by Sam Crescent
Staff were wandering around, cleaning, picking things up, putting the house back to rights. No one paid any attention to me. I had to wonder if this wasn’t the first time a strange woman had moved around.
It clearly wasn’t a strange occurrence for them.
I found the kitchen and that was where Ashley stood, cooking at the stove. After I cleared my throat, she spun around with a huge smile on her face.
“Can you believe this place? I thought my mom’s new place was the bomb but this place is a palace.”
I chuckled. “It is big.”
“Is this the kind of house you live in?”
“Not even close. No, my house is a lot smaller than this.” I thought of my dad, of what he’d done, and I couldn’t help but be angry at him. Not only had he fucked up, but he’d brought Ashley and her mother here as well. They could be in the firing line as well, which really pissed me off. They were innocent.
Two innocent people would pay the price for his greed. Rather than show Ashley this, I kept my smile in place.
I’d learned long ago to play by the rules. It was what I knew how to do. To play the perfect part, even as I had a death sentence hanging over my head. I could do this. I could do all of this.
“You know how to cook?”
“Yeah. When your mom used to work eighteen-hour shifts between two different jobs, you get used to it. You?”
“I wasn’t allowed to cook.” Even though according to my dad a woman’s place was in the kitchen and pregnant. She didn’t have brains, and clearly my dad didn’t either.
Staring at Ashley’s back, I wondered if I should tell her who her stepdad was. I clasped my hands together, feeling a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Did you have a nice time at the party?” I asked instead. The warning I should be giving her died on my lips.
She chuckled. “Yes. I felt like a princess. I think I stuck out like a sore thumb. I noticed the other women didn’t take any of the food that passed them by. Not me, I was so starving and I don’t know how they can call those little nibbles food. It’s why I came down. River did say to make myself at home, I hope that’s okay.”
“You do know it’s a figure of speech?” I asked.
Her cheeks went a bright red.
“I know, but the cook only gave me fruit and there is all this food in the fridge.”
“I’m only joking around. I don’t have the best kind of humor.” I ran fingers through my hair. I hadn’t even bothered to brush it.
“Are you hungry? Or are you hungover?”
“I didn’t drink enough.” I probably should have. It would have made my life seem so much easier.
“Me neither. Are you hungry? Don’t make me eat all by myself.”
“I wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing.” I winked at her, but what I did need was coffee. “Do you know how to make coffee as well?”
“I’m completely self-sufficient. Always have been. I spent a lot of time on my own, and I’m not looking for sympathy.”
“Good, you won’t get it.” I poured us both a coffee. “Do you take cream or sugar?” I asked, feeling rather domesticated. It was quite fun playing a role. This would be one that wouldn’t last.
“Nah, just neat coffee.”
“I’m surprised. It’s not like you need it.” I handed her a cup, which she took while also working the pan of bacon and eggs. I thought I also saw some bagels, toasted, and I even diced-up potatoes. She really was hungry. They were golden brown in the pan on the back. Grabbing a fork, I speared one and took a bite.
They were good.
“You like?” she asked.
I nodded, waving my hand in front of my mouth. “They’re also hot.”
“Yeah, well, I like to have my food hot and cooked.” She winked at me and let out an infectious laugh.
I didn’t know if it was because I was going to die soon, or just Ashley and her innocence that had me laughing along with her. Either way, I joined her, loving every second. I sipped at my coffee and rested my head on her shoulder while she cooked. It was comforting just to be in her company.
My stomach growled.
“Take a seat. We’re all done.”
I sat down in my chair and watched as she served up. She put a full plate in front of me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to eat it all, but I’d give it a big go. I was so hungry.
The last meal.
I didn’t know when my last day was, but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to last long on this earth. How fucking morbid, but there it was. Nothing I could do about it.
I started to eat, enjoying every morsel.
“Is this what you want to do?” I asked.
“Cook?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know. It’s probably silly, but I always saw myself as some kind of kitchen goddess. It’s lame, I know. I think all those years of waiting for mom to come home. No dad. I decided that when I had a family of my own, I was going to make sure I was prepared for everything.” She offered a smile. “You like?”
“You’re a good cook.”
“Thanks. I like cooking for you.”
“You’ve done it once.”
“But I like it.” She offered a shrug. “Sorry. I don’t want to seem like I’m forcing this or anything. I don’t mean to.”
I reached over the counter and held out my hand. “You’ve been a good friend.”
“We’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. Not really long.”
“Long enough to know that you’re a good person, Ashley, possibly the best I’ve ever known.” I wasn’t lying either. In our world, friends weren’t easy to come by. It was one of the reasons Caleb, River, Vadik, and Gael were looked upon with envy. They had each other. Loyalty and friendship were rare commodities in our worlds.
“Em, I’m getting the sense that something is going on. What’s happening?”
“Nothing.” I forced a smile to my lips, hoping she never knew a moment of pain or fear.
The way she looked over my shoulder, though, I should have known better.
I glanced behind me and caught sight of Daniel Falls. He looked at both of us. First me, then Ashley.
“Hello, Miss. Crane, we meet again.” He took in my attire. I hadn’t even taken the time to do my hair.
He knew. Without a doubt, I knew what he was thinking.
“I’m sorry for interrupting.”
“Not at all,” I said, standing.
“Em, you haven’t finished breakfast.”
“It’s fine. I’m full.”
“I’m going to be taking Emily with me. I’ve got something I need to show her.”
Today, I was going to die. I’d made it all the way to eighteen, but this was where my time would come to an end.
I wasn’t upset or angry.
If I got the chance to see Caleb, Vadik, Gael, and River one more time, I’d tell them how I felt. That way, I could die and probably go to hell with a smile. They would know that in the short time I’d been with them, I’d been the happiest woman alive.
I went to Ashley and hugged her close. “Thank you,” I said.
“I don’t like this.”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about. Okay? You just enjoy your food.”
“Should I get River?”
I shook my head. There was really no reason to get him.
Turning my back on Ashley, I felt a little sick, but I looked at Daniel. He was so guarded. It was strange to think that he’d once been a boy much like his son, Caleb. He waited for me to take the lead and each step I took was harder than the last. Sickness swirled within me. The food had been so good, but I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of Caleb’s dad. It was probably stupid of me to even feel this way.
In and out, I breathed. Hands clenched at my sides.
Time seemed to slow down. With each step I took, in my head, it was like bells were going off. Not a wedding march, but the sound of my doom. The sound
of my last moments on this earth.
He didn’t lead me into an office or one of the much nicer studies. We came to a door. He twisted the lock, and it opened.
Steps were in front of me.
I could run now.
But I didn’t.
One after the other. I started downstairs. There was no light at first. Daniel was close behind me.
The cold seeped into my flesh, making me shiver.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see or know when the final blow would come. I should have known I’d never be that lucky.
All too soon, the ground slipped beneath my feet and I let out a cry as I landed down into something wet. Opening my eyes, I saw a light had been turned on, or I’d gone deep enough to where they were waiting. As I looked up, at first, it didn’t register what I was seeing. Then, all too soon, a scream fell from my lips.
My mother hung upside down. Her body was naked, but the wound at her neck still dripped.
She was dead.
The wet stuff I’d slipped in was her blood.
My heart raced as I tried to step out of it, but it was everywhere. At my back. In my hair. My hands.
Pulling away from my mother, I came to a stop when I saw my father, only, he wasn’t hung upside down.
Knives protruded out of him. One in each shoulder, legs, even his calves. I also saw needles in his face.
He was still alive.
One look at me and I saw the broken man. I had wanted this moment, only now, it came with me.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Dean Parson said. He had a cloth in his hands. It was stained with blood.
I stared at him, knowing he’d be the one to kill me.
“You don’t have a clue what your father or brother did, do you?” Marshall Keller asked.
All of them were here. Even River’s father, Ace Block, but he sat in the back, just watching everything.
“My brother?” I asked.
“We know you saw what we did to him,” Daniel said with a laugh. “Our sons think we don’t know all the tricks there are in the book, but we do. We know a lot more than they can ever imagine.”
Licking my dry lips, I looked at each of the men.
None of their soldiers were here.
This was what added to the fear people felt. They didn’t use other people to do their dirty work. They relied on no one.
They were the real monsters. No one else.
I stood, covered in my mother’s blood. Sickness swirled within my gut, the food I’d eaten only moments ago threatening to come up.
I held it in, waiting, watching, hoping I could find some way to live. But it was all useless.
“Your father has been a very naughty minion,” Dean said. “Did you know he’s the one responsible for River’s kidnapping two years ago?”
This was news to me. “You caught the guy?”
“No, we caught the patsy they’d put in place. I always had a hunch it was someone we knew. I just had to be patient enough to wait for the bastard to get too greedy.” Dean approached me, a knife in his hand.
“I regret what I’ve got to do, Emily. I owe you a favor for saving my son, but I will repay that kindness. I won’t give you a slow death. It will be quick.”
Tears filled my eyes and I looked at Dean, knowing it was the best I was going to get.
I closed my eyes as I felt the tip of the knife near my throat.
This was it.
I loved four guys and I wasn’t going to be able to ever tell them. That was on me.
I hoped one day they would realize that I did love them, in my own way at least.
Taking a deep breath, I waited.
“Stop!”
I opened my eyes, jerking away from the point as I turned to see Caleb, Vadik, Gael, and River in the basement. They were panting as they watched.
I cried out as Dean grabbed me and held the tip of the blade against my neck.
“Get out of here,” I said.
“No,” Gael said. “Dad, no. Fucking no. You can’t kill her.”
A hand covered my mouth, cutting off my air. The sudden swift movement took me by surprise. I couldn’t hear what anyone was saying. The world had started to swirl. I couldn’t cope. I couldn’t breathe.
Just as I thought I was going to die, Dean let me go, but all of a sudden, everything went black.
****
Gael
My relationship with my dad had always been a love-hate one. I hated him but I also loved him. I had pledged my loyalty to the bastard but as I watched him punch the love of my life, if it wasn’t for River, Vadik, and Caleb holding me back, I would have killed the bastard with my bare hands.
First, he held a knife to her. Then he punched her.
Emily ended up in a heap on the floor. Completely out cold. I checked to make sure her chest was moving.
Ashley had come running to me the instant Emily had been taken. I’d already been arriving at River’s house as she burst through the doors. Caleb and Vadik had arrived next. River was making his way downstairs.
I had never moved so fast before in my life.
There was just no way we could let her die.
The revelation of how deep Bernard Crane’s betrayal went even shocked me. She couldn’t pay for those sins. There was no way I could let her. She had no right to die because of her father.
“Keep yourself together,” Dean said.
He wasn’t my dad at that moment. He was my enemy.
One person I wanted to kill.
“Keep your shit,” Caleb said.
Staring at my friend, I breathed in deep and as my friends released me, I stayed perfectly still.
Emily was still on the floor.
“You have him. There’s no reason to take her. No reason at all.” I slashed my hand through the air.
Emily was covered in blood and each time I looked at her, I feared she was dead.
“You know our rules. She’s just a girl. You need to learn not to let a woman have so much control over you. What’s done, is done.” Dean grabbed the blade of the knife and threw it, using Bernard Crane as a target. The man screamed. I didn’t care about him.
I knew for a fact our dads were pissed that he’d been able to operate for a further two years without them even suspecting he was a traitor. He’d been plotting their demise for so long.
They had believed they were invincible.
“What about Bethany?” Caleb asked. “What about my mom?”
They all tensed. I watched it. One by one. Even Ace who sat in the back stood up at her name.
“Don’t speak her name,” Marshall said.
My dad grabbed a knife out of Bernard and pointed it at Caleb. “You have no right.”
“I have every right. I’m her son, aren’t I? Her blood runs through my veins. She is part of all of us. Even you. There’s no getting away from that. She wouldn’t want you to do this. We all know that to be true.”
“Boy, I suggest you stay fucking quiet.”
The anger in Daniel’s voice was clear. I also didn’t like how he suddenly had a knife in his hand, waiting to explode.
“We all love Emily. She belongs to us and you can’t kill her. Bethany, she’d hate you all for it.”
Daniel reacted first, shoving a blade into Caleb’s shoulder. It missed his heart, but the threat was there.
“Do not use her here. We have our rules.”
Caleb’s face was red, tense. This wasn’t the first time he’d been stabbed, and it probably wouldn’t be the last time.
We’d had to learn to grow up and to do so fast. That was what our fathers always said. There was no room for being children.
“What if it had been Bethany’s father? Would you have let her die to pay for his sins? The love of your life.”
“Daniel,” Dean said.
I noticed my dad had stopped. Even Ace and Marshall were still. They were all watching. They didn’t want to kill us. Caleb was their last connection to Bethany.
/>
“A compromise,” Ace said, speaking up.
Daniel didn’t move but smiled. “A compromise.”
“A way for the girl to live and our sons to be … appeased.” Ace looked at the ground then at me.
“I know just the thing,” Daniel said. “Emily can live. She can live her life without any threat from us.”
Caleb nodded but my gut twisted.
“In return, to make sure that there are no repercussions for our generosity to you, you will let her go.” Daniel talked slowly. The hint of cruelty in his eyes easy to see.
This wasn’t fair.
We all knew it.
“What?” Caleb asked.
“Your girl can live. If you love her enough, if you really believe she is your Bethany, then to make sure she lives a long and happy life, you will let her go. No more second chances. You take her and dump her. A new identity. A new place, but her name is dead here. She is gone. Died with her traitorous father. That is the only compromise. If you don’t agree, Dean here will slit her throat.”
“Caleb?” I asked. We couldn’t let her go. Not now. We’d only just gotten her, but there was no alternative. I’d rather live knowing she was safe.
“Oh, and the condition, if I ever find out that you went to her, you fuck her, you do anything that makes her real to you, I’ll kill her. Her life is now in your and your friends’ hands. Tell me, Caleb. You’ve got a minute to decide.”
“Deal,” Caleb said.
He held out his hand and Daniel pulled out the knife.
“Ashley as well,” I said.
“What?” Caleb asked, as did Daniel.
“If we can’t have her. She’s going to be alone, Caleb. We can’t let her be on her own. Not now. She’s going to need someone. Ashley’s on their shit list as well. Let her have someone.”
Caleb turned back to his father and nodded. “Ashley gets a free pass as well.”
Daniel looked back and they all agreed.
A compromise had been met but whatever trust had been there as father and son had been completely severed.
Life, as we knew it, was now fucked beyond all means.
Epilogue
Emily
Something bad had happened. I didn’t know how I knew it, but there was a sense of doom lingering in the air.