“I need this place cleaned up,” I said. “I’ll give you each five grand to have the entire place cleaned up by the end of the day.”
“Impossible,” Colt said.
“And besides, you don’t have that kind of money,” Jesse said. “Why should we be taking orders from you anyway? Your father was the one in charge.”
I tried my best not to gulp or show any fear. If I did, it didn’t matter what I said.
“My last name is Sartor, is it not?” I said with all the coldness in my heart from what had happened last night. “You said it yourself. My father was the one in charge. But he is dead. And so, if you haven’t noticed, is everyone else. If you stick around here, the Black Reapers will come for you and kill you.”
A look of awareness and realization crossed both of their faces.
“I am leaving here in short time for my own safety,” I said. “I am asking you a favor and compensating you for it well beyond anything you could ever get elsewhere. Five grand for each of you to clean up this place and make it spotless.”
“Show us the money,” Colt said, but he no longer sounded quite as confident or daring as before.
I went to my father’s room, dug through his closet, and found a safe with cash. It was locked by some bio-identification, with only two sets of thumbprints capable of opening it—my father’s and mine. I unlocked it, grabbed two bricks of hundreds, and came back, tossing them down the stairs toward Jesse and Colt.
“Consider that an upfront guarantee,” I said. “You’ll get the rest tonight if you can get this done before ten p.m.”
“You’re actually serious,” Jesse said, counting the money—about fifteen hundred bucks in total.
“There’s nothing left for us in this town,” I said. “If you’re smart, you’ll get the hell out of here once you’re done cleaning up. The Fallen Saints are no more. You should discard those cuts and burn them before you leave.”
“But your father—”
“Is gone,” I snapped. “I am doing what I can to make sure anyone still left gets to enjoy their life. That five grand will get you out of here. But I need you to clean up this place so I can get on with my life as well.”
Jesse and Colt looked to each other.
“We’ll get a truck and start cleaning up,” he said.
“See to it that you do,” I said. “I’m going out for a bit. And don’t think you can rob the place; my father knew how to protect what was his.”
In truth, I knew they’d probably make off with a few things, maybe some of the televisions, maybe some of the kitchen items, maybe some of the other luxuries in the house.
To be totally frank, I did not care. As long as the house remained standing, as long as the bodies were moved, as long as the blood was cleaned off, then I could still sell the property for enough money to retire off of. My financial worries for the rest of my life were likely no more.
But that was far from the same as saying the rest of my worries were over.
Colt and Jesse started dragging a couple of bodies to a van they had driven over. Seeing them starting to work, I walked outside, only now seeing that it was quite early, perhaps as early as shortly after seven a.m. These two had not begun their day so much as they thought they were ending it, but I had a feeling the promise of a couple extra grand would encourage them to stay up a little longer.
I started on my walk, heading down the very same road that Cole and his two allies had picked me up at. When that had happened, it was late at night, he had gone to do what he’d done last night, and I was in a very different space. Now, it felt like every detail was the opposite.
Instead of night, it was a new day. Instead of going to do something, Cole had left something. And instead of running from my past, I was mourning it. I was mourning the childhood I never had. I was mourning the father I never had, or only had for moments. I was mourning the certainty that life had once had.
I had no father. I had no father. I had no family left.
I had... I was about to say I had no support system. I certainly had no home, no phone, and no vehicle.
But there was one person who had supported me throughout everything.
I had pushed away that person last night out of necessity, and there was no guarantee that when I saw that person, I wouldn’t feel the same anger as before. But if there was anyone who could support me and stand by my side…
I knew where I had to go. I had to take the gamble.
I walked forward. I was not returning to the house today.
I was returning to Cole.
