Marked: Chapter 29

“Mom’s asking to go to lunch again.” I show my phone to Zack.

“That’s fine.” He nods and pats his lap. “Come sit with me for a few minutes. He’s starting to wake up, but let’s give him a minute.”

I climb into his lap and look at his laptop.

Jimmy’s safely tied in the barn. His muscles aren’t awake yet, but Zack bound his head to a board so he could see around him.

I smile when his eyes widen, and fear grips him.

“Are you sure no one will find us out here?” I ask, typing a response to my mother. She’s going to have to be dealt with soon.

I can’t keep hiding from her.

And she’s the last link.

But there’s a decision to make.

“This was Dustin’s place. He used it for his own purposes. Unless someone’s looking for him, no one’s coming out here.” Zack takes my phone from me and scrolls through my mother’s worried texts. “I think she’s scared something’s happened to you,” he says then puts the phone on the arm of the couch.

The farmhouse is a bit dusty, but it’s comfortable. Zack gave Jimmy a stronger dose than he did Vince, so it took longer for it wear off. Instead of sitting in the barn all night, we came inside.

“She’s probably worried she’s been caught.” I snort. “I just…I don’t understand how she could do it. How could sell us to those monsters?”

“I’m not sure she knows, either.” He rubs his hand over my back. There’re four bandages on it from where the flogger cut into me.

I know we had to put on a show for Jimmy to get him to want to play with me in private, but it served a secondary purpose. The pain distracted me from being so close to the man who killed Quinn.

But that distraction’s over.

“If I were ever in that situation, I’d pick me. Let them kill me and save my kids.” Any mother would, I think.

“You would. But then again, I think you’d take out the monsters well before it got to that point.” He kisses my shoulder.

The humidity is thick tonight.

I’ve changed into the tank top and jean shorts Zack packed for me. He thinks of everything. There was a second bag in the car just for me. A second change of clothes, two snack bags of Fritos and cool ranch chips – my favorites.

While he drove us out of the city, he held my hand, lighting brushing his thumb over my knuckles as I curled up in the seat. He left me to my thoughts, just silently watching over me while I worked through the horrible memories.

It’s so much easier to fight off the demons when your protector lies in wait beside you, ready to slay them should you fall short.

But the thing with Zack is, I don’t think I would ever fall short, at least not to him.

To him, I’m perfect.

“You’re everything I never knew a man could be,” I say to him, running my fingers through his thick hair.

He smiles. “And how many men have you known?”

“Only a few. There was a boyfriend in college, but he hated that I went home every weekend to spend time with Mom. Said I was a baby that wouldn’t let go of Mom’s apron strings.” I laugh. “What an old saying, apron strings.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You went home every weekend?”

I nod. “Of course I did. She didn’t like being alone. She didn’t make me, and she would tell me I didn’t need to, but I could tell she was more comfortable when I did.”

A frown tugs at his mouth.

“I thought my sister died because Mom chose me. Whatever my mom needed, I wanted to be sure she had me.” I curl into his lap, tucking my head into the crook of his neck.

Inhaling the warm spice of him, my nerves calm.

“Tomorrow.” He kisses my head. “We’ll figure out what to do about her tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “What about your parents? You never talk about your family.” I could use the distraction from the decision I’m not ready to make.

“I don’t have a family.” He hugs me tightly to him. “My father….” He pauses as though he’s not sure how to say what he wants to say. “My father killed my mother when I was seven. He was a drunk, and he came home one night drunker than I’d ever seen before.”

I wrap my arms around him. He’s always keeping me in one piece, it’s my turn now.

“He tripped over one of my toys, and he went to hit me. Mom stopped him, yelled at him to just go sleep it off.” His heart beats faster against my chest. “He beat her to death. Right there in the living room.”

“You saw it?” I gasp.

“I was hiding under the kitchen table, but I could see through the legs of the chair. He passed out afterwards. The girl who walked me to school in the mornings found them. I was still under the table. Mom was dead. Dad died in prison a year later. A fight broke out and he got what was coming to him.” His chest puffs out with a laugh.

“Where did you grow up, then?”

“An aunt took care of me until I was in my teens. Then when she died, I was thrown into the foster system until I was old enough to enlist in the military.”

I pull back from him, searching his expression. “I’m sorry your dad did that.”

He runs his fingertips over my cheek bone, then touches the tip of my nose.

“Me too, little bird. She was a good woman.” He smiles.

I twist around to look at the screen again.

Jimmy fully awake, and making every attempt to get out of the binds, but Zack is too good at what he does. Jimmy won’t ever get out.

“Do you want to go play with me?” I whisper.

“Are you ready?” he asks, helping me off his lap and onto the cushion beside him.

I nod.

“Then let’s go play.”

The barn is lit up with the painter’s lights again, but this time instead of Vince, we have Jimmy ready for us.

“Look. I don’t understand what’s happening, but you don’t know who you’re fucking with,” Jimmy yells, as soon as we step inside.

Zack slides the barn doors shut.

“You really don’t remember me, do you?” I step in front of him, bending over to give him a good look at my face.

He searches me, panic growing in his eyes.

“No. Should I?” It’s not surprising. This monster has killed numerous women.

We’re just faceless things to him. I wonder if he even looked at our faces before pulling that trigger.

I throw on a fake frown. “Harley Turner,” I say.

It takes a second, but then it hits him. His eyes widen, his mouth drops. “You’re the girl Laurens is looking for.”

“I am.” I smile. “Do you remember me though?”

His bare chest heaves.

Zack had the foresight to strip the monster before binding him. Makes it easier for us now.

“You’re Nancy’s kid. The one I didn’t kill.” His face contorts into disgust. “You two are fucked. You think my cousin is going to let you get away with this?”

Zack laughs.

“Your cousin can do whatever he wants. I don’t have any issue with him yet, but you…now you have my attention.” Zack hops onto the surgical table. “Don’t look at me, though, look at Harley. She’s in charge here.”

When Jimmy swings his gaze back to me, I strike. Slapping him hard across his face, then throwing my fist into his nose again. There’s another crunch, louder than the first one in his playroom.

Fresh blood pours out of his nose. More howling.

I step back from him, looking over the scrawny man sitting naked in front of me. His hands are bound behind him, his ankles are tied to the chair legs. He’s completely exposed to me.

Completely vulnerable.

Just as we were when he walked in that day.

“Dad’s debt was paid by just one of us, is that right?” I ask him.

He laughs. “Yeah.”

“But you had all three of us taken.”

“No. Vince had you taken. Arthur wanted to play with you all first, and Vince owed him a favor.” He wiggles his head against the leather strap holding him against the chair back.

“But you bought the kill.” I walk over to the metal tray Zack has ready for me. All of the instruments I need are there. I run my hand over the knives, the scissors, the miter saw.

“I’d had a bad day,” he says. “Needed to relieve some stress.”

He’s so casual about this, I’m not sure he’s taking me seriously.

I pick up a scalpel.

“Do you think this is a game?” I press the blade to his cheek, slicing downward until blood slides down.

“Fuck!” he bellows, jerking against his binds.

“You killed my sister.” I move to his disgustingly hairy chest. “You put a gun to her head and shot her.” I slice his nipple, and the little bud just pops right off.

“What the fuck!” He sucks in air, trying to combat the pain, but there’s no running from it.

“You raped me.” I move down to his dick, picking up the flaccid member.

“No! No!” He’s trying to move the chair, but he’s too weak still. All he can do is watch as I slice off a chunk of his cock and drop it next to his nipple on the floor.

Now he’s a howling mess.

“You were going to kill that woman tonight.” I bring the scalpel to his throat, cutting just deep enough for it to hurt, but not enough actually harm him. It’s nice, this blade. Precise without having to use much force.

“I didn’t! I didn’t kill her!” Now he’s seeing how serious this is. He searches my face, a plea in his eyes.

“Only because that man saved her,” I scoff. “If you weren’t sitting on your asshole, I’d stick this up there and cut you in two.” I tap the tip of the scalpel against his nose.

I drop the tool back onto the surgical prep table and pick up my knife. The one Zack gave me. I also pick up the pistol and look it over. I’ve never fired a gun before, but it can’t be that hard at close range.

“Zack, do I just pull this thingy back and fire?” I show him the hammer.

He smiles. I’m making him proud; I think. It warms me, the idea that he’s proud.

“You got it. When you pull back the hammer, the bullet moves to the chamber. Just aim and shoot then,” he explains.

“If I shoot him in the head, there’ll be brains everywhere though, right?” I scrunch up my nose. Cleaning up that mess will be disgusting.

“Don’t worry about that. Just do what you want,” he encourages me. He always encourages. He’s my sounding board. My cheerleader.

“Jimmy.” I step up to him again. He’s lost in his own misery though, sobbing openly. So much for the tough Mafia boss persona he tries to portray.

I roll my eyes.

“Jimmy!” I kick his shin. His attention snaps to me.

“I’m going to give you a choice here. I’m feeling indecisive.” I show him the knife and the gun. “You’re a dead man. You know it and I do too, but I’m gonna let you decide. Eat a bullet, or a blade?”

Fat tears track down his face through the thick stubble of his five o’clock shadow.

“I have a wife.”

“Don’t care.” I shrug. “She’s better off without you. I’m sure of it.” I lift my hands. “Decide please.”

“Jimmy, she’s using her manners, you should cooperate before she loses them and you get whatever hell is coming to you,” Zack teases.

Jimmy looks from one of us to the other, then swallows.

“My cousin is going to kill you for this!” he screams, a desperate attempt that I can’t blame him for. His life is coming to an end. It’s hard to grasp that.

“Doesn’t change what’s happening here. Now, last chance. Choose. Or I can get my little scalpel back until you do?” I offer a third option. I’ll just slice him until he finally cooperates.

A sob breaks through.

“Fine,” he sniffs, trying to find courage that doesn’t live in his soul. “Gun. I’ll eat a bullet.” He nods, looking me straight in the eye.

“You’re sure?” I ask lifting one hand then the other.

“Yeah. The bullet.” He tries to raise his chin, like he’s going to go out with some dignity.

I pull back the hammer and aim the pistol at his head, stepping as close as I need to until the barrel is almost touching his forehead.

He shuts his eyes, resolved, I guess, for what’s coming.

I laugh.

How can I not?

This idiot.

His eyes fly open.

“You didn’t think I’d actually let you choose? Did you?” I stab the knife into his stomach, tossing the gun to the floor so I can use two hands. Grabbing the handle, I yank the knife to the side, gutting the bastard. It’s hard with all his muscle, but the blade is big enough to cut through. By the time I get to the end of his torso, my arms ache.

His scream cuts off quickly, as his insides become his outsides.

I step back, away from the mess, taking the knife with me.

Zack hops off the table and comes stand beside me, his arm around my waist.

“You did good, little bird.” He kisses my temple.

“It felt good.”