tried to jump early. Got shot. Tried to jump late. Pip broke his neck on the catwalk." I grab her wrist. Not to push her off. Just to hold on. "This time I know where they drop him."

"You're lying," she whispers. But she doesn't pull away. Her pulse hammers against my palm. Fast. Scared. "You can't know that."

"Eleven seconds," I say. "They're gonna drag him to the north gantry. The big guy with the shaved head?