Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
STONE
I stand just inside the door, neither of them aware that I’m intruding on their moment. My eyes drift down to the pictures in my hands as I eavesdrop on their conversation. I have the last picture taken of my beautiful sister, Brenda, in one, and in the other, a picture of my nameless omega.
I have an omega. A Kismet. And now a packmate who has a Luminary bond with a bold minx of a beta. My heart aches hearing the feisty beta doubt her alpha’s affections. You’d have to be blind to not see how deeply Levi cares for her. It's obvious by how he still noticed her absence even after being hit with the knowledge of having a Kismet bond.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m curious about how they’ll handle the challenges that will come with this new bond. Hell, I’m not even sure how he and I are going to navigate being complete strangers and sharing an omega.
But there’s something else that’s troubling to me. Something I still need to process and eventually confess; my attraction to the beauty on the porch. I can see that Levi’s smitten with her and chose to bond with her. In my opinion, a Luminary bond is even more special. The Little Minx is right about one thing. Now that we’re packmates, we can’t keep secrets. We need to be open and honest.
I’m going to have to tell them both that I feel drawn to Sasha, almost as deeply as I am to the nameless man in the picture.
Not today, though.
I open the screen door, alerting them to my presence at the same time Sasha pushes away from Levi and stands up. “I need to be alone to process all this. I know what you said and I believe you, but I just need to wrap my head around it.”
“Don’t do anything rash, Little Brat.” Levi stands and Sasha gives him a smirk, but she keeps moving, leaving us, her silhouette growing smaller the more distance she puts between us.
Levi sits down on the porch steps, his head falling in his hands in defeat.
I move forward and sit down beside him. If we were buds, I’d pat him on the back, but we’re not. So I do the only thing I can at the moment. I talk.
“That could have gone worse. At least she listened to what you had to say.”
He cuts his eyes at me. “Yeah, you being nosey and eavesdropping, is that gonna be a normal occurrence?”
Not exactly how I expected him to respond. I know he’s upset, even pissed, but not even my sarcasm registers.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Technically, that was a question. But go ahead.”
I let out a snort at his attempt to lighten the moment. “Why didn’t you use your alpha bark on her to get her to listen?”
Levi just shakes his head and chuckles, leaving me clueless to some inside joke that only he must be privy to.
“What’s so funny about that?” I ask.
“It’s just you have no clue. With a woman like Sasha, you don't use your bark.” I raise my brows in confusion. He must sense I’m still not getting it because he elaborates more. “She's had reservations about us from the jump, and our bond is new. I don't want to push her. Sasha needs time so she can process all this, which will include talking to her best friend. And as much as I want to chase after her and hold her in my arms until she sees reason, I’m going to give her the space she needs.”
He’s wise, but seems so young. I’m not sure how old he is, but he looks to be in his early twenties. Even though there’s a hardness to him, it shows in his eyes and face. But I understand what he’s saying. Brenda was a beta, but she was strong and held her ground.
“You’re a good alpha.” I let out a little laugh. “Did she really sneak over here to murder Jimmy all alone? Is it something she does often? Put her life in danger, acting reckless, killing people?”
Levi shakes his head. “Nope. And I'm not saying another word other than we both know she was in control of the whole situation. Her life was never in danger, and she would’ve gutted him all on her own if we weren’t here.” He lets out a sigh and stands before glancing over at me.
“We may share an omega that we ain’t even met yet, but that's my bonded beta and I’ll protect her until my dying breath. I won’t ever let anyone make negative remarks about her. That includes you.”
I stand alongside him, taking in everything he said. What Levi doesn’t understand is that I wouldn’t let anything happen to the feisty little beta either. She’s a minx that’s warmed my heart, and I don’t yet understand why.
“You better go track your beta down so we can work on rescuing our omega. We’re both going to be on edge until we know he's safe and with us. Then we can discuss how we want to proceed being a pack. We can’t do that until we have him with us.”
Levi moves down the steps, onto the ground and turns, looking back up at me and the house. It’s a shit show in there, and leaving it like it is won’t bode well for us.
“We still need to clean this place up,” he says with a sigh, his eyes drifting back in the direction Sasha left.
“Don’t worry about this shithole. I’ve got it. You need to take care of your bond.”
“Thanks. Meet us tomorrow at five. We’ll have dinner and discuss what's next. What’s your number?” He reaches into his cut, pulling out his phone.
I recite the numbers and he types them in. His fingers fly across the screen and a moment later, mine vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see he’s sent me an address.
“Want me to bring anything?”
“Nah, man. Just you.” He heads in the direction the beta goddess went.
I watch him until he disappears out of sight.
When he’s nothing but a blur in the distance, I turn and head back into the house. The squeaking of the screen door cuts through the silence.
I head into the dining room, seeing the lost cause in a heap at the table, blood pooling around his colorless face. I wish I could bring the fucker back to life and make him suffer more for what he did to Brenda. Well, to all his victims, but mainly my sister.
I know the wife is in the basement. At least that’s where the little minx said she left her, before cutting off bits and pieces and cooking them up for her husband. I guess I should take care of the evidence. Those two are too lost in their own situation.
A grin crosses my face at how twisted the little beta is. She’s a perfect blend of sexiness and deeply psychotic. A true Two Face, or, if you’re more into the classics, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Oddly enough, I crave more of her sweet mixture of depravity.
As I turn to leave the dining room, my eyes catch on the shoebox of photographs we found earlier—faces of strangers, victims no one’s come for, not yet.
I can’t leave this behind. Not to burn. Not to be buried in ash.
I grab the box and step outside, jogging to my car. I pop the trunk, nestle it beside the bag of clothes, and shut it gently. It's not justice, not yet—but it's a start.
Then I head back to finish what needs to be done.
Opening the door to the basement, confirming the bitch wife is in fact there. She’s a bloody, broken mess on the stone basement floor. The little minx did a good job of slicing her up. A job worthy of some of the finest killers I’ve ever hunted while I was on the force.
Now that I know the corruption that lies within the very entity that’s supposed to protect us, as well as the Foundation whose sole purpose is the care of omegas, I’ll side with the “villain” any day.
I leave the door open, then step over to the stove and turn it on, letting the gas fill the room before stepping onto the porch. Heading around to the back, I pick up one of the canisters of gas I spotted earlier.
The first thing I do is head to the shed, tossing some inside before pouring a trail back to the main structure. Only then do I tackle the inside, including the basement. I pull my shirt up over my nose, take one of the canisters in with me, and pour it out, making sure to douse the dickhead's body in it. Once it’s empty, I toss it to the side and grab another, heading straight back in. I want to make sure this shithole goes up in a blaze of glory.
After soaking everything in gasoline, I head for the exit, pausing in the doorway before stepping outside. Turning back, I strike a match and toss it down the basement steps. Flames flare below. I light another and flick it onto the front entry as I retreat, letting the door slam shut behind me. The gas catches instantly, fire racing up in a hungry rush. I bolt down the steps and into the yard. I barely make it to the treeline before a thunderous boom rocks the ground, the blast shoving me forward as it echoes in my ears.
Turning around, a sinister smile finds my face as I see Jimmy and Marsha’s house fully engulfed in flames and the back half of the house missing. The backyard has a trail of flames heading toward the barn of terror. And I feel the first ounce of vindication course through my veins.
I’m glad I have closure and justice for Brenda, but I do wish her final moments weren’t shared. Knowing she suffered tears me up inside. I’ll always regret not being able to save her. But now I can put a stone up at our family plot in the cemetery and know she’s with our parents.
Sirens in the distance cut through the silence of the night air, and I know I need to get the hell out of here before they spot me. As hard as I try to leave, my feet won’t budge. It’s as if I’m standing in quicksand with my eyes fixated on the golden blaze in front of me.
As the first fire truck pulls up, the flashing lights pull me back to the present. I throw my middle finger up in a final fuck you then turn and head to my vehicle.
Tonight didn’t turn out at all how I imagined, but I’m going home with justice for my sister.
I miss you, Brenda, and I hope you’re proud that I ended that bastard for you.