Shelaine has been my only peace up until now. Knowing that the true culprits behind my abuse are dead is freeing. Fishing my car keys from my pants, I remove my clothes and drop them on Gerard’s corpse. In quick strokes, I bring my knife through the nylons before taking it with me to their adjoining bathroom.
There, I start my ritual, purifying it with rubbing alcohol, making sure it’s clean. But even so, this knife will never touch Shelaine again. It’s tainted now, covered in the toxic sludge of the two people who thought they could take Shelaine and Lainey from me.
Once I get every bit of blood off, I walk over to their shower and turn it on, waiting until it gets warm to step inside. My hands and arms are covered in sticky blood, but it soon swirls down the drain, turning the water pink. Immeasurable relief floods my body as I wash myself down, removing as much evidence as I can.
As soon as I’m clean, I step out and grab a nearby towel, drying off as I step back into their room. I toss the towel over onto Gerald’s lifeless face, hiding his permanent O of surprise. Walking into the closet, I pull out some simple slacks, a shirt, and socks, donning them quickly before slipping into my shoes.
I grab my keys and knife, then hurry over to the drawer right in front of the bed where two enormous kerosene lanterns stand watch. Taking one, I slam it down on the floor near Gerald’s head, releasing that pungent smell of kerosene into the air.
With the other, I lob it over at the headboard, smiling as it bursts open and coats Valerie’s face and neck. Just a moment or two of digging, and I find a set of matches. Striking the first one, I drop it onto Gerald and step back as flames shoot up.
The second match flies over onto Valerie, and her body erupts as well. The sizzle of her flesh as the flames lick at her skin sends a thrill through my body. If only I could kill them again and again, but this will have to be enough. Knowing that my girls are safe will have to be my guiding light now that I no longer have revenge to fuel me.
As much as I want to watch until they’re nothing but a crisp, I only have so much time before the alarms will go off and alert the fire department. For half a moment, I consider whether or not I should rescue Cheyenne’s brother, the disabled man I saw a few rooms down, but I decide against it.
If he was never in a car accident, he would have still been their golden child, causing continual hurt and frustration. No. It’s better he dies with the rest of them, effectively cutting off the line. To make sure it happens, I strike one final match and hold it to the edge of the carpet, waiting until it ignites before running down the stairs.
As the flames start to engulf the house, screams ring out into the night. I simply smile and make my way to my car, acting as nonchalant as I can. Soon, the neighbors will be stepping outside to watch the carnage, and I want to be far away when that happens.
* * *
I pullup to Cheyenne’s and Louis's manor and stare at the massive columns out front. Even though I know there’s a chance that Louis might be home, I don’t actually mind. Knowing that I was able to lay blame at the proper feet and exact my vengeance makes all the difference.
We’re still not going to be buddy-buddy, but I can at least acknowledge him as my father, even if it is begrudgingly. And to think Shrinky Dink wanted weekly sessions with me when all that was needed to tame my rage was killing my grandparents.
As soon as I knock, the door opens, revealing both Cheyenne and Shelby. It’s clear from her red, puffy face that my mother has been crying, but hopefully, soon, she’ll be able to be at peace.
“It’s done. They’re never going to hurt you again -.” I can barely finish my words before the door wrenches the rest of the way open, revealing Micha.
His face is just as red as Cheyenne’s, but definitely not from crying. Fury dances in his eyes as he forces his way through the door, shoving past both Cheyenne and Shelby, not giving two shits if he hurts them in his quest to get to me.
Crouching low, I snarl up at Micha as he runs up on me, forcing his face in mine. Both girls cry out and run down the steps, trying to get wedge themselves in between us, but Micha isn’t budging.
“You picked the wrong day to show up here, asshole. The moment you step foot back into my territory, you signed your death warrant. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this hurts. A lot.”
Micha’s hand balls up into a fist, and just as he’s about to swing, Louis steps in behind him, grabbing his arm. With a swift jerk, He pulls Micha backward and stands between us, making himself a shield.
What the fuck is he even doing? Why is Louis even helping me? And then, it hits me. Just like I would put myself between Lainey and any danger that would ever come her way, Louis is protecting me, his son. I step backward as my knees go weak. Never did I ever think I’d be able to not only understand Louis but also identify with him.
It fucks with my brain, tearing down old walls and hurts that kept me from allowing him to be my dad. If Louis cares about me, even half of how I care for Lainey, then this must absolutely kill him.
Worse than that, it puts so many other things into perspective, things that I never even considered before. Now, I understand why taking Finn and Junior was so bad. It’s not that they were young, not completely; it’s that they were someone else's child. Now that I’m going to have my own, the very idea of something like that happening to Lainey fills me with both sorrow and abject rage.
But how can I convey all of that to Micha, who’s practically breathing steam? Would he even believe me? I sure as hell wouldn’t. All I can hope for is a truce.
“Look. I was just finishing up some family business. You’ll never see me again. I -.” Do I even dare mention Shelaine’s condition? It might go further in explaining my change of heart than anything else I could say. “My wife is pregnant. So…. I get it. You’ll never see me again.”
Something shifts in Micha’s eyes as he stares down at me. It’s an unspoken understanding. “You stay out of Florida, and you and your family will be safe. Deal?”
I reach out my hand and squeeze his hard. “Deal. Just give me until the end of the day, and you’ll never see me. I’ll never threaten you or the Raven’s ever again. Trust me, I’ll be far too busy.”
Something close to a ghost of a smile crosses Micha’s lips but disappears before I can be sure that’s even what I saw. As I turn to leave, Cheyenne calls out, stopping me about halfway down the steps.
“I wasn’t sure what you guys wanted, so I tried to keep the colors neutral.” Her hands shake a little as she hands the basket off, and once they’re empty, they start to fiddle with Louis’s shirtsleeve in awkward tugs and jerks. “It’s things you’ll need for little Lainey. And you can call me anytime. I’ll help out the best way I can.”
It’s the unsure tone that tugs at my heart. She wants to help so badly, and I’m sure she’s worried I’ll just rebuff her. It’s what the old me would have done. Staring down at the basket, emotion wells up, clogging my throat. There are bottles, stuffed animals, blankets, bibs, so many things, and each one of them is cuter than the last.
“Thanks, mom,” I manage to croak out, turning away before Micha can catch me in a moment of weakness.
As I walk down to the car, Louis follows me and waits for me to put the basket into the backseat. We both stand there for a moment, looking at each other, then looking away.
Micha still stands at the top of the steps, eyes narrowed as he watches me. Shelby and Cheyenne have their heads together, smiling and laughing, no doubt talking about little Lainey. She seems to be the one thing that brings joy to everyone’s life.
“I know you’ve refused money from me in the past, but if it helps, you can think of it as a nest egg for Shelaine and Lainey. Kids aren’t cheap. Trust me. I know you’re making your own money, but let your old man help out. Please.”
Before, when Louis showed just that hint of vulnerability, it made me furious. I’m not sure if it’s Shelaine that’s rubbed off on me or if being a dad is forcing me to grow up, but I don’t feel that burning resentment eating at me when he hands me the envelope.
Even if he did intend it for me and not them, I probably would have taken it. It’s astonishing to me how much things have changed in so short of a time. Taking the money, I extend my hand, not ready yet for anything like a hug.
“Be sure to bring Cheyenne, Shelby, and Maggie up to see Shelaine. I’m sure she’d love to meet you all.”
Louis flashes me a small smile and then nods before heading back up the steps to join the others. Once I get Shelaine’s family and bring them with me to New York, there will never be a need to visit Florida again. The Ravens will continue on as they always have, and my little family and I will thrive. All in all, an unexpected but happy ending to what could have been a disaster.