If you wanted to do this, it should be now. There’s no school for the next few days and everyone will be out of town—less people.
He had a good point. Alright. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.
What about Livia?
She’s asleep. She won’t have a clue.
K. Keira’s asleep too.
Let’s do this.
After I picked up Liam, we drove to the party on campus. We were quiet on the drive. I gripped the steering wheel because I was so excited about ripping this guy to pieces. I would get the names of the remaining four and then I would destroy him.
“No violence until we know it’s him.” Liam gave me a firm look.
“I know.”
“And no killing.”
We’ll see about that.
“Scotty?”
“Whatever.”
We parked the truck then headed inside. The party was much smaller than it usually was. Everyone must be traveling to spend the holiday with their families. That was good for us. Less witnesses.
I made my way through the people, wondering if my victim was standing in that very room. Liam trailed behind me, his eyes scanning the crowd. A few girls made eyes at me but I ignored them. The only girl I wanted to be with was sleeping in my bed.
“There’s John,” Liam said.
The guy we were talking to last time was drinking out of a red cup. His eyes were slightly red like he’d just smoked some weed.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Liam reached him first. “Hey, man. It’s quiet tonight.”
“Yeah. But the girls that remain behind are lonely and vulnerable.” He winked. “Easy prey.”
I couldn’t believe Liam and I used to be like this creep.
“I wonder if the roofies are unnecessary,” Liam said.
“They’re going to have to be,” John said. “The guy that used to sell it closed up shop.”
“He did?” I asked. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Do you remember his name?” Liam asked.
“Why do you care?” John asked. “He doesn’t have the stuff.”
“But he might know someone who does,” I interjected.
John seemed to agree. “Jacob.”
“Jacob what?” I demanded. I was so close.
“Iverson—I think.” He rubbed this chin then took another drink. “That’s him on the couch, actually.”
Liam and I both turned.
A medium size guy was sitting on the couch, a sad look on his face. He leaned back and looked miserable. No one sat by him and he wasn’t talking to anyone. He seemed to be in his own world.
“Why is he so bummed out?” Liam asked.
John shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess because all the hot girls are gone.” He laughed at his own joke.
I really didn’t like this guy.
Liam ignored his annoyances. “I heard through the grapevine he raped a really hot girl.”
John suddenly looked uncomfortable. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “I heard the same thing, but no one has actually confirmed it.”
My heart was beating so fast I thought it might explode. “Who was the girl?”
“I don’t know. No one knows.”
It had to be Livia.
Liam gave me a look that told me what he was thinking, that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Now I had to get away from this guy so I could kill Jacob. “Well, I’m going to find a girl to hook up with so I’ll see you later.”
“Let me know if she has a friend.” John gave me a wink.
“Sure.” Not.
Liam and I walked away then headed to the corner. I grabbed a beer just so I would have something to do. Liam watched Jacob on the couch.
“How do you want to do this?” Liam asked.
“I have to find out if he’s the one who did it. I’m pretty sure he is.”
“And how do you think you’ll manage that?”
“Corner him and get him to talk.”
Liam looked around the room. “You aren’t going to get any privacy here.”
“We’ll wait until he leaves. He’ll either head to his car and drive home or he’ll walk to his dorm. Either way, that’s when we will snatch him.”
“Snatch?”
I drank my beer and ignored his question.
We tried to blend into the crowd while we watched him. An hour passed and the guy didn’t move. Two girls came over to flirt with us and we humored them just so we wouldn’t stick out like sore thumbs. But when the girls wanted to take us home, we rejected them, coldly.
Two hours later, Jacob finally made his move.
“He’s leaving,” Liam whispered.
“Follow him. But be cool.”
We tossed our cups in the garbage then slowly trailed behind him. When he walked down the stairs, we lingered at the top so we wouldn’t make it obvious. Then we followed him out the front door.
The air was cool when it hit my lungs. My adrenaline had kicked it, making my heart beat a million miles an hour. This is what I wanted, this revenge. This fucker would pay for what he did to my girl.
Jacob headed to his Honda Accord. He fished for his keys in his pocket while he walked. I looked around, making sure we were totally alone. The limited light from the streetlamps made it a perfect setting. The music from the house was too loud to hear anything. If he screamed, no one would know. I moved behind him, making my footsteps as quiet as possible. Liam walked beside me, his muscles tense.
When I was just a foot away from him, I felt my body tense in excitement. This is the moment I’d been waiting for, the moment I craved. He would beg me to kill him long before I was through. He would know how it felt to be helpless, to be held down without any mercy. He would know what fear really felt like.
He stood in front of his car, still trying to pull his keys out.
Without hesitation, I grabbed him. I pulled the sock out of my pocket then shoved it into his mouth, stifling his pitiful scream. Then I pulled the cotton hood over his head, tying it tightly in the back. He tried to kick and get away from me, but Liam held his arms back while I tied his wrists together. The only thing he had left were his legs. I grabbed those and tied a rope around them. He tried to squirm but it was no use.
I looked around, making sure no one saw anything. Then I grabbed the keys and unlocked his back door.
Liam stilled. “What are you doing?”
“Put him inside,” I snapped.
Liam helped me get him in the backseat. Jacob continued his quiet moans until I shut the door. Then I walked to my truck and pulled out my supplies. I had my toolset and a canister of gasoline.
Liam’s eyes were wide open. I’d never seen fear come over his face. Even in the face of death, he didn’t blink an eye. But now he was terrified. “What are you doing?”
I threw all of the stuff into the passenger seat. “I’m going to kill him. And then I’m going to torch everything.”
Liam grabbed my arm. “No killing.”
I jerked away. “This is how it has to be.”
He grabbed me again. “I’m not letting you do this. What he did was wrong, but he didn’t kill anybody. He doesn’t deserve this.”
I feared Liam would be a problem. “Let go of me.” I pulled out a knife. I didn’t want to hurt my friend, but I had to do this. I held it up, threatening him. “Please don’t make me hurt you.”
The sadness came into his eyes and he stepped back. “You’re going to regret this.”
“I don’t think I will.”
“You don’t even know if it’s him,” he snapped.
“It is. But I’ll ask when I get to the foothills.”
Liam gripped his skull then stood back. “Don’t do this, man.”
“Take my truck back to my place then walk home. I’ll get back on my own.”
The defeat was in his eyes. He stepped back, letting me get into the car. Jacob was still trying to
break free in the backseat. I started the engine then drove away, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Liam stared at me as I drove, but I didn’t look at him once.
I had to do this.
The entire drive was spent in silence. I didn’t turn on the radio. All I heard was Jacob flailing and trying to get free. Even though it was hopeless he still tried. He was determined to live.
I admired that.
But he was wasting his time.
He managed to spit out the sock but the sack was still over his head. “Why are you doing this?” He was out of breath and he sounded like he just shit his pants. “You got the wrong guy. I didn’t do anything.”
No, I had the right guy.
“I’ll give you anything you want, just let me go. My parents have money. I can give you a good payout.”
I gripped the steering wheel while I moved through the hills. No one would find us up here. No one would see the burn of the car before I pushed it into the lake. They wouldn’t find his remains, and if they did, they wouldn’t be able to identify them.
He was panicking. “Please…please…”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have raped someone.”
He stilled. His breathing was the same but he stopped thrashing. He lay still. “Livia?”
How dare he say her name. “Anyone who hurt someone I care about deserves to be executed. And believe me, I will torture you until you can’t stand it anymore. You will not go quietly.”
“I made a mistake and I hate myself for it. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did.”
“Neither will I.”
“But please don’t kill me…please.”
“I can’t do that, man.” I pulled over onto a side road until I was on the cliff face. I put the car in park then got out.
Jacob started to scream for help.
“No one can hear you out here, you fucking idiot.” I popped the trunk then tightened my gloves. No fingerprints would be left behind. No evidence.
“I’m sorry! I said I was sorry! I’ll do anything to make up for it! Please let me go!”
I grabbed the gasoline then opened his door. “On second thought, burning to death is probably the worst way to go.”
He screamed again. “Don’t do this!”
I unscrewed the cap when my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out and checked the screen.
It was Livia.
Why was she calling me? She was probably wondering why I wasn’t home. I couldn’t talk to her right now. I ignored the call. I picked up the jug and poured the gasoline on him. “I want to make sure you’re burned to a crisp.”
Jacob yelled. “Mercy! Please!”
My phone rang again.
I groaned in irritation then pulled it out of my pocket. It was Livia again. And she sent me a text message.
Call me. I need help.
Everything moved in slow motion. She was the most important thing in the world to me. If she needed me, I would go to her. I dropped the gas can then called her.
“Scotty?”
I shut Jacob’s door then walked away so he couldn’t hear me. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
She was crying, sobbing. “Scotty, don’t do it.”
Fuck. She knew.
“Please. I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”
I hated hearing her cry. It softened me up. “I’m not letting him get away with this.”
“Killing him will solve nothing.”
“It’ll solve everything,” I said darkly.
“He apologized to me twice. He begged for my forgiveness and said he regretted it. I know what he did was wrong, but he’s not evil. He’s not doing this to other girls. He was in love with me and wanted me in whatever way he could have me.”
I clenched my jaw. “And that’s supposed to justify it?”
“No.” She sniffed. “But he doesn’t deserve to die. I don’t want this, Scotty. Please don’t do it.”
“I’m sorry. I have to do this.”
“Please. Please.”
I hated hearing her beg like this.
“His life or death doesn’t affect me. I hadn’t seen him once in six months and he never bothered me, but his absence didn’t make me feel better. You’re the one who put me back together. You’re the one helped me live again. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life and that’s because of you. Killing him won’t fix anything…because you already put me back together.”
I took a deep breath, staring into the darkness.
“Scotty…it won’t make you feel better. It’ll just make you feel worse.”
“My parents burned to death and they were good people. So why should be spared?” The bitterness was in my voice.
“Because I asked him to be spared.” Her voice was gentle, still full of tears. “Killing him won’t bring your parents back, it won’t erase what happened to me, and it won’t make either one of us feel better. Now please stop this and come home.”
I ran my fingers through my hair, flustered. “I love you so much, Livia…”
“I love you too. I know you’re angry and hurt, but I will fix that for you…just like you did to me.”
My rage dwindled the longer I listened to her.
“Now come home.”
I breathed hard, fighting my natural urge to rip him apart.
“Come home to me, Scotty.”
Her voice was soothing me, making me see reason. I finally unclenched my fist and calmed down. “Okay.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re doing the right thing.”
I hung up without saying goodbye.
I returned the car to the parking lot in front of the frat house. When I turned off the car, I sat still, thinking about what I was just about to do.
“Are you letting me go?” he said quietly.
I didn’t answer.
“Believe me, you would have regretted it. I regret what I did to Livia every day.”
Even though murder was worse, I still felt like Livia got the short stick of the situation.
“What changed your mind?” he asked.
I thought that was pretty obvious. He must have heard the phone ring.
“It was Livia, wasn’t it?”
I was getting sick of talking to him. I turned around and untied the rope around his legs. “If you tell anyone about this, then I will kill you.” I wasn’t bluffing.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Let’s keep it that way.” I loosened the rope around his wrists but didn’t untie it. He would have to work to get it off but it would take him a few minutes, long enough for me to get away.
“Thanks for not killing me.”
I opened my door and left his keys in the passenger seat. “If it weren’t for her, this night would have played out quite differently.” I got out then shut the door quietly behind me.
Then I walked home in the dark.
When I reached my neighborhood, I spotted my truck in the driveway. Liam’s truck was there too so I knew he was there. He probably called Livia and told hee about my plot to murder. I wasn’t mad. I guess I wasn’t surprised.
I reached the front door then stilled. What would she think of me? Would she hate me for what I was about to do? Would everything be different?
The front door opened, and Livia was on the other side. Her eyes were clenched in sadness. The redness was still in her eyes from crying. She stared at me for a while, the concern and love heavy in her eyes.
“Are we done?” I whispered.
Confusion spread across her face. “No.”
“Do you hate me?”
“No.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me close. As soon as I felt her body against mine, I relaxed. She wasn’t leaving me. I just tried to murder someone but she was still here. “I know you wouldn’t had gone through with it, Scotty.”
“Yes, I would have.”
“I don’t believe that…”
She didn’t understand jus
t how furious I was. I was out of my mind.
She pulled away then looked me in the eye. Then she placed a gentle kiss on my lips, her hands cupping my face. “I love you.”
That was the reassurance I needed. “I love you too.”
She pulled me inside then shut the door behind me.
Liam and Keira were standing there. Liam had his arms crossed over his chest, and Keira had a sad look in her eyes.
“I had to call her,” Liam said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I misled him anyway. He was under the impression we were just going to jump him, not murder him.
“Keira didn’t know where I was and she was freaking out…so I told her the truth. I’m sorry.” Liam dropped his hands to his sides.
“It’s okay,” Livia said. “I shouldn’t hide it anymore.”
Keira gave her a sad look. “I’m so sorry I was a jerk to you.”
“It’s okay,” Livia said immediately. “I know you’re protective of Scotty, which is exactly what I want.”
I stood beside Livia, feeling like I was drifting away. “I was just so angry…I didn’t want him to get away with it. I was out of my mind in rage.”
“I know,” Livia said gently. “I understand.” She moved into my chest, holding me close.
I wrapped my arms around her, thankful she was still mine.
“We’ll give you guys some privacy…” Liam took Keira’s hand and walked out the door with her.
When the silence settled on us, I could hear myself breathe again. My arms tightened around her and I pulled her as close as possible. I let myself go, feeling the pain and agony. “I just want to protect you.”
“You do, Scotty.”
I moved my fingers through her hair.
“I was a shadow before you came into my life. I was afraid to live, afraid to admit what happened to me. But you made me stronger, you made me believe that men can be good. Whether he lived or died, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Because you made all the difference in the world.
“I know how much you love me. You would do anything for me, even if that meant taking someone’s life. I understood what drove you to it and I don’t think less of you. It didn’t happen. You walked away and let him go.”
I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes. “Liam told me a long time ago that taking him out wouldn’t help you, that only I could bring you back to life. And he was right. I should have listened to him then.”
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