Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
MARCO
S o many moving pieces, it was hard to keep up.
James Martin had always been a legend in the community of criminals. His exploits were talked about at bar tables in criminal dives all across the country. He wasn't really my cup of tea - I wasn't a fan of his particular brand of theft.
Now, having met him in person, I realized he was nothing but a sociopath. I mean who was I to judge - but even on my worst day I wouldn't think of doing what this man had done to his own stepdaughter, to any of my kin. Although he had raised her, it was clear that Audry was nothing but a tool to him.
My heart ached for her. It ached for the life she could have had, had her father been less of a douche bag. I mean, I knew Claude had gambling problems before Amy was born, but to sell your child? That shit was fucked up.
I wanted to pick Audry up and just whisk her away somewhere quiet where she could cry and wail and just come to terms with the clusterfuck her life had turned into before her eyes. I also wanted to kill James Martin for making her feel so small, so unwanted, so insecure. I understood immediately why she had left me… was it just that morning?
It's been a long day.
From the corner of my eye, I sensed movement. I had my gun in my holster on my thigh and Audry’s hand was sliding down towards it. I thought about it for a moment wondering if I should stop her, but then again, why? If she needed to shoot that bastard in the eye, who was I to say she was wrong?
She took the gun and cocked it. Then she pointed it at her stepfather's head. You would think that he would show some other emotion than the vague amusement on his face, but no. He simply continued to watch her as if she was a slightly entertaining TV show.
“Are you going to shoot me, little girl?” He asked.
I was tempted to take my gun and blast him right then and there, but this was Audry’s decision.
“You know,” he said conversationally, “if I found out that someone had manipulated me six ways to Sunday, I would do the exact same thing that you are doing. So, congratulations for being predictable and following in my footsteps so faithfully. You're just proving that I'm right. You are ready to take over from me. And when there is a new king, what happens to the old one?” He spread his arms out, “Why he dies, does he not?”
Audry's hands were shaking on the gun. Tears were rolling down her face. I was willing to bet they were angry tears, but unlike James, she hadn't been playing a game. To her, he was still a father figure to her, the man who raised her. I opened my mouth to offer to do it for her, but then closed it again. This had to be her decision.
The gun went off, and I tensed, preparing for the fallout.