Vicious Minds: Part 3 (Children of Vice 6)

“Alone?”

“No.”

“Have you been in contact with him?”

“No.”

“Then how do you he doesn’t need more help?”

I turned to her. “I don’t know, Helen. I trust that he can at least do that. I trust that if he needs help, he has a signal for it. I trust that he has a plan, even if I don’t see all of it. I trust that he will not die because he has much bigger dreams and family here waiting for him. I trust him even when he sometimes does things without my permission or breaks my trust as he did by leaving me behind. I trust him. That is why I am not worried about him. I’m worried about us right now. Finishing what we need to finish so that all he has to focus on is grieving the uncle he lost.”

That was a lie. I didn’t trust him, not 100%, not anymore. But that wasn’t what they needed to hear.

“And—”

“When I said any more questions, I sort of meant that sarcastically. You’re abusing it now, and it’s annoying,” I replied only to see her brown eyes just peering into me, annoyed also. “But I will deal with that because I am grateful. Thank you, Helen, for working so hard to save my daughter. I owe you.”

“You don’t. You know what I did—”

“My life doesn’t mean that much to me. I mean, I do not wish to die. But I’ve lived my whole life knowing I could die at any second, so it doesn’t really hit me that hard. Being attacked. Getting hurt. I always expect that. My daughter’s life is worth more. So, I owe you. Please keep watch over her until I get back.”

She nodded, taking Gigi from my arms.

The sun was up.

But the day felt darker than ever before.

It was a day of death.

Ethan, when you get back here, I wonder if you will still think your stupid plan has worked. He didn’t spare me from any fucking danger. So, he betrayed me for fucking nothing. I wanted to tell him to his face; his betrayal was fucking stupid!

ETHAN

Fire.

It spread faster than a ripple in water.

Like the wallpaper in the house was meant solely for it to burn faster along with the flames, broken beams, and falling stones. The house was a mansion by the sea, one we’d all fought through the night to enter and through the day to conquer. Now it was crumbling all around us, and I could barely see the hall in the fog of smoke. Nevertheless, arm in arm with my father, we rushed back to the front foyer, to the same staircase I’d gone up.

“Liam! Ethan!” My mother yelled as she all but stepped on the dead woman at the bottom to reach back to us, which was stupid on her part. She should have left! She’d had time to leave! But she hadn’t, and I saw the chandelier as well as the roof start to come down before she did.

“Mom—”

“Mel!” He pushed me back and still had the energy to thrust himself forward. How? I didn’t know. He was just as hurt as I was. Yet he did. And my mother’s body fell out of the way; only he wasn’t as lucky. The chandelier, the roof, the wood, bits of marble all crashed on top of him.

“Liam. Liam. Liam!” My mother crawled over to where…to where…where he was. With her bare hands, not caring about the glass or the fire, she moved whatever she could out of the way. “Ethan, don’t just fucking stand there. Help me! Liam!”

I glanced at the surrounding fire.

There isn’t time.

Fuck.

20

“Vengeance has no foresight.”

~Napoleon Bonaparte