18. Adam
CHAPTER 18
ADAM
W e don’t have much time to execute Danner’s plan. It’s impressive how quickly she was able to come up with this and we probably should be a bit worried about that. But knowing Max has a friend like her brings an odd sense of comfort.
We have to be careful about how we do this. Danner insists that we don’t have to worry about being seen leaving the house. Carson’s body, however, we make sure to hide. Which is why he’s shoved in the back and covered up. Max still cowers slightly in the back seat as we clear the gates.
We have to get a car from one of Max’s parents’ houses that they barely use, but Max said it should be pretty easy. Then, we’re driving to the middle of nowhere, putting Carson in the front seat and setting it ablaze.
“I want to light the fire,” Max states immediately once we’ve managed to get to the spot Danner picked.
“I think you’ve had enough fun,” Drew tells her.
“I should get to have it all. This has been my battle. I want to finish it off and see it go up in flames.”
“If that’s what you want, baby girl,” I agree easily. I know how important it is to cope, to feel in control of your life and to take it back if necessary. If this is what she needs, then she should get.
“I don’t think I’ve ever found fire sexy, but you’re going to turn me into a pyro, killer,” Caine tells her.
“Make sure to wipe all the prints off,” Danner says seriously.
I’m the one that drove the car here, and I made sure to not touch anything with my bare hands. Still, I wipe everything down anyway. We position Carson in the front seat, slumped over before dousing him and the car in gasoline to make sure it goes up quickly and thoroughly.
Danner has the matches, and she hands them to Max. “We can’t stick around for long after you do this.” We’re in a remote area without anything for miles, so the remains of the car, and the dead man inside shouldn’t be found for a while.
Max nods, grabbing the matches, taking in the scene in front of us while myself, Drew, and Caine lean against the fake caterer van.
“You got this,” Danner encourages quietly.
I want to tell her the same, I want to hold her, and whisper to her how I’m feeling about everything, but I don’t. I know she needs this. She needs to take her power back. She needs to be able to move on from this life once and for all.
While this may not solve everything, it’s the first step for her. Knowing this particular demon won’t be chasing after her from now on will hopefully bring her a sense of closure. Though, we all have other things to deal with and this won’t fix everything, at least we can go home.
Max looks at the matches in her hands, then up at the car, seeming to be lost in her thoughts. We all stay silent, giving her this moment for herself.
After a few minutes, she opens the box, pulling out one of the wooden sticks before closing the box again. She twirls the unlit match between her fingers. She hasn't cleaned up yet, still in her blood-stained white dress, splatters of dried blood marring her perfect skin.
I want it off of her because it's from him. But she didn't want to take it off yet. Caine seems close to losing it, watching her like this. We're all desperate to have her now that she's back, but I don't want it to be too much all at once for her.
She said she’s okay and that he didn’t touch her, but something happened. Clearly, tonight—and even the past couple of weeks of being back here—have been more than difficult for her.
Max strikes the match against the box, lighting it and looking at the flame as it eats at the wooden stick in her hand before tossing it toward the car.
I’ve never seen flames erupt so quickly. They consume the car in just a matter of seconds, to a point that even if we wanted to stop it, we couldn’t.
I step up behind Max, who’s stayed completely still watching the fire grow bigger. I slide my hand onto her hip gently and then move it around to her stomach, pressing her back into me just barely. She moves easily, melting against me. Brushing my lips gently up against her ear I say, "We should go."
She nods, and lets me guide her back to the car. Drew pulls her into the backseat with him, and Caine ends up pushing his way back there as well, leaving Danner in the front seat while I drive us away.
I watch in the rearview mirror as Max rests her head on Drew’s shoulder, but her eyes meet mine in the mirror. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, I see the exhaustion in her gaze. It’s more than just being tired. It’s like a weight she’d been carrying around has finally lifted and she’s able to relax.
When we get back home, I want to make sure she’s completely taken care of, even if there’s more for us to worry about. She’s safe and she will always be safe with us. I’m going to make sure of that. I’ll spend the rest of my life showing her how loved she is and how safe she is with us if she lets us.
She’s it for me. She was it for me the first day she walked into my gym. When her, Drew, and I fucked around at my house. When she trusted me to wrap my snake around her throat and do what I wanted to her body.
She’s everything and always will be for me. I don’t know how to tell her any of this, but maybe she can see it in my eyes right now because a small smile stretches across her face right before she closes her eyes and I feel like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.