And that’s when I realise Jaxon had been calm during his outburst.Because Liam’s hoarse cry is followed by a blind rage I’ve never seen before.The knife in his hand comes down on Black’s chest.Not once.But over and over again.Blood spurts out, on his clothes, his face, and the tarp surrounding him.My only complaint is Black is no longer alive to feel the last few.He’s gone.
He’s really fucking gone.
This isn’t wishful thinking or us clinging on to hope like many of us did after Mina thought she killed him.
This is real.
We just killed a man.
I thought I would feel different despite him deserving it.I don’t even feel guilt.I’m not sure what that makes me.In my head, I know what has been done to him today is not even a fraction of what he has put so many others through.I think that’s what had me hesitating earlier.I thought killing him would have been a worse crime than any he has committed, but it’s really not.He is one person.He’s hurt, killed, and tortured so many more.
So when Malia falls to her knees behind Liam, putting her arms around his waist to gently pull him back, I stop thinking of what we’ve done and focus on Liam.“Stop, Liam.Stop.”
“You don’t know what they did,” he heaves out, pushing the knife in further before slumping back into her.The phone he confiscated off Black earlier slips out of his hand.“It’s probably on there.They recorded it.”
Max’s foot comes down on the phone repeatedly, smashing it to smithereens.“And now no one will ever see it.”
“Hey, we really should go,” Theo yells.
Liam collapses to his hands and knees, his palms slapping against the blood pooling there as he gasps for breath.The man is hyperventilating so I don’t think he’s heard Theo’s warning.
Malia quickly grasps his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.“You are here.What happened has happened.You can’t change it.But you are here.All of them,” she declares, pointing to Black with her chin.“They are gone.Right now, we need to move.”
He nods, and Max surprises me when he doesn’t leave Liam to Malia and instead helps him up off the floor.
As soon as Maverick orders everyone to grab a corner or the edge of the tarp, I wish I had made my escape when I had the chance.My head is throbbing now everything has come to a stop, now I’m not focused on everything.Yet the quicker we get this to Malia’s friend, the quicker I can get to Mum to check she’s okay.
*** *** ***
Itake back everythingI’ve ever said about Malia being the scariest motherfucker I’ve ever met.Against her warnings, no one wanted to be left behind during this moment.It seemed only fair since we weren’t handing over drugs or an item.It was a dead body.
Her friend, who I can only describe as a Harley Quinn double, has taken the crown for being the scariest motherfucker.She greeted us by twirling down a ribbon tied to her waist from a pillar.I hadn’t been the only one who squealed when she made her entrance.Her blonde hair is tied up in pigtails, but whereas Harley Quinn had her tips dyed pink and blue, this chick has purple and a rich blue tip.Her makeup is all natural except for her eyes.She wears heavy eyeliner, with six teardrops drawn on her cheeks.She caught Myles staring and bluntly told him it’s one for each year she was held captive.Then she stuck her lollipop back into her mouth whilst she bounced over to where Black was being dragged out of the van.She danced around his body, her eyes lit up like a kid who got his Xbox for Christmas.Then she straddled him whilst humming Queen’s,Another One Bites The Dustas they rolled Black inside.
They left to do whatever they do to cremate a body.Now she’s back, where she’s literally hanging onto Max’s arm, feeding him treats like a puppy in training.Each time he says something that makes her laugh, she gives him another one.I don’t even think he knows he’s a dog in training right now.
Jaxon walks out behind them holding up a freezer bag of ashes.I rear back in horror.“What the fuck?Why would you keep them?”
He glares at me then jerks his chin to the crazy chick.Her name is Lulu but Crazy Chick fits better.
And then her creepy focus is on me.“We don’t taint the land surrounding us with evil.”
“We couldn’t flush it?”
She leans in, her beady eyes narrowing on me.“No.You can leave.”
Luke chuckles beside me.“Way to get her attention,” he mumbles from the corner of his mouth.
“We are going,” I assure her so she doesn’t throw one of the knives she keeps in her back pockets at me.Then I address Jaxon.“Right?”
“Yes,” he replies, throwing the bag of ashes in the boot of the car Liam is sitting against.“We’ll dump that down a drain on the way.”
Crazy Chick giggles again, this time it’s high-pitched, and a shudder runs up my spine.Max, however, seems to have found his soul mate because he’s the only one aside from Malia who hasn’t kept his distance.
Two fucking kindred spirits.
Seriously.
Even his twin is watching him with utter horror, and whilst Max is Max, this just seems...
