Page 79 of Death Kiss

‘Have you heard from the police yet?’ Ellie asks.

‘No.’ Kat shivers before sitting back down and pulling the cat back into her lap like a living hot water bottle.

‘Because he can’t point at you without it reflecting right back at him.’ Freddie rubs his chin again, a bruise already beginning to bloom.

My fists clench again, the anger still buzzing through my veins with nowhere to go. Ellie pushes between Freddie and me, glowering.

‘We were protecting you both,’ she says, ‘that’s what families do.’

Family.

Sighing, I sag back against the door. ‘I want him dead.’

‘He’ll pay,’ Freddie says. ‘Men like him always do. It just won’t be your hand. Even if he’s housed amongst similar offenders, his kind are the lowest of the low. Not to mention him being a police officer. He’ll find no kindness inside.’

The fight goes out of me. There’s no changing it now. No matter how much I burn for his retribution to come from my blade.

Kat comes to me, Reggie in hand. ‘They’re right. All we can do is keep clean and move forward. If he ever gets released, we’ll be waiting.’

Reggie bumps my hand with his head, and I can’t help but soften. The pain is still there. The injustice. But my family are what I need to focus on if we’re going to have any future. It’s so easy to get lost in the red mist of revenge. And I can’t lose Kat again. Not for Ashworth. Not for anyone.

‘We’re leaving,’ Ellie says softly.

‘What?’ Kat asks.

‘Freddie’s joining me on my travelling trip. After everything, we just need to get away. Clear our heads with a bit of space.’ Ellie gives a little shrug, her face hard to read, like she’s waiting for Kat’s reaction.

’Thankfully Ashworth never had time to make good on his threat at the paper, but I’ve decided to go freelance for a while. The buzz around the story has given me far more freedom than I had before.’ Freddie walks his fingers up Ellie’s waist while he speaks.

‘You don’t have to go,’ Kat says, her voice cracking. ‘We’ll get past this.’

‘I do.’ Ellie crosses to Kat, pulling her into a big hug that sends Reggie wriggling out from between them, running like they were intending to hug him to death. ‘And you should do the same. Move into your mansion house. Fuck in every room until you get all this tension out. Adopt a million more strays. Decorate your room in Barbie pink like you always wanted to as a big fuck you to your parents.’

Ellie wipes at Kat’s face, catching her tears. ‘Go be happy with my lump of a brother. Let go of this revenge and build a life together before the anger rips you apart. You both deserve that.’

‘I love you,’ Kat blubs, pulling Ellie back into the cuddle.

‘As do I,’ I say, pulling them both into my arms.

‘We’ll send you postcards,’ Ellie says. ‘Awful ones.’

‘Sorry about your face,’ I say to Freddie, who shrugs.

‘She’s worth a leathering from her brother,’ he says, gently taking Ellie’s hand. ‘We’re going to miss our flight if we don’t get a move on, though.’

‘You’re leaving now?’ Kat asks.

Ellie nods. ‘First stop is Barcelona. We got a last-minute flight.’

When they leave, Kat and I sag on the sofa, drained.

‘She’s right, isn’t she?’ Kat asks, threading her fingers into mine.

‘I do like the sound of fucking in every room.’

Kat smiles before snuggling into my shoulder. We sit there for a while, trying to relax into the idea that it's all done.

The list.