Epilogue
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Laina
Tessa quickly proved she couldn’t take it. A month went by, and she proved to everyone she didn’t have what it took to live in a tiny basement room while chained to a bed. One morning, when I woke up and checked the camera, I was greeted by the sight of her having decided to check out.
She killed herself. Took the sheets on the bed and made a little noose, tied them around the metal frame of the bed and her neck, and pulled and pulled until no more air could get inside her lungs.
One month. The woman barely lasted one month.
To be honest, I didn’t expect her to take that way out. She was someone who could dish it out, but she couldn’t handle having anything given right back to her. What a hypocrite. Still, a certain type of satisfaction did fill me when I saw her on the camera that morning—a satisfaction I couldn’t say that I would’ve had if I would’ve ended her life with my claws. There was something so deliciously dark about the fact that she had decided she was so hopeless she’d take her own life.
I met with Lola later that morning, and we discussed what to do with her body. The mafia had its typical disposal methods, the main one being tying weights around her body and dumping her in the river, where the fish had become so bloodthirsty they left nothing but bones soon enough. Another was an industrial furnace that burned so hot even the bones melted. Nothing would be left of her other than ash.
At this point in my life, I didn’t care. What we did with Tessa didn’t matter. She was gone, and she’d never hurt anyone I cared about ever again, so I told Lola to dispose of her corpse however she wanted. Whatever was the fastest, cheapest, least time-intensive way. After that decision, that woman and her crimes would never occupy a single thought in my brain.
That was the same day I told Lola my plans. Me and my guys had kept it under wraps, mostly to give Jason a head-start in Montana. He’d left last week after ending the lease on his rental, and he was now safely back in Montana, getting everything ready.
We were in the kitchen of the house, with Tessa’s body right downstairs, when I told her. At first, I didn’t think she understood me, like I’d just spoken it in another language, but as we stared at each other, it finally dawned on her.
“You’re not coming back,” she whispered, a note of sadness in her normally confident, giddy voice.
“Maybe I will,” I said, but even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. “No, I don’t think so. I need…” I shook my head. “I need to get out of this city for a while. This city has too many bad memories now.”
Lola wasn’t born here. She didn’t owe the city anything, not really, but with who she was dating, I knew she felt differently. She was, after all, the Bloody Queen and the Night Slayer, a woman who took it upon herself to watch out for the women and girls of this city. She’d never leave it because there would always be someone ready to take advantage of the female population here.
She heaved a sigh. “I get it. I don’t blame you for wanting somewhere new. Where will you go?”
“Montana, first. See where Jason lives, stay with him for a while. After that—I don’t know. There’s a lot I’d like to see, a lot I’d like to do. Once the house and everything in it is auctioned off, I should have enough money for a while.”
“Don’t worry about that. Sylvester’s lawyers will handle it and make sure you get top dollar for everything.”
“I’d really like if Mike could go with us. I know the Lucianos have depended on him for—”
Lola cut in, “Don’t you worry about that, either, hot stuff. I’ll handle Sylvester if he throws a fit. Trust me, by now, I know exactly how to calm that one down.” She winked at me, but after that wink, the smile on her face softened, and she looked so sad all of a sudden.
I opened my mouth to say something else, but she reached for me, pulling me toward her and giving me a hug, something I didn’t think either of us were used to. A display of affection for normal people, sure, but neither Lola nor I were what I’d consider normal.
“I’m gonna miss you,” she whispered. “I’m gonna miss our outings, hanging out, scheming to take down bitches, all that fun stuff.” Her arms squeezed me good. The woman was stronger than she looked, that was for sure.
It took me a moment, mostly because the hug surprised me, but I hugged her back. “I’m going to miss you, too.” And I would. Lola had become not only a girl crush, but also a friend. A really good friend. She helped me realize it wasn’t a bad thing to have a bit of darkness in you, that it wasn’t something to hide or run from.
She pulled away from me, her blue eyes full of warmth. “Maybe we can visit you guys someday. Have a little vacation.”
“Me and my guys have talked about renting a beach house somewhere next summer,” I offered.
“A beach house? That sounds like so much fun. I’ve never been to the beach, and I don’t think any of my guys have, either.” She twirled some of my hair around her finger. “Maybe we can have a party. I’ve wanted one forever, but my guys never let me. With you, maybe they’ll change their minds.”
I laughed softly. “I’m sure you can throw a party.”
Her voice quieted, “That’s not the kind of party I mean. The party I’m talking about would be a little more… adult-orientated.” And then she winked again, and I wasn’t sure if that wink was meant for me or for something else.
An adult-orientated party? What…
Oh.
Oh.
It must have been written on my face, because she grinned at me and said, “There it is. You know exactly the kind of party I’m talking about. One where clothes are optional and there are no boundaries. I tend to be a jealous bitch, but you and me are besties. What are besties for if you can’t have an orgy or two every now and then?”
