Final Debt

by Pepper Winters

  I slammed to a halt.

  My stomach twisted; it took everything inside to keep my voice level and not wobble with guilt. “Jaz…you’re in that chair because of me. It was selfish of me to put so much on you. You did keep her safe. You dealt with Bonnie all these years. You got Cut to change the Debt Inheritance. That’s fucking huge. The rest is on me.”

  “No, no it’s not.”

  Sudden wrath hijacked my hand—I pummelled a fist into a sapling. “Yes, it is. I had her in my arms a few hours ago. I thought I knew best. I stupidly thought I had time. I’m a fucking idiot. I’m to blame. Not you. Never you. Understand?”

  Jasmine didn’t reply.

  My time had run out. My voice lowered to a soothing whisper. “I can’t comfort you. Not yet. It fucking kills me that you’re dealing with this on your own but, Jasmine, I need you to spit it out. Where did they take her?”

  Diamond Alley?

  The integration house in Devon?

  Where?

  Jaz sniffed loudly, shoving aside her grief. “They’ve taken her to Almasi Kipanga.”

  “Fuck!”

  My mind swam with images of our mine. The cavernous caves and labyrinth of chiselled pathways. Our fortune had come from there. Our name. Our titles. Everything we had came from the dirt.

  Almasi Kipanga.

  Swahili for Diamond Hawk.

  “When? How?”

  “I don’t know. But they took her. They left hours ago. I checked with air traffic control. The plane left on route to Chad then to Botswana. You’ll never make it in time.”

  Everything inside went ice, ice cold. “In time for what, Jaz? What else do you know?”

  I paced in the clearing, going out of my fucking mind.

  “Bonnie took great pride in telling me Cut will make her pay the Third Debt the moment they get there. And the Fourth Debt the day after…Jethro…they plan on carrying out the Final Debt by the end of the week.”

  Motherfucking shit.

  My mind ran wild, calculating time zones and travel distance.

  Even if I left now and there was a charter leaving immediately, I would still be hours behind. I would be too late to prevent the Third Debt.

  My heart crumbled to ash.

  How could I do this to her? After everything she’d already lived through. How had I failed her so fucking spectacularly?

  Christ!

  Shrugging into the backpack, I vowed I wouldn’t let Nila suffer anymore. Fuck the plan. Fuck timing.

  I won’t give up.

  “I’ll take care of it.” My voice was a tombstone. Even as I swore I’d save Nila, I knew the truth. The awful, disgusting truth.

  Kes had done what I couldn’t and saved her from the Third Debt. He’d held her. Comforted her. Been there for her while he protected her from being raped.

  All of that had been in vain.

  He’d been shot because of me.

  He might never wake up because of me.

  I wanted to slaughter my father with my bare hands. I wanted to tear out my heart because no matter what I did, I would fail Nila.

  She would pay the Third Debt.

  And she would hate me forever.

  My knees wobbled as I gasped in agony. I’d condemned her. I was the one she would blame. How would she recover from that? Why would she ever want me again after I left her alone?

  She would never be mine again, but I would never let my father execute her.

  Six days.

  My father wanted to kill the love of my life in six fucking days.

  My plan had just escalated.

  I will stop this.

  Even if it meant dying alone and unwanted because of it.

  “How! How will you take care of it?” Jasmine screeched. “They’re in fucking Botswana, Kite!”

  My jaw locked, and I stormed toward Wings. He stood obediently, hidden in the tree line. Neither tethered nor saddled, he looked up when I got closer. His black eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge, so smart, so empathetic. He sensed my turmoil. He knew what I was about to ask him and he didn’t hesitate.

  Moving toward me, the giant animal placed himself sideways for me to mount. No rope or bridle, just a bond between man and beast.

  “I don’t care if they’re at the ends of the earth. I’m going after them.”

  Grabbing a fistful of Wing’s mane, I tucked the phone under my chin. In a practiced move I’d done countless times, I leapt upright and swung my leg over Wing’s back.

  My side bellowed, but I ignored my discomfort, focusing on the pain I’d caused Nila by making her return to the Hall without me.

  Stupid. So fucking stupid.

  Wing’s silky coat offered no friction against my jeans. I’d been raised riding bareback. I’d spent many nights building a relationship with my horse. He would obey and fly wherever I needed.

  The minute I was seated, he burst into a gallop. I bent low, gripping with my thighs.

  Run.

  Faster.

  My rucksack slapped against my back as Wings flew toward the Hall. Wind stole Jasmine’s voice, but I caught enough. “Jethro, what are you going to do?”

  The noonday sun drenched Hawksridge, mocking my choices and who I’d become. I vowed this would be over soon. That Nila would be in my arms. That my brother would wake from his coma. That my sister might finally find peace.

  So much to fix.

  So much unhappiness to erase.

  Wings gathered more power, shooting faster than any bullet across the paddock. My legs tightened, my heart pounded, and my fury crescendoed into a breathable entity.

  Cut had made his last mistake.

  I’m coming for you.

  “I’m going after her, Jaz. And this time, I’m going to fucking end it.”

  IF DIAMOND ALLEY was the place where diamonds were sorted, raining eternal sunshine from giant spotlights, then Almasi Kipanga was the scar in the earth that’d created them.

  The entire journey from the airport, Daniel kept his hand latched around my knee. I’d stewed in annoyance and repulsion but hadn’t argued or struck up conversation.

  I had so much to say.

  But each word would only herald more punishment.

  Besides, Daniel didn’t deserve conversation. He was a lost, little boy, unable to see he was already dead. He might be a Hawk about to hurt me, but I was a viper in his nest just waiting to bite and poison him.

  I had time.

  I had stealth.

  I’ll wait.

  The driver escorted us through the silent night without a syllable spoken. His passenger-guard never rested, glaring out the window, his reflexes flinching and finger soaring to the gun trigger more than once. Especially when we stopped at red lights and drove down dirt roads.

  When we traded human busyness for sparseness, he unsheathed a machete, placing it reverently across his knees. Starlight bounced through the windscreen, kissing the tarnished blade.

  Hoots and howls replaced sounds of suburbia, scuttling premonition down my spine.

  Inside the Jeep, we were safe…but out there…out there feasted animals far more equipped at killing than we were. Out there, they hunted; their yellow eyes flashing in the headlights.

  My fatigue evaporated the deeper into Africa we drove. The driver and passenger granted me copious amounts of adrenaline as I fed off their alertness. They lived here yet they didn’t relax. They stayed on edge the entire journey.

  What had they seen that I hadn’t?

  What had they lived that I never would?

  I didn’t want to know.

  The four of us travelled together but apart—each wrapped in their own thoughts and journeys.

  By the time we left barely sealed roads and clunked onto gravel trails, my muscles cramped from anxiety.

  Every bump, I flinched. Every cackle from hyenas and every growl from lions, I squeezed my eyes with fear. The weapons our guides carried weren’t to subdue me; they were to prevent whatever was out there from con
suming us.

  Civilisation was no more. We’d entered the heart of nature where survival superseded wealth and common-sense triumphed over stupidity.

  As we pulled into the horrendous hell of Hawk territory, more and more animal eyes gleamed in the darkness as the high beams illuminated wilderness. My heart banged against my ribs as a flash of predator and the squeal of prey echoed in the night. Some poor creature died only metres from me.

  I’m next.

  If I didn’t kill first.

  Daniel chuckled, licking his lips at the thought of some poor animal becoming dinner.

  I curled my fingers in disgust, looking out the opposite window. There, I could vaguely make out knobbly trees and sun-beaten terrain. The silver cast of moonlight forgave Africa’s sins but couldn’t hide its danger.

  After crossing a dried-up riverbed and navigating the death plains, we finally pulled into a permanent camp.

  The driver slowed, slipping through gates that sent a shiver down my spine. For all my strength and committed confidence at killing before being killed, I couldn’t swallow the lie any longer.

  I finally understood that this place was more than just a mine. More than just Hawk property. More than just their ticket to wealth.

  This was my grave.

  “Welcome to our office.” Daniel opened the door once the Jeep wrenched to a halt. His fingers pressed on my seatbelt, freeing me, then wrapped around my wrist and yanked me from the seat. I slid out the door, stumbling a little as my legs woke up after being useless from sitting so long.

  “Where are we?” I stretched, working out the kinks in my spine while my eyes danced over the camp. A congregation of shipping containers had been converted into offices, wooden shacks with thatched roofs decorated the outskirts, and trodden muddy paths spoke of hardship and toil. The moon offered some illumination, competing against the watery lights strung in bushes and the brighter warmth of electricity spilling from dwellings.

  If I didn’t know who this place belonged to, it might’ve welcomed. I might’ve relished the thought of being in Africa for the first time. Going on a safari and witnessing the creatures I was afraid of, all from the safety of an organised tour.

  Instead, all I wanted to do was run—to scale the fence barricading us and take my chances with the sharp-toothed lions prowling the boundaries.

  At least I knew what they would do to me.

  “Are you deaf or just fucking dumb?” Daniel wafted at the site as if it held every answer. “This is ground zero. The place where the first diamond was found. The place where your family’s future became shadowed by mine.” Tightening his cruel fingers around my wrist, he marched me through the encampment.

  I guessed about thirty to forty shacks and canvas tents decorated the space while seven or so containers oversaw whatever work they undertook. The surrounding fence was patched like an old quilt—wood recently replaced and other wood that needed to be. Everything was sun-scorched and dust-sprinkled.

  But it held a wild vibe. A homey vibe.

  Somehow, the people who lived here had made the most of what they had and transformed it into more than just a mine but a sanctuary.

  Out the corner of my eye, I saw something I didn’t think I would ever witness.

  Daniel seemed to…relax.

  His shoulders smoothed out. The feral desire to be seen and noticed calmed. The insanity inside him muted by the freedom he found here. Perhaps, he wasn’t just a psychopath, after all. Perhaps, I’d misjudged when I called him one-dimensional.

  Just like I’d broken Jethro by using his lust for me and Kes’s kindness to become my ally, I tried to do the same with Daniel. “You like it here.”

  His eyes snapped to mine. “Shut up, Weaver.”

  “No. I want to know. You’ve got me all to yourself, Daniel. Cut said I could ask anything I want. Alright then, my first question is about you.”

  His mouth hung open as if he couldn’t believe I’d just willingly entered into a conversation with him.

  That’s right.

  See me.

  Hear me.

  Feel me.

  Then perhaps you won’t try and hurt me.

  It was wishful thinking, but maybe, just maybe, it might payoff.

  Just like it did with your brother.

  “Is this some sort of trick?”

  I shook my head. “No trick.” Pulling on his hold, I forced him to stop in the centre of the camp. A large fire pit charred the dirt while hacked up logs acted as seating. “You like it here. Why?”

  His eyes darkened, but he answered. “Because it’s away from Hawksridge.”

  “You don’t like that place?”

  “I never fucking said that.” His temper smouldered.

  I backtracked, trying to read between the lines. “You prefer this place over Hawksridge though…why?” Sudden understanding dawned. “Because you think of this place as yours and Hawksridge as Jethro's.”

  His hand lashed out, wrapping around my collar. “Wrong, bitch. Hawksridge is mine. Jethro is dead. Remember? Shot. Cold and buried.”

  I kept my secret while my heart warmed, rolling around in the truth.

  He’s alive.

  Looping my fingers over his wrist, I held on while he imprisoned my throat. “It’s yours now—if you behave and follow what Cut tells you, of course. But something makes me think you’ve always been happier here.” I cocked my head. “Why is that? Because it’s away from Bonnie, perhaps? It can’t be because Jasmine doesn’t come here. I don’t see you interact, but she’s harmless.”

  As if.

  Jasmine terrified me.

  He didn’t answer, shoving me back and wiping his hands.

  I tried again. “Jethro was hurt because of his condition. Jasmine was disabled for something I don’t understand. Kes was tolerated because he kept the peace. But you…you…” I gasped. “I know. You were the mistake. The third son—the unneeded backup to an inheritance that already had two heirs.”

  Daniel suddenly exploded. His palm struck my cheek. “Shut the fuck up. I’m. Not. A. Mistake.”

  I gasped against the pain, fighting an ocean of heat.

  He could hit me. But he couldn’t deny it. The way he argued throbbed with past history and conviction. How many times had he been called that? How many times had it undermined his place in the family and turned him into this evil creature?

  Holding my cheek, I muttered, “I didn’t say I thought you were a mistake. I asked if that was why you prefer it here.” I rubbed my flaming skin. “You’re his child. Same as all his children. It wasn’t right to make you feel any less than them.”

  “Stop with the fucking psychoanalyzing. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Imprisoning my wrist again, he hauled me toward a large canvas tent.

  I went with him—what choice did I have? But I did have a deeper understanding of my nemesis now. His childlike hatred. His out of control temperament. He might not have a soul to implore but once upon a time…he did. He was just a kid. An unwanted kid who did everything he could to be accepted.

  The similarities with Jethro didn’t escape my notice. The only difference was Jethro allowed himself to finally change, improve…see his own self-worth.

  “It wasn’t Cut who told you first, was it?” I couldn’t stop my runaway mouth. But this might be my only chance at understanding Daniel enough to defeat him.

  He didn’t turn to look; his footsteps moved faster. “Shut up. Before I make you.”

  “It was Bonnie, wasn’t it? She’s the one who told you you were a mistake.”

  What are you doing?

  Our pace increased and my eyes sought out escape paths. Climbing the few steps onto the wraparound deck, the fabric tent wasn’t a temporary abode. It’d been swallowed by the ground and had become part of the landscape with outdoor chairs, a veranda, internal reception room, bedroom, and bathroom.

  Breathing hard, Daniel ducked and dragged me from mud to carpet, moving forward into a l
arge bedroom with alcoves. Immediately, my gaze dropped to the bed.

  I swallowed my heart.

  Daniel chuckled. “If you want to ask questions, get your fucking facts straight first. Yes, I always knew I would get shit having two brothers in front of me. Yes, I wasn’t planned and Cut had great pleasure in telling me that my life is a fucking gift and to be thankful. But that isn’t the reason why he’s such a bastard.”

  Wishing I could put some distance between us, I whispered, “Why?”

  Daniel stepped closer, pressing his chest against mine. “Because she didn’t love him. She never loved him—no matter what he did. And that fucking screwed him up.”

  “Who didn’t love him?”

  “Rose.”

  “Who’s Rose?”

  “Peter’s wife.”

  “Peter?” My mind raced, grasping at half-remembered recollections.

  Daniel growled, “Fuck, you are stupid. Cut’s brother. That’s why Bonnie never liked us. We weren’t supposed to exist. Get it? Cut stole Peter’s wife behind his back. He got her pregnant.”

  My mouth hung open. “Is that why Cut killed him? To not only claim the inheritance but the heirs, too?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No, he killed him because Bonnie told him to. She pretends like Cut betrayed her, but once she knew Rose was pregnant, she changed the game. She’s always fucking changing the game.”

  My mind swam. “So—”

  “No more fucking questions.” Grabbing my chin, he forced me to look at the bed. His dark laugh sounded forced but evil. “Gonna put that to use very soon.” He shoved me, chuckling as I bashed my knee against a coffee table with metal cups and a water jug. The jug wobbled, spilling cold liquid down the shins of my jeans and puddling on the floor.

  “For fuck’s sake, Weaver.” Marching forward, he grabbed the back of my nape, forcing me to bend over the mess. “See what you just did?”

  He treated me like a dog that’d pissed on the rug.

  All conversation and questions disappeared. His actions concealed any weakness he might’ve shown, cleverly reminding me that everyone had issues, everyone had skeletons and secrets, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the person you became despite your past. And Daniel had no intention of changing.

  “Clean that shit up.”