by Samantha Bee
I slap Holden's chest to shush him and nod towards the pair of them. He finally shuts his mouth before tilting his head as we listen in to their conversation.
Scar seems skeptical of whatever they had been talking about. I can hear them fine from where we are at, but I hadn't been paying enough attention before. Luca just shrugs as he pulls his phone up to his ear. He waits a moment before winking at Scar.
"Romano," his tone is clipped and harsh. Every phone call between the two of them has grown increasingly hostile. No pretenses of friendship any longer. Scar draws back, in what I'm assuming is surprise, but I can't see her face since her back is to me.
"Christian Ortega," he draws out slowly, enunciating each syllable. "Sound familiar to you?" he finishes with clear derision.
Scar's head tilts to the side, her ponytail swinging just above the waistband of her shorts. Nope. Not going there again. I look back to Luca's face and the smug attitude makes sense. He hadn't shared with her the information Noah collected.
Romano must have given some type of acknowledgement because Luca nods. "You should really find out whose payroll he's on, besides yours." He doesn't give Romano any time to respond before snapping, "Check your inbox." And hangs up.
Scar has her arms crossed and is tapping her foot impatiently. I cringe and feel Holden tense beside me. I don't think this was the intended reaction Luca was going for.
"I swear to fuck, if you are still trying to make nice with him," she starts to snap out but is cut off by Kade, snarking somewhere from behind me.
"You'll what, run. Again?"
I flinch at the sound of his voice. Fuck. Are we ever going to move on from this?
I see Luca tense from here, but Scar just slowly turns around, a manic grin on her face as she stares over my shoulder. "Didn't get much satisfaction in that," she jibes. "I'm thinking this time I'll just take your balls in my hand and squeeze until you're red in the face and begging for mercy."
Oh, look at that. My dick is finally under control. Nothing like a threat to the family jewels to remind me how sadistic this woman can be. I still have nightmares about the threat she gave me when we first met.
Kade scoffs, but even I can hear, he's lost some of the heat from his tone. Luca is covering his balls from behind Scar. He clears his throat to draw her attention back to him and is already explaining himself before she fully turns around. Apparently, taking her threat seriously.
"Not making nice," he swears. "Just buying us time to get a good plan in place." She says nothing. I can't tell anything about her reaction from behind, but she hasn't gone for his balls yet, so at least there's that.
He coughs a little, giving her an amused look. Brave, dude. Stupid but brave. "Since you started leaking the evidence, he's been on a rampage. We need the heat off of us for a bit so we can decide how we want to take him out." She nods but still doesn't relax her stance. I think she's waiting for the "but" that always seemed to come after, anytime they had these conversations. I already know it won't come though. Him and even Kade, though he won't acknowledge it, are serious about not holding back on this war anymore. There still has to be some type of strategy though.
"Plus, we have other things to focus on," he reminds her with a pointed look to me. What the fuck is he talking about? Finally, she relaxes though, Luca mirrors her relief and I choke back a laugh. Kade stays silent behind us but before I have a chance to think too much about that, my attention is drawn back to Scar.
"Hmm," she hums. "Start your cool downs," she calls through the gym before pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket and heading towards the door that leads outside. I go to follow her but catch sight of Kade already moving, keeping her in his line of sight. He turns to me and nods. I settle back into the ring, wondering what else we need to take care of other than Romano.
Everyone seems too quiet, too hyped up as we pile into the Escalade. This isn't the same buzz we all have after training, this is something more. Something they are purposely keeping me in the dark about. My eyes dart around to pin each of them with a look but none of them bother to respond. Even Kade seems less broody.
I didn't think we had anything else planned for the day, so I have no idea where we are headed as they get on the freeway in the opposite direction of home. What the fuck do they have planned and why do they all seem so giddy about it?
I sit up a little straighter in my seat as it dawns on me. Could this have to do with my dad? Scar promised to have it taken care of and that she would give me the choice of how I wanted it handled but she hasn't breathed a word of it since. Did she really manage to get him out of police custody this quickly?
Kade notices my movement and grins at me. I haven't seen him smile in months, I can't help but respond with my own. Feeling the tingling of their energy already affecting me.
We drive for another hour and a half before pulling off the freeway. Another hour down mountain roads later, we pull off onto a small road with no visible sign of activity in every direction you. The last car we saw was well over twenty minutes ago and it was back on the main road. This road is a small dirt road, hardly even visible unless you know what you're looking for. We drive for another fifteen minutes before pulling around a bend and I see the secluded cabin for the first time.
It's a decent size but plain. There's really nothing special about it and your eye just happens to wander over it, not really taking in any details because there's just not much to notice. It's made entirely of dark wood, a wraparound porch with some worn out chairs and bench. Everything looks well tended to, not abandoned, or run down, but well used.
My eyes flicker to the silver truck that I recognize as Mikey's. I guess that would explain why him and Ronan weren't at training today. I thought it strange but it's not the first time Scar has sent them to do something else for her while we were at the gym.
We all get out of the car and I hesitate as I continue to study our surroundings. I can't see anything other than mountains and trees in every direction that I look. Scar moves next to me and links her arm with mine. I look down at her in surprise as she nods the others inside. They don't hesitate to walk in through the front door.
She squeezes my arm as I study her features. "What is this place, Scar?"
She just leads me around the side of the house, "It's whatever I need it to be." We make it to the back of the house and my mouth drops open in shock. The seemingly unassuming cabin backs up into the edge of a cliff. The view is stunning, surrounded by mountains with a lake at the bottom and a river rushing down one of the mountains.
"It's a safehouse, an escape, good place to store a hostage," she lists off. "Anything I need it to be."
The air is a lot crisper up here than back home and a good twenty five degrees colder. Snow still dusts some of the treetops and the peaks of the mountains. Not much by where we are but it only enhances the view as we look out.
Scar stays silent, letting me absorb this moment as her arm stays locked with mine and she leans her head against my shoulder. I breathe in the icy mountain air and somehow it reminds me so much of the woman next to me, I feel closer to her here than I ever have before.
"My dad is in there," I finally say. I'm pretty certain of it even before she nods to confirm.
"We can stay out here if you want. The guys are more than capable of taking care of it."
I grin down at the sullen tone of her voice, "Why do I feel like I would be robbing you of something if I said yes?"
She grumbles but finally admits, "Fine. I'd love to be the one to kill him. He hurt you irreparably and it pisses me the fuck off." She holds on to me tighter as she spits the words with such vehemence, I can't help but want a little more from her. At least in this moment. Tomorrow I can go back to just viewing her as a trainer but right now? With the seclusion and the brisk air all around us, the emotion in her voice at the defense of me. I can't deny that my heart pounds in my chest as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her more into me. She moves to stand in front o
f me as she twines both arms around my waist. I pull her into a hug, everywhere her body meets mine, thrumming with such an intense sensation, I almost forget why we are even here.
"Thank you, Scar," I whisper into her ear. There's more behind that simple statement than I think I could ever put into words for her. Somehow, I know she gets it when she flips her hands under my shirt and gently traces patterns on the bare skin of my back even as she squeezes herself closer to me. Like she can hold me together by pure fucking force of will.
The thing is though, I don't feel like falling apart. I feel at peace, knowing my father meets his end here, today. The dark stain of his soul no longer polluting the world around him. I try to envision ending him myself but just can't put myself into that position. I don't need to be the one to do it, but I also don't need to stay out here and wait either. I think about Scar ending the man who caused so much suffering.
That. Now that, I can see perfectly.
It shouldn't turn me on, but it does a little. "I'm okay," I promise her, but she just nods as she continues to trace patterns on my skin. "I want you to do it," I admit. Her fingers stop as she pulls back slightly to look up, a smile so genuine, if slightly crazed, it knocks the breath right out of me. Fuck. I'm going to have to do something about this attraction I feel for my boss sooner rather than later. Before I ruin everything.
"You're sure?"
I meet her eyes so green, they match the trees around us, sparkling with concern. Such a rare thing for her to display for anyone other than Roe. It makes it all that much sweeter as I look down at her. "I've never been more sure about anything before. Just give me a moment to enjoy this feeling."
Her soft chuckle electrifies me, warming me up even more than her arms wound around me. I laugh with her as I bury my nose in her hair, the mountain air mixing with the scent so uniquely her.
After several moments of just relishing this fleeting feeling I know isn't mine to keep, I finally pull away from her. Just before we completely separate, I whisper her name. She moves a little closer as she tilts her head in question. I swallow around the sudden emotion bubbling through me. "I want it to be fast."
She gives me a soft smile before agreeing. "I can do that." She links her arm back with mine before heading to the back door of the cabin. She lets us in and we walk straight into the living room. The inside mimics the feel of the outside. Simple, well used but not run down. Nothing really of interest to catch your eye or raise any red flags. Anyone who happened to stumble on the property, wouldn't give it a second thought once they moved on. Nothing worth exploring or stealing. Just a modest vacation home.
"Wouldn't an abandoned cabin be better for a murder hut?" I ask, marveling at the condition of this place.
She quirks a brow. "If there was an abandoned cabin near you when you were a teenager, how would you have reacted?"
I grin seeing where she is going with this. "Point taken," I concede.
She hums, "And what if you were a wanderer or run away and came across a secluded cabin with an inch of dust on every surface?"
I nod along with her. "It would seem like a safe place to squat. But if you come across what appears to be a well lived in but otherwise unremarkable cabin, you'd just move on."
She grins. "Hide in plain sight by being average. People get bored by average."
I laugh as we walk into the living room where all the guys are standing. "There's nothing average about you, Scar," I say in a low voice, only for her ears. I leave her behind as I go and stand with the rest of the guys. Kade levels me with an assessing look, as if he could read my damage written right there on my skin if he just looks hard enough.
He reminds me more of himself as he does it though, so I don't retort with any smart ass reply. Instead giving him a reassuring pat. I really am okay, I hope he can see that in the ease of my body language and the smile that keeps trying to break out across my face.
This shouldn't be such a happy moment for me, for anyone. We are all just waiting to kill someone. My own flesh and blood. Half of the pair that makes up who I am, but I can't feel anything other than the floating sensation of contentment. A weight being lifted off my chest, knowing my sister will get to rest in some sense of peace.
This is only step one for me, but I think it may be the most important one of all. My own personal devil finally meeting his end. I don't think anything else will ever feel as relieving as this moment. I don't feel any bloodthirst or adrenaline rush like I did when we took out the social worker. Just the ease of knowing I made the right call. That's why I want it to be quick. I don't need him to suffer the way Scar sometimes tortures and drags out peoples' deaths. I just need him gone for good. Once and for all, not my problem anymore. Not any one's problem.
"You guys can wait here," Scar says before grabbing my hand and leading me through the room into a wide hallway. She walks with confidence, showing just how well she knows this place. I wonder how often she comes here.
She opens the third door on the left and drags me in behind her. It's a tight fit with the both of us but we fit even as she closes the door behind us. "Umm, Scar?" I hesitate. "Is this like a fucked up seven minutes in heaven or something?" Her head bumps against my chest as she cackles even as she turns on a light to illuminate the small closet we are standing in. Winter gear is haphazardly hanging around us, snow boots on the floor, beanies and gloves shoved on shelves.
"The latch won't open until this door is closed," she explains.
"Oh okay." I nod along with her, like that makes sense. "Wait what?" What latch is she talking about? We are just standing here staring at each other. I feel like she's enjoying my confusion way too much. She leans past me, pushes a couple jackets of the way, and I hear a series of clicks before a slight gush of air.
I turn around my mouth once again, dropping open in shock. I swear you'd think I would get used to it after hanging out with this lot, but every new little secret still surprises the shit out of me.
I look around at what used to be the back of the closet but is now another doorway. My eyes trace along the edges but I can't find any type of keypad. I turn a questioning look to her, but she just shrugs. "Press the indents on the wood in a certain order to unlock it."
I roll my eyes, a keypad would be too obvious for her. She's all about subtlety in everything she does. Well, everything that has to do with her revenge mission, not so much personally.
"How did they get my dad through here?"
She smirks as she pulls me through the entrance. "No idea, but I bet it would have been entertaining to watch."
I chuckle even as I spin around the room and end with a low whistle. This is some high grade fucking security technology. There are monitors all over the place, showing a three sixty view of the property as well as the roads leading to the property. In the entire time I was observing the property, I never noticed a single camera. Some of the monitors are clearly tracking different things but I can't figure out most of them. One looks like a program to analyze the stock market, another to track missing person cases, and one that I think is tracking unsolved murder cases. The others I couldn't figure out if my life depended on it.
An entire wall to the side of the entrance is dedicated to a variety of weapons and ammunition. Is that C4? I raise my brows at her but she's so nonchalant about the entire thing, it's hard to do anything other than roll with it. I really should be more used to her antics by now.
"There's a room just like this at Luca's place. Remind me to show you when we get home." Home. Probably the least important part of the sentence she just dropped on me, but I can't help that's what my mind latched onto.
She moves over to the far wall to surprise, surprise, a keypad. She grins as she puts the code in. "If anyone made it this far, they would figure out any trick I had." I guess that makes sense. I hear a click and she moves over to lift a latch in the floor, revealing a staircase. She grabs a handgun off the wall before descending the stairs. I follow her silently, still wondering about ho
w Mikey and Ronan managed to manhandle my father down here. He's not a small man by any means.
The staircase leads to a room, just a bit smaller than the living room above us. It's completely empty except for a chair in the center of the room, and a hose laying on the ground in the far corner. I look down at the ground in front of me, tapping it with my foot.
I'm not sure why I'm so fixated on it, but I've never seen anything quite like it. It's not tiles or wood but some type of large, solid material covering the entire floor. It shouldn't matter, I shouldn't care, not when my father is bound and gagged in front of me, but I do. I find myself fascinated with all the little details Scar thinks about.
She catches me staring and answers before I even ask, "Non-porous. It's the easiest way to clean up the blood without leaving any evidence." She points to the hose in the corner. "Little bleach bath, all the blood goes right down the drain. No plastic needed."
"No plastic," I repeat, a little stunned. She really has thought of everything.
"Yeah, you know. Go green." She does a little fist pump as if she's cheering before she sees my stunned face. "Fuck, Ryder. We may kill people, but we aren't totally terrible. We reduce, reuse, recycle."
"I feel like we've gotten off topic." I point out, still stupefied. This entire time my father has been screaming behind his mask, his face bright red and splotchy, tears and snot running into the gag. He strains and pulls, trying to free himself. I watch him feeling a little disconnected from this moment. Like I'm here but not really.
"Are you ready?" she asks, completely ignoring the man in front of us. Her entire focus on me. Giving me strength with just her gaze alone, centering me in the here and now, ready to face my devil for the last time.
I nod. She gives me a small smile. He looks straight at her as she turns to me, raising her arm and fires once. The sound explodes in the room around us, seeming to echo through me as I stare at his now slouched form. One shot. One bullet. Just like that, he's gone.