Chapter 34
thirty-four
DANE
A full moon casts shadows over the murky water. It’s hard to see more than a few feet in front of you without the torchlight from the airboat. Not that we need it. Couyon knows the way around the Cypress trees and inlets like his mother’s face. So far away from civilization, the sounds of Mother Nature have taken over. The chirp of crickets harmonizing with croaking frogs is occasionally interrupted by a sloshing noise from one of Sally’s hatchlings.
Couyon sits, body still, eyes averted, as the last remnants of Seth bob in the water. I take no satisfaction from the sight, only relief.
I’ve killed before, but that was for the club. This is personal, someone I once considered a close friend. It’s all the same, doing what must be done. I move to stand, staring at the dark water below. “We had some good years. Pity you turned out to be a worthless piece of shit,” I spit out like a eulogy. Pulling in a cleansing breath, I take my seat. The thundering whirl of the airboat’s fan blades drowns out any conversation as we make the long trip back to the compound. I get lost in memories, watching the Spanish moss sway in the gentle breeze of the Spring night.
Four little boys hunting crawfish in the ditch.
Watching Saturday morning cartoons in sleeping bags on the floor.
Coughing over stolen cigarettes.
Over the years, when his name came up, my father would say he should have taken Seth more in hand, made a man out of him instead of walking away. A part of me, the sick part, is glad he didn’t. In another life, Darcy could be married to that prick her family chose. She’d be in Alaska, and we would have never met. As fucked up as it is, Seth brought Darcy and me together.
The familiar lights from the clubhouse are a welcome sight as we pull in between two larger flat-bottom boats.
Folgers is with Mudbug on the bank of the bayou when we return. Beside them, two men dressed in grey overalls wait with gallons of industrial cleaner and UV light wands.
As my boots hit the wooden pier, I gesture to the two men. “Did they finish the shed?”
“We need to check the exterior again once it’s light out, but we told Sutton and Meadow it’s out of bounds in the meantime.”
“Make sure the boat’s finished before daylight,” I order. We’re docked some distance away from the cabin, but still, the last thing I need is Darcy to wake up early and see what they’re doing.
Dad used to tell me someone went night fishing and it stunk to high heaven. Darcy won’t be as naive.
Mudbug’s being uncharacteristically quiet, but I can feel his eyes tracking me before he follows me to the compound. The air between us is lighter. Any platitudes we shared would simply be wasted breath. We both know I did what had to be done. Darcy and Owen will live a more peaceful life, safe from anything involving Seth.
“Want a drink before you head back to the cabin?”
“Nah, I kinda just want a shower and to get back to Darcy.”
His feet miss a step. “You really are happier, aren’t you?” he says in a disbelieving tone. “With an old lady and a kid that quick.”
“I’m happier with Darcy , not just any old lady, but yeah. We fight, sure, but then we get to have angry sex, so it all evens out.”
His steps match mine. “I think you got lucky.”
“What’s with Seth’s mom?” I ask. The woman was always kind to me as a child, especially after my mother passed. She's innocent in all of this.
Tone much more solemn than normal, he lets out a huff. “She’s stable. There are social workers to help sell the house.”
“Burn it. She’ll get more money for the contents to pay for her care.”
I shower in the clubhouse and change clothes before I head back to my mom’s old cabin. The door I thought to grease opens and closes smoothly, and the light from a dim lamp is just enough. Gris-Gris opens one eye before going back to sleep on the dog bed next to the bassinet. I shut the bedroom door behind me and strip, needing the feel of Darcy’s skin on my hands. My old lady sleeps hard. Real hard, something I’m not afraid of taking advantage of at every opportunity. I pull off her nursing nightgown, then take her hair out of its waist length braid without her waking up. I let the silky soft tresses fall around my face, relishing in the warmth of her body. I’m never going to tell Darcy that Seth’s dead. It’s best he simply disappears along with the hurt he’s brought into her life.
Despite having just lost so much, the president of the Miami chapter found Seth at the horse races. At least Camille had already left his ass, saving us from having to keep her quiet. I didn’t give Seth an explanation, nor the chance to try to bargain and beg his way out of it. Not this time. I took care of business, knowing any words would just be wasted on him.
I had to question Seth, know with certainty if anyone else would come looking for him. It sounds like Camille will be happy to never hear from him again, and anyone else who might show up would have long ago. We just might actually be able to have a fresh start.
At the last second, Seth screamed profanities and blamed me for everything that went wrong. I stole his kid, his woman. I made it so he couldn’t earn with Butch anymore. I made him give up his home.
All true.
Killing a man seems like a lesser crime when I’ll burn down the world for this woman.