Chapter 84 Delilah
DELILAH
Ikilled him. I can’t stop laughing, even if it took us twice the amount of time to dismember and bag his body than it took Daigon to get rid of my mother. But they’re actually gone.
I lean into Kane’s side as we drive away from my childhood home with blood in the air. “We got it.” My lips brush his neck.
“You did.” He pulls me onto his thigh, cupping my cheek. “I’m so fucking proud of you, koukla mou.”
I kiss him with tears burning the back of my eyes.
We’re so close to being free now that we know where the island is.
We’ll get our baby away from Helene then we’ll be safe.
As soon as we’re safe, I’m giving the hard drive to whoever wants it.
They can deal with everyone else so Rowan is too busy to chase us.
For the first time in our lives, we won’t be the ones who are scared, looking over our shoulders.
We won’t have to hide or think about them.
The brakes squeal as we abruptly stop, but there’s nothing in front of us other than the open back roads.
I lean forward to ask what’s happening, but Daigon gets out of the car, slamming the door behind him with his phone in his hand.
The door rocks back, staying open a crack for his complaining to filter through as he holds his phone to his ear.
“Come and pick me up. Now. They keep touching each other.” He walks further ahead as he continues complaining then drags his feet on the way back to the car. Pulling the door open with more force than required, he pushes his arm into the car and Ruby’s laugh comes through the speaker.
“Kane, can you put Delilah down, please? Maybe one of you could sit in the front?”
“You better keep your hands to yourself if you sit near me,” Daigon whines. This huge man is actually throwing a tantrum.
“No one’s going to touch you,” Ruby says softly. “Is he standing outside the car?”
“Yeah.” I laugh.
“Daigon, sit down. They’re not doing anything,” she says while he narrows his eyes at us.
Kane slides me off his thigh then gets in the front seat. “There. Happy now?”
“I will be if you stop touching each other,” our driver mumbles as he gets in, placing his phone on his thigh. “Ruby’s staying here in case you do it again.”
“How old are you?” I ask, genuinely curious because he doesn’t seem very mature.
“Your age.”
“What the fuck?” Kane says.
“Ruby? You married someone younger than you?” I ask. I’ve never given thought to what my sister’s type is. She’s always been mature though, so I’d assume it would be someone the same.
He puffs his chest out, staring at his phone like she can see him as he says, “She married me when I was twenty-one.”
“Jesus,” Kane hisses. “You’re a cradle snatcher.”
“He’s an adult,” she tries to defend herself, only to make it worse. “I thought he was older.”
“Wait…” I poke my head through the seat. “You didn’t know how old he was when you got married? What did you do, just grab him off the street and say, ‘You look scary, I’ll marry you.’” I quickly turn to the driver, adding, “No offense.”
“Some taken,” he says as he drives with a smile on his face. “Why don’t you tell them, little lamb?”
Aww, that’s cute. He calls her a lamb, when he’s a farmer. Or it’s not cute because he’s a farmer. I’m sticking with the first one.
I wrap my arm around Kane, resting my cheek on his seat as Ruby explains the insane details of how they got married while we drive to the airfield to kill Helene.
“Don’t wake her up,” Kane whispers, demolishing his warning.
I rub my eyes as we sit on the boat, gently rocking in the waves of my previous prison.
The island looks different from this vantage point as I look around for a reference of where we are.
All of my time spent on the roof, staring at the different parts made me divide it into sections.
The posts I named the gates of Hell are to our right, a pit opening up in my stomach at the memory of what happened here.
My talks with Lenny delved into a multitude of things from the sick acts of our families to philosophy.
It’s why I now believe natural matter holds on to horrifying details when the people harmed there don’t get justice.
Not wanting to disrespect their lost souls, I point to further ahead.
“Go closer. The airfield Helene uses is up there.”
Kane pulls my hood tighter around my head as I remain on his thigh, hugged to his chest while Daigon’s t-shirt is plastered to his skin as he sails the boat to a small cove.
“The tunnels beneath the basement lead to the airfield, little doe. You run through them without looking back. Hide, wait until you see me. Make sure there’s no burn on my neck.”
We stop again.
Kane slides me off his thigh to help maneuver the boat into the sharp rocks so we don’t have to wade through the water.
Stepping up on to the rock ledge, he gestures for Daigon to drop the anchor then holds his hand out for me.
I don’t want to knock him off-balance, so I avoid his hand as I climb up on my knees.
Remaining on my knees, I stretch forward to grab the backpacks Daigon packed us like we’re children on a school trip.
His footing isn’t as steady as he tries to get up on the ledge unassisted.
I hold his arm as Kane takes his other hand, but the rude asshole doesn’t even say thank you.
He lifts his backpack and puts it on backwards, so the zipper is below his chin, then takes out a protein bar.
“So, this is where the mother of all evil lives?” he asks between bites, looking around.
“Yeah, something like that.” Kane laughs, helping me to my feet. “It’s going to take a while to get to her house. We should start moving before it gets dark.”
“No need,” I step around him. “We can go through the tunnels, but her guards will be in the basement.” I thread our fingers together once he has his backpack on and begin walking.
Daigon stays two steps behind, still eating. “You’re touching again.”
“And?” I look over my shoulder. “You’d be doing the same with Ruby.”
“I wouldn’t let her come here.”
“You don’t let your spouse do things. This isn’t the 1800s.”
“She’s not just my wife.” He mimics my voice. “She’s the mother of my children. I wouldn’t allow her to do anything to put her at risk. Which includes both of you inviting the Wards to my door. But your husband helped my children, so I’ll let him live.”
I turn to face him, my voice full of steel. “Don’t threaten him. I’ll kill you myself.”
“I’m not afraid of you.” He takes a huge bite out of his protein bar without looking away from me.
“I could eat you for breakfast and still be hungry.” He takes another bite as Kane pulls me closer.
“I won’t though. You’re too skinny and Ruby would be upset.
So keep walking, troublemaker. I’m here to make sure you don’t die, because my wife is terrifying. ”
I laugh at that, so does Kane. But we continue walking as Daigon takes a flashlight from his backpack, holding it over our heads. I say, “Ruby’s not scary at all.”
“She is. She burnt my farm, killed my guards. She also went head-to-head with both your father and Rowan.”
“When?” Kane asks.
“Before she left The Dollhouse,” Daigon grits.
“She was there?”
I don’t know the place they’re talking about, but the people involved don’t exactly inspire any confidence of it being somewhere good.
When we reach a fork in the tunnel, I pause. One side leads to Melantha’s house so I should probably tell Kane I killed his great-grandmother when I mistook her for Helene after she kept me in the basement for months. Instead, I turn around and close my eyes to recall Lenny’s instructions.
“Move,” Daigon whispers as Kane roughly pulls me to one side, away from the dragging footsteps and faint light shining through the tunnel. Daigon turns the flashlight off, dropping his new protein bar into his bag.
They push me behind them, but I recognize the hushed voice. “There’s a little more to walk.”
I try to push through their bodies, but they continue forcing me backwards. As the light gets stronger, I grab Daigon’s arm to stop him attacking but I’m not quick enough with Kane as he raises his hand with a fucking gun in it.
“No!” I scream as Lenny steps out of the other tunnel with a hooded woman beside him.
She only has his suit jacket covering her and there’s blood staining her skin.
Yet none of that compares to the pain on his face as he turns, nearly blinding us with the harsh light.
Daigon reaches into his bag, doing the same with his flashlight.
My eyes widen when Lennox’s face is fully illuminated.
There’s a deep slash running from the top of his cheekbone down to his chin, painting his face in blood as it runs down his neck, soaking into the collar of his shirt.
“Little shadow,” he whispers, then looks at me. “You were right.” But he loses all emotion when he sees Daigon. “You’ve grown.” He takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes, letting go of the woman’s arm. “Allow her to go free?”
“Leave with her,” Daigon says. “You stepped out of my way once. I’m doing the same.”
Kane steps forward with the gun at his side as my heart pounds.
I can’t stop him from hating his uncle even though I know Lennox loves him.
There’s no violence on Lennox’s features as he waits for whatever Kane wants to do, accepting of any outcome because he’s been forced to be around these merciless beings his entire life.
My heart breaks as Lennox flinches when Kane hugs him.
I never understood his need to wear gloves or refuse touch until I snuck into the basement.
He knows what it feels like to have people take and take until there’s nothing belonging to you anymore.
Some of the little cracks are fused when he wraps his arms around his nephew, kissing the back of his head.
Daigon is an asshole though, muttering, “You all like touching each other.”
“Shut up or I’ll hug you,” I hiss, making him move away from me.
Kane steps back, sniffling and stiffly nods before he slips into the other tunnel as the woman trembles behind Lenny. Daigon follows him but I stop in front of my friend as I ask, “Can I give you a hug?”
Lenny wraps his arms around me and kisses my crown. “You’re strong, little doe. Your baby is on the piano. Take her home.”
I hug him so tightly my shoulders burn as I whisper, “I love you, Lenny. Thank you for staying with me through…you know. I hope I get to see you again.”
“Isadora would be proud of the man you helped Kane become. Your babies are proud of their mother’s strength. Don’t allow her to take that away from you. You are their mother, you protected them, and you love them.”
Swallowing my tears, I step back, smiling. “See you later, Lenny. I’ll set the table with two extra seats at Christmas.”
He gives me a weak smile as he nods once, blood racing down the cut on his cheek to pool in the seam of his lips. “Two extra seats.”