Why?
“Why do they call it The Pig Fryer?” I ask. I want to know why it is affecting him so much.
“He ties up cops and tortures them to death. Electrocutes the fuckers. Cooks the fucking pork.”
The men all burst out laughing and Stace drinks his beer and stares at the floor with a murderous look on his face.
The floor sways beneath me as I join all the puzzle pieces together.
Oh my God.
Stace’s brother. Vikinos killed Stace’s brother.
He is here for revenge.
My eyes search his, and he knows that I know. He looks away angrily.
I stand. “I’m tired. I’m going to get going. See you all.” I glance at Stace. “You coming?”
He nods and without a word follows me. We walk to the room in silence and he opens the door. We walk in and he slowly closes the door behind us.
“You’re here for revenge?”
He nods once.
“You’re going to try and kill him?” I whisper angrily.
“Yes.”
I shake my head. “Stace, no. He will kill you. He has guards.”
“I don’t care.”
“What?” I shriek. “What do you mean you don’t care?”
“I don’t care if I die. That’s why I got you off the ship. I don’t want you here to see this.”
My face falls. “Stace, no.”
He stands solemnly, as if resigned to his fate. “I have waited on this fucking ship for six months to get my chance and I’m taking it. I can’t get him on the mainland but here…” his voice trails off.
I shake my head nervously. “Let’s just go. We can start somewhere new.” I grab his two arms as I try to talk sense into him. “We can run away and…” I fake a smile and pause as I try to sweeten the deal. “And your mom can come with us.”
“No,” he says flatly. “He died because of me, my brother died while trying to get me off this ship. He stupidly thought he could bring him down. But I know the only way he can be brought down is by his death. I’ve made my decision. He’s going to pay. An eye for an eye.”
My eyes tear up. “What about me?” I whisper.
His eyes hold mine and he brings up his hand and gently cups my face. “I’m grateful that I met my person before I die,” he whispers.
My tears break the dam and roll down my face. “Stace, no.” I shake my head. “Please, for me… don’t do this.”
He wraps me in an embrace.
“Don’t make me lose you, too,” I sob into his shoulder.
He holds me for an extended time and eventually he replies, “Baby, I’m not yours to keep. He owns me. I have nothing to lose.”
* * *