by T. L Smith
My grandmother crosses her arms over her chest. “Why?”
“He has Everly.”
Her eyes go wide. “Maybe it will once and for all get you out of your funk regarding her.”
If I didn’t love her, I would hurt her for those words. If she were anyone else, she would be wishing right now she were dead for uttering them.
“Where. Does. He. Live?”
“You should know this.” She steps away from me and heads to her kitchen.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I knew,” I state the obvious.
“He lives in your house. You never sold it.”
My feet halt. That’s the place where my parents were murdered. I own it, but never go to it. I don’t like the reminder of that night. I don’t like to think of why they were killed. It’s part of the reason I pulled away from the business and made my own.
“You let him in there?”
“He asked. I gave him a key.”
“How long for?” I question her.
“At least six months now,” she says.
“That’s their house. How could you?” I spit venom directly at her, the silly old woman.
She spins to face me. “How could I? How could you? You would have all of this town and the trades if you stuck to the damn contract. You would have everything. But no, you gave it all up because you’re in love. What a lame, stupid excuse for a man,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t want it. I don’t want to end up like they did. Why is that so hard to see?”
“Their stupidity killed them, not the job.”
I throw my hands up. “No, it wasn’t. It was trading to the wrong people that ultimately killed them.”
“It was Roberto who dealt with the trade, not them,” she fires back.
I halt.
What did she just say?
“Oh,” she says, seeing my reaction. “No. Get what you’re thinking out of your head. He did nothing.”
“How was it Roberto’s trade?” I ask her.
She sighs. “He found a new supplier. A new distributor. He handled the last shipment.”
“And…”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “It was them who killed your parents, Gunner. You know this.”
“And now those people are dead,” I state the damn obvious. Those people who killed my family, who thought they could get away with it so easily. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Roberto put his trust in the wrong people, or he didn’t really care. Either way, they didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as me.
“Yes, they are,” she says coldly.
I don’t understand her. She isn’t my grandmother anymore. This woman, standing in front of me, is a stranger. How can she be so cold about the people who killed her child? My parents.
“Roberto could have used them. He could have made us the name on everyone’s lips if you had let him. If you didn’t ruin what he was starting,” she screams.
I did. The minute I was old enough, I found out exactly who they were. And I did what any other person would do if they had the means. I killed them. It was easy. As easy as breathing. Thanks to Jasper, I found them. And within one hour, we were in their house with guns to their heads. Jasper and his men kept each one where they were while I walked around and put a bullet in each of them.
They were lucky that’s all they got.
I should have watched them burn as well.
“I don’t have time for this.” I shake my head, turning to leave.
“Gunner…” I turn back to look at her. “I hope he kills her.”
“I don’t ever want to see you again. Do you hear me?”
Her eyes go wide at my words.
“Do. You. Hear. Me?” I yell.
“You can’t cut me out.”
“I just did,” I say while walking out.
All that woman cares about is power. Honestly, it’s where Roberto gets it from. You would think she raised him instead of me.
Pulling up in this driveway hurts me in more ways then I care to admit. I loved my parents, and then lost them. And now I know who was at fault. I never thought it could be family who took away my life, and now wants to take it away again.
That can’t happen.
They can’t have her.
No matter what.
Getting out of the car and walking up to the front door, everything’s quiet. Only one car sits out front, and there’s no other signs of life. I hear the noise of a camera moving on its axis and watch as it turns to face me when I reach the front door.
He’s tried to change it, paint, a bit of restructuring here and there, but it still looks exactly the same. The whole place still smells like it should. Theirs.
I loved this place, it’s the only reason I’ve never sold it. This place is mine, and will always be mine because it belonged to my parents.
I knock on the door, knowing he wants to talk, knowing he wants to make me beg, knowing he wants what I have and his only way to get it is by using Everly.
For this, and this reason only, he will die.
“You were fast to get here. Tell me… how long until she told you I was here?”
“Immediately.”
He bites his lip as he holds his gun in one hand and a drink in the other. He steps back, opening the door wider for me to enter. When I do, I freeze on the spot. There she is, tied to the ceiling much like I had her in the garage. Her lips are bleeding and her clothes are torn to pieces. There’s barely enough left to cover her skin.
“I wouldn’t do anything drastic if I were you, Gunner. I’ll put a bullet in her brain before you can even try to help her.” He keeps the gun pointed directly at Everly. She can’t see me, but I know when she hears me because her back straightens.
“Gunner.”
“Oh, look, she knows you’re here.” He walks over and touches her bare stomach. “How sweet.” I watch in horror as he leans forward and bites her silky skin, marking it with his mouth. My feet can’t keep still, and before I know it, I’m walking to him, ready to put him in the ground. When he removes the safety on the gun and rests the end of the barrel against her temple, I freeze, just before I reach her. I want to touch her so she knows I’m here, but I keep my hands glued to my sides, afraid of what else he might do.
“You’re going to regret touching her. You know that, right?”
Everly doesn’t move, but I can hear her soft cries.
“No, I don’t think I will.” He walks back around to the front and touches her between her legs. She whimpers loudly. “I’ve never had this sweet of a pussy before. Tell me, Gunner… was it everything you had imagined?”
“Remove your hand, Roberto.” He pushes harder instead, making Everly cry out. Her mouth opening, which in turn causes Roberto to smile larger.
A loud bang is heard, and he drops his hand and turns it to the side, to where the sound came from.
I smile, knowing full well what it was.
“What did you do?” His head swings back to me. “I’ll kill her… is that what you want?” he screams, stepping back, so he is behind her now.
I step up to Everly, she’s now right between us. My hand touches her stomach where he hasn’t hurt her and I grip her. She knows it’s me straight away and her breathing deepens.
“You won’t be able to kill her, Roberto. You’ll be dead.”
His head whips to the side again at another loud bang. I reach for the knife in my pocket and slice the material holding her in place, she drops right into my hands.
Roberto backs up as Everly clings to me.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” he says, raising the gun. I move her around behind me and she manages to stand while holding on to my body as it blocks any more harm coming her way.
Just before he opens his mouth again, the front door opens, and I don’t even bother looking because I know who it is.
“Jasper, you’re dealing with him?” Roberto states while shaking his head. “I’ll double whatever his
offer is.”
Jasper walks up to me, and when he does, I grip Everly tighter, knowing full well she’s now safe.
“Oh, yeah? What are you offering?”
Everly grips me harder from behind.
Roberto smiles. “I’ll offer you everything but the runs. I want the runs,” he says, referring to the drug and gun-running.
Jasper turns to me with a grin and I smile back.
“He already has it,” I say, watching as the smile falls from Roberto’s face.
“W-What?” he stutters.
“I told you I was phasing that part of the business out. What did you think that meant? I want to succeed in the right way. I want a clean business, all my way. That wasn’t my business, it was my father’s.”
Roberto goes to move toward me, but before he can, one of Jasper’s men comes up from behind him and slams the butt of his pistol into his head, making him drop, and his gun falls from his hand, sliding across the floor to land at my feet.
I turn to look into eyes that hold all of my fucking heart and I see pain, so much pain. “I need you to wait outside, I’ll be there soon.” I brush my fingers across her face and she nods.
I’m in love with my ex-wife.
And now I’m about to kill for her.
22
Everly
So much pain, it radiates through me as if it’s happening all over again.
“Oh my God, Everly.” Hands touch me and a jacket is placed over my shoulders. I look up to see Isadora with worry written all over her face. “Are you okay?” She gently touches me and I flinch. “Oh God, you aren’t. I’m such an idiot.” I look back to the house and shake my head as I start to walk back, each step more painful than the last. No one stops me, and each step feels like my body’s on fire.
But I have to see, I have to know what they’re doing to him.
As I reach the door, I hear Gunner’s voice. Who would have thought that hearing Gunner’s voice would become a thing of comfort for me? The minute I heard him I knew I would be all right. I knew he would save me. My hand touches the door handle and I turn it ever so slowly, the jacket Isadora gave me is hanging from my shoulders as I step inside.
“You think you can touch what’s mine and you can simply walk away?” Gunner adds with a laugh.
I hear a grunt, and something drops, and as I walk in, I see Gunner standing over a very bloody Roberto. He leans down, whispers something in his ear, and I see the glint of a knife as it goes into Roberto’s side, making him scream out in pain. Jasper’s standing next to them, not fazed at all with what’s happening, and two men, who I think are dead, lay near him on the floor. I never saw either of them when I walked out. Who are they?
“She doesn’t want you,” Roberto manages to say while grunting in pain. He stays on the floor, but his head turns and sees me standing at the door. “Do you, love? You don’t want him anymore.”
All heads then turn to me. Gunner walks my way, his hands covered in blood go to touch me, but I take a step back. I don’t want those hands on me with that blood. The blood of the man who I didn’t want touching me, and who took that liberty without my permission. I have enough of my own blood on me right now. Gunner drops his hand, his features sadden at my reaction, which he takes as rejection.
“You need to go outside, Everly.” He nods behind him, and I feel soft female hands touching my arm.
I turn to see Isadora. “Come on, let them finish, and let’s get you cleaned up.” I pull free of her and look back to Gunner.
“Do you plan to kill him?” I ask as he looks at me in confusion. “Truth please, Gunner.”
“I always tell you the truth, Everly,” he says, then pauses. “Yes, I plan to kill him for touching you.”
I look past his dark eyes and see Roberto on the floor smiling up at me. A shiver racks over me knowing what he did, how he bit my skin as if it was his own special candy. I hate him. I hate who he is. And to think he could do this to someone else scares me.
“Don’t tell me not to do it, Everly.”
I look past him to Jasper, who’s watching silently, his eyes trained on us.
“Does he have a family?”
Gunner swears under his breath.
“Look what he did to you,” he seethes, his hand pulling at the coat, looking down at my body. “He hurt you.”
“You hurt me,” I say back to him.
“I didn’t do this. I would never do this.” He shakes his head. “You think I’m capable of this?” he asks with a pain in his voice I haven’t heard from him before, while nodding to my body.
I don’t answer him.
“I don’t want you to kill him,” I say, then turn and walk out.
Isadora offers me her hand and I take it, she gives mine a reassuring squeeze. I hear a loud bang, so I whip my head around to the house, hoping he didn’t do it. Yes, I want him dead, but I don’t want that on my conscience. I’m not that person. I will never be that kind of person.
“Let’s go, Everly,” Isadora says.
I see them both exiting the house. Jasper has a gun in his hand, and Gunner looks up to me at the door.
“I asked you not to,” I say in a small voice, but he hears me.
“I didn’t,” Gunner answers.
I look at Jasper who’s smirking. “I did,” he says. “You didn’t ask me not to.”
Looking back to Gunner, he stares at me, waiting for me to say something, but I can’t. I have no words left, and I’m tired, so tired. He starts walking my way, but I put my hand up. Looking to Isadora I ask, “Will you take me home?”
“Of course.”
Jasper places a hand on Gunner’s shoulder. “Isadora will look after her. She’s in good hands.”
I don’t know what he means by that, but I can see Gunner doesn’t want me to leave without him. I need to, though. I need time to process, time to get my head straight.
Climbing into the car, she slides into the driver’s seat and pulls out onto the street. I watch him, just as much as he watches me.
“Do you want to go back to your place?” I shake my head. “Okay. Where would you like me to take you? You can come back to mine if you like, but be warned, it’s full of men.”
I shake my head again. “Please take me to my parents’ home.”
“The exclusive houses in Evergreen?” she asks, referring to the neighborhood where my parents live.
I nod and she starts to drive.
“I didn’t think this through,” I say, looking down at myself.
“I can make a run for it. We still have time, we haven’t gotten out.”
I notice my mother at the door, waiting for me. She doesn’t know it’s me, but her eyes narrow, and I know the minute she spots me as her smile develops into something that touches her eyes—it’s a mother’s love. I look down and try doing up the buttons of the jacket. I don’t know why I came here, but I knew I’d be safe, so it’s the first place I thought of outside of Gunner’s place.
“No, it’s okay.” I smile at Isadora and wince as I do. My cheeks hurt, my lip is busted and so swollen. Roberto hit me hard, so hard that it cracked my lip in the corner. Let alone the bite marks on the top and bottom that need attention. “Thank you, Isadora, I really appreciate you helping me.”
She waves me off. “Anytime. And if you feel like escaping, call me. I would love some girl company, considering I’m surrounded by men,” she says with an eye roll.
Stepping out, my mother pauses at the door. I watch as her hand grips it harder than normal, and her face winces at the sight of me. Worry’s etched all over her features from her tight lips to her crinkled forehead.
Walking up the steps, she stays where she is as if she cannot move. When she finally does, her hands are on me, and I’m wrapped in her arms like a cocoon while I try not to think of the pain that her embrace brings me.
She hums, brushing my hair, and pulls back to look at me. “Oh, sweet child, what happened?”
Looking past me, I hear I
sadora drive off as my mother guides me inside the house.
“Is he here?” She shakes her head in answer. “I need to shower.”
“Of course. All your things are still in your room.” I always leave a spare change of clothes here, plus there’s my old things I no longer wear. “Everly. What happened?”
I don’t know how to tell her. I simply don’t know where to start.
“Later. I need a shower right now.”
She nods but her lips thin as she watches me start to take the stairs. My feet are heavy, and I find the stairs a challenge, but I continue anyway, wanting to get clean and wash this whole episode off me.
“I’ll bring you food and some bandages.” She hasn’t seen my stomach yet, which I plan not to show her as I make my way up.
Heading straight for my room, I grab some clothes and step to the shower, turning the water on high. I strip my clothes, or what’s left of them, that need to be burned, dropping them to the floor and step in.
The water cascades over my skin and I watch as the blood floats down the drain and washes away.
If only the marks on my body, and the pain in my heart, could do the same.
“You taste so sweet, so good.” He licked my stomach and lifted my shirt, then he took a knife, dragging it over my stomach and cutting my shirt, so it hung loosely over my shoulders.
“I bet he won’t want you once I tear you to pieces and you taste sour afterward.” His eyes locked on mine. “I can make you taste sour, so fucking sour.” He licked me again on my stomach and dragged his tongue up and down until he got to the edge. I tried to kick him, but it was no use. He was stronger than me, and when his cold hands touched my body, he would dig his fingers in to the point of pain, and tears would leak from my eyes.
“I like tears, it means you like it.”
Sick, sadistic prick.
His tongue licked my tears away before he went back to my stomach and resumed his torture.
“Please. Let me go.”
He laughed at my words. As if they mean nothing. I guess to him they do.
“Gunner doesn’t love me. He doesn’t.”