Chapter Thirty-four
A s far as my fights have gone, this is the cleanest one yet with only a small split lip that stopped bleeding about five minutes after it was inflicted, and apart from the bloody and bruised knuckles, I’m mostly uninjured. My opponent, however, can’t say the same thing.
I almost feel sorry for the guy, he couldn’t have known I had a lot of frustration and anger to work through and his face was the only way to release it.
Now that the fight is over, I’m pushing through the crowd, not bothering to stop for anyone who tries to speak to me. The sun is lighting up the horizon when I finally make it out onto the street, turning the dark sky a shade of dusty purple. I hadn’t realized so much time had passed but that’s what it’s like in the pits. It’s a whole other world down there.
I jog to the jeep, unease settling in as I switch on my phone and see several missed calls from Marly. I left her before the sun had even rose this morning, needing the space to figure out what the fuck I’m supposed to do now. My feelings for her have changed and I can’t ignore them anymore or pretend that I’m not fucking falling in love with her.
I didn’t expect it to happen, I didn’t want it to happen. Love was never an end goal; I didn’t expect to have it when I reached the finish line and now that I’ve got it, I’m terrified. I’m terrified of her finding out about the past, about me and what her family did. But mostly, the guilt of falling in love with her almost outweighs that emotion. What would my brother say? How damn disappointed would he be if he found out I was in love with the sister of the man who murdered him.
My gut churns with the memories, of the fire and everything that happened after and I try to push them down; to push them away, but they assault me anyway.
We buried my brother thirty minutes ago, at least we buried what was left of him. They didn’t allow anyone to say goodbye, he didn’t have an open casket and while I’d stood there, staring at the box that contained his body, I could hear his screams as if they were still happening.
Everyone cried, they sobbed as Sadie read her eulogy, her stomach growing with their unborn child, her face wet with tears that haven’t stopped since she found out her boyfriend, and the father of her child was dead. I worry about her, worry about what the stress is doing to her. She still has a couple of months to go before their son is born and she’s barely eating or sleeping. I’ve been there as much as I can but there’s only so much that I can do.
I pretend I’m not also being swallowed by the grief.
Logan was the only family I had left, our dad died when we were kids, and our mom passed a few years ago. He was my best friend and now he’s gone, and the world just doesn’t seem right anymore. None of it makes sense anymore.
It’s the anger that keeps me moving. The violent rage that burns through my blood and makes my heart run like a rampant bull inside my chest. The physical pain of the burns on my body keeps it fresh and serves as a reminder of what Logan felt while he was burned alive inside that barn. I’ve only been out of the hospital for a day and have several more appointments and procedures to be done but I’ll always have the physical reminder of what they did.
It should have been me.
It should have been me inside that barn, it should have been my life lost. Logan was ten times the man I’ll ever be, I have nothing to lose but he did. He was so much better than me.
And I’m going to make them pay for it. Every last one of them. The mayor and his murderous son. His entire family, even if they’re innocent which I highly doubt they are. Everyone who had something to do with this is going to pay in blood. The police and fire department are just as guilty, hiding the truth from those who ask the questions, blaming faulty electrical systems and bad weather.
It’s all fucking bullshit!
“River,” Sadie touches my arm gently, her cheeks wet, and lashes clumped together. “You, okay?”
I glance down to her swollen abdomen, at the hand cradling it, “I’m fine. How are you feeling?”
She shrugs, “Tired, Riv, I’m so tired.”
“Go home and rest, Sadie. I’ll come check on you in a while.”
“Where are you going?” She asks when I turn to leave.
“I have to settle this, Sadie. We can’t let it go.”
Her eyes well with more grief, “They’ll hurt you too, River. This baby can’t lose his father and his uncle.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” I promise. Not with what I have on them, not with the evidence. I can’t go to the police, but I can use it to make them confess.
I leave her with that vow and head to the jeep, getting behind the wheel and peel out of the parking lot, heading straight for the garage, except when I get there, there’s an unusual car parked out front. Expensive and brand new, gleaming in the morning sunshine.
Glancing inside, I see it empty and look around, trying to spot them. When I don’t, I head to the door to let myself into the garage, pulling out my keys, only the door is already unlocked. Trepidation works through me as I step inside and then stop in my tracks at the mess that surrounds me. Paper is scattered everywhere, picture frames shattered on the floor while the desk has been completely overturned.
I snatch up the baseball bat I keep in the reception area of the garage and head through, looking for the culprit. The living quarters at the back of the garage are in much the same state, my mattress is half on, half off the bed, the drawers overturned, shattered cups and plates on the kitchen floor and standing right there, in the middle of the tiny room I call a bedroom is Mayor Winchester.
He stares at me coldly, his own anger a match for mine and in his hand is the drive that contains every bit of evidence. The footage is from the night of the fire, and it clearly captures Liam Winchester coming onto Logan’s property, blocking the only exit from the barn and then setting it on fire with gasoline and matches. It had made me throw up the first time I watched it. Liam only left when he heard me arrive but by that time, it was too late. The barn was old, the wood dry and the flames had engulfed it in seconds. He stood and listened to Logan scream for at least five minutes and didn’t even flinch.
“What do you propose to do with this, son?” Mayor Winchester asks coldly.
For a few seconds, I’m silent but then I strengthen the grip I have on the bat, “This is private property.” I warn him, “And that there belongs to me.”
He smiles but it’s far from kind, “I own this town, Mr. Sinclair. I can go where I want, when I want, take what I want, and it doesn’t matter who I bury to get it. Do you understand me?”
“Is that a threat?” I growl.
“I don’t know, son,” He begins to pace in the small space, holding up the drive as if he can see inside of it, “Is it?”
“I am not your son,” I snap at him.
He chuckles, “No, you’re certainly not.”
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to strike a deal of course,” He stops walking, “These are some pathetic living quarters you have here, Mr. Sinclair and I understand your business has taken quite the hit.”
I remain quiet.
“I’m here to help you.” He says it like his family isn’t the reason for all this bullshit. This side of town was doing just fine before this prick was voted in as mayor. He built up what he wanted and left us to rot, finding us lacking in his big plans to propel this small town onto the map.
“We can make this all go away.” He continues, “You can start a new life, River. Isn’t that what you want? What you strive to do?”
“No.” I snap.
“I’m taking this,” He tells me, waving the drive, “To be quite honest, I don’t have to be so kind to you.”
“Kind to me?” I roar, “Your family is the reason my brother is dead!”
“I am having two million moved into your account, River, that should be enough to keep your mouth shut.”
“No amount of money will keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to stop until they all know what your son did and what you tried to cover up. I don’t need that evidence, eventually your friends won’t be able to take the heat, and you’ll lose.”
“I thought you might say that,” He smiles. “You’re about to become an uncle, no?”
Dread lands in my stomach like a lead weight.
“Would be such a shame for something to happen to that young girl carrying such a precious gift.”
“Leave her alone.”
“And we will, for as long as you keep our little secret, I’m even giving you the money. Think of it as an opportunity Mr. Sinclair, a business deal.”
“You won’t get away with it,” But I know I’ve already lost and that he and his son will, in fact, carry on like they didn’t destroy my whole life.
“We will,” He shrugs, pocketing the drive, “But that’s just how this world works, Mr. Sinclair. And just in case you think to call it a bluff,” He reaches into his pocket and lays a folder down on the upturned dresser, “Have a look at these and make up your own mind but I warn you, if you think you can win against me, I will make what Liam did look like child’s play. No one is safe, do you understand?”
With that, he leaves, his feet crunching over the broken glass and then I hear the door swing shut, and his engine start before I even think to move.
I open the folder and pull out the photos, there’s Sadie with her father, Sadie at the track, at the hospital a week ago. There are also images of Jake and me. He has everyone I care about tagged.
And I believe him when he says they’re not safe. He’s burying me alive, and I can do nothing.
My fist slams into the wall as the anger explodes through me with nowhere else to go.
The sound of a horn blasting pulls me from my memory, and I jerk back from the past, my hands aching where I have them wrapped in a vice grip around the steering wheel.
Ruining Marly is the only way, my heart be damned.