Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
The snow stopped falling a couple of hours ago.
Now, the harsh wind makes it almost impossible to stay outside.
Yet, the coldness doesn’t seep through the thick clothes.
I’ve been numb for a while, both in body and spirit.
It’s been difficult to handle any of this, and I’ll forever be grateful Aria had my back and took care of everything.
“Arlo,” my little sister steps beside me, hands clasped behind her back. Both of us are staring at the grave in front of us, my chest tightening with each passing moment.
“Squirt.”
The joke doesn’t land as well as it usually does, but Aria doesn’t comment on it. She’s too focused on everything else to humor me. Slowly, she turns to look at me, something akin to sympathy on her features before it vanishes.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was.”
“It wasn’t,” she grits out, hands clenching by her body.
“It quite literally was, no? I was the one to kill her.”
The memories flash before my eyes. Just like it happens every single night. The moment I decided to fire the bullet, even though Blair told me not to. Singlehandedly, I ruined my family, and the consequences haven’t caught up with me just yet.
“You didn’t know.”
A bitter chuckle leaves my lips, and Aria sucks in a deep breath. She knows better than to argue with me, and she knows that at the moment, it would be futile to try and convince me otherwise.
“Does it even matter? She’s dead.”
“It does matter, Arlo.”
“What do you think Mom will do when she wakes up? How do you think she’ll feel? I was the one who killed Luna, Aria. Her blood is on my hands. Mom will be ruined, and nothing will be able to fix it. Not even Dad.”
Aria turns her attention back to the grave.
She’s silent for what seems to be an eternity, and my mind’s overwhelmed.
All of the guilt, all of the pain that I’ve been shoving to the back of my head is back.
Staring at Luna’s grave is heartbreaking, and it’s wreaking havoc within my sanity — well, what’s left of it.
“You know,” Aria starts speaking, the icy tone in her voice cutting through the tension.
“I don’t remember much of Luna, to be honest. The memories I have are vague, and those that are more detailed came secondhand from Mom.
But she was still a part of the family and will be treated as such.
Meaning, I need you now, Arlo, more than ever.
Get your head out of your ass, because we have a long battle ahead of us.
We’ll start with Flint, Woods, and finding Amy Marshall.
And when Mom wakes up, Nelson is hers to handle, just like she wanted. ”
I nod. “You’re right.”
“Obviously,” she snorts. “I know you’re listening to me, but are you hearing me?
If I were in your shoes, I’d probably feel as you’re feeling.
But we can’t afford to do this without you.
I need your head back in the game. Instead of allowing the pity to swallow you whole, let the anger and fury lead you. ”
“The last time that happened, I burned down half of New York.”
“Then let it happen again.” She turns to look at me, pure determination written all over her face. “We’ll clean up your mess. You let the Ghost lead this all.”
I tilt my chin upward, looking at the sky. The clouds are grey, gloomy, and it looks like it’s going to rain. The wind continues to hit my face, harsher than before, and this time, I let the coldness slice through my cheeks. With a deep breath, I smile.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Aria nods.
“Call for the meeting at the base.”
“Tonight, midnight?” Aria offers, to which I nod.
“Sounds good. How’s Freya?”
“Health-wise? Good. She was lucky the bullet didn’t graze her brain, which is rare, apparently. But her mental health isn’t as good as I’d like it to be. She lost the eye completely, and it will take her some time to recover.”
“How are you?”
Aria seems thrown off by the question but quickly composes herself. She clears her throat, tucking her hands in the pockets of her leather coat.
“I’m alright.”
I lift a brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” she mutters. “I started seeing someone. She’s a good therapist.”
“Good. I can’t lose you, Aria.”
“You won’t, I promise.”
Silence falls around us, my eyes dipping to the right. Next to the tree, a couple of feet away, are Lucas and Niko, with Blair closely behind. Niko looks… fucking terrible. He hasn’t slept properly since Luna’s death, and now he looks like he would switch places with Luna if he could.
The funeral is nothing more than a symbolic thing, since all of our family members are buried on the family property. Luna’s grave is right between her parents. And the sight as a whole is heartbreaking. She was so fucking young, yet she went through so, so much.
“I’ll go and set up everything for the meeting,” Aria mutters. Unexpectedly, she gets on her tippy toes and kisses my cheek. Before I can ask what the hell’s gotten into her, she turns on her heel and walks away.
“Cheeky little,” I mutter, fondness lacing my words.
“Baby?”
The sound of Blair’s voice makes my heart race. Paired with the nickname, it seems to be the quickest andeasiest way to make me come undone entirely. She offers a smile, pushing her hand into my pocket. I follow suit, warming hers inside of the coat, our fingers intertwined together.
“Are you alright?”
She nods. “Yeah. Niko is… well, not good. But he has Lucas. I’m sure he’ll pull through.”
That’s easier said than done, though I don’t dare say it out loud. It would make all of this too damn real, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. With a deep breath, I start leading her away from the graveyard, my boots squelching as I step into the snowy field.
“You should’ve worn a warmer coat,” I mumble. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”
“I’ll be fine,” she defends, but the way her body is trembling betrays her words.
With a chuckle, I take off the wool scarf off my neck and gently wrap it around her neck, securing it tightly. A soft smile graces her features, and momentarily, I’m lost in the depth of her brown eyes.
This is why I’m doing all of this.
For her.
She’s stood by my side after knowing I’d stalked her, massacred the prison for her, and after she learned what my family did for a living. Not once did she seem scared of me. She accepted me the way I am to the core. She knows the terror I can invoke in the streets and the danger I pose.
Yet, she doesn’t care.
She loves me, and that’s all that fucking matters to me.
She’s the reason I’m holding on, the reason I won’t stop until all the motherfuckers who have wronged her are dead. The woman I’m looking at right now is stronger than most armies, carrying through the world with the burden of her past weighing heavily on her shoulders.
She allowed me to see her scars. She allowed me inside her heart. Well - she trapped me in, wrapping me with thorns, and such pain never felt so loving before.
Everything I’ll do from now on will be only for her. To ensure her healing, her safety, and most importantly, her revenge. This woman will be the biggest monster of their dreams, and I’ll make sure she takes them down to the deepest, darkest pits of Hell. A place where she and I will reign.
Softly, I reach up, stroking her cheek with my thumb. Her eyes flutter closed, and the complete, blind trust in me makes my heart skip a beat. Fucking hell — I’m no one without her.
“Blair,” I whisper, leaning in and kissing her forehead. “Let’s get you somewhere warm, yeah?”
She nods, taking a small step back. She inhales the scent off the scarf, a sigh of pure content coming from her. Then, she takes her hand in mine, and together, we start walking away from the graveyard.
Soon, very soon, all of this will be over.
And Blair will rise to the top.