Chapter 41 Juliet #3
I grind my teeth together as my fingers curl into fists at my sides, the nails digging into my palms as I keep myself from vaulting into the pit and stomping him in the dick.
Seconds ease by, slower and slower with each one. Darrio is obviously getting nervous, his threats growing in both volume and pitch.
“You ain’t gonna do shit!” he screams, panic lacing his voice. “You don’t have the fucking balls!”
I’m not exactly sure who he’s trying to fool—Gio or himself. If he’s trying to convince his son, then I know he’s failing. With each passing remark, Gio only appears more and more resolute.
“I’m your fucking father!” Darrio finally screams. That seems to break the spell of silence over G.
Without blinking, Gio steps as close to the edge as he can without going over.
He turns the canister of lighter fluid over, pressing into the bottle with his fingers so that the liquid inside squirts out.
It hits Darrio in the face first, splashing into his open, screaming mouth as he coughs and sputters before dripping down his throat and to his pudgy naked body.
The harsh-smelling stuff soaks into his hair and slides over his protruding stomach and even into the thatch of dark hair at his groin.
Gio definitely didn’t get his cock from his dad, I think, as Darrio tries and fails to get away from the splashing liquid.
Once the container is empty, Gio tosses it behind him and reaches into his pocket, withdrawing a lighter.
No one speaks. Not me. Not the guys. Not even Darrio.
Every single one of us are locked on Gio’s movements as he twists the silver metal square between his fingers.
Over and over again, he flips it from one side of his hand to the other, then back again.
He stops and his thumb presses the top, snapping the lighter open and striking the mechanic wheel inside.
Fire bursts to life, a single flame flickering back and forth. Even with the flashlight perched on one of the trees, the light of the fire is the only thing we focus on.
Red, yellow, and orange colors flick together, dancing back and forth.
“Gio…” Darrio’s voice is a croak now, raw and uneven. “Gio, you don’t want to do this… once you kill a man, you can’t take it back.”
Finally, Gio looks at the man in the pit. “I know,” he says. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
With that, he tosses the lighter into the pit, right where Darrio’s standing. The man tries to dive away, to scramble back, but it’s too late. There are no pleas left. No places left to run in the small hole.
His skin catches fire pretty quickly and then the screams start. At some point, Darrio’s bonds burn away and he uses the freedom to try and scratch his way up.
The guys seem to be expecting it as Gio lifts the gun he retrieved and points it directly at Darrio, shooting out both of his knees so that the other man can’t climb to freedom.
When Darrio tries to smother the fire by rolling back and forth against the dirt, Lex goes back to the duffle and comes back with more fuel.
They dump it on Darrio’s twisting and melting flesh and I grimace, covering my mouth and nose with my hand at the stench.
I doubt I’m going to want to eat meat for a while.
Hours later, after standing guard for what feels like an eternity, there is no more left of Darrio Vargas save for a half-charred body and silence.
It’s done.
Nolan is the first to move. He brushes dirt from his hands, his jaw set tight, his eyes catching mine for a long, unspoken moment. “Ready to go home?”
“Can we get ice cream?” I ask.
Both Gio and Lex turn to look at me. “Seriously?” Gio asks. “You’re hungry after that?” He gestures to the smoking and smoldering pit.
I shrug. “Well, I don’t want a fucking steak, but I could go for some mint chip.”
Lex wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. “Mint is what you brush your teeth with.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever, are we going or what?”
Gio steps closer, his hand brushing a strand of hair from my face. His fingers linger at my jaw, calloused and warm. “Let’s bury this piece of shit, and we’ll get you your weird-ass ice cream.”
My hand smacks against his chest with a loud clap. “It’s not weird!”
The guys grumble disagreeably as they move to begin filling the hole. It’s far faster to fill it than it was to dig it, but I’m grateful because now that I mentioned ice cream, I really want some. Hopefully, we can find a place that’s open late.
The four of us walk back through the forest, one of my hands in Gio’s and the other in Nolan’s as Lex carries the gear. Dirt, twigs, and leaves crunch beneath our boots, the world eerily still except for the slow hum of insects in the darkness.
When we reach the edge of the woods, I blink at the haze of light in the distance. We’ve been out all night and a new dawn is here. I spy the small outbuilding next to Nolan’s bike and Lex’s SUV as Gio slows to a stop.
Lex heads forward, carting along the duffle, black bag, and shovels. I turn my face up as Gio tips his head back, eyes locked on the lighter colors bleeding across the horizon.
The sky is wide and endless—stars scattered like ash on velvet. My own gaze takes it all in as Nolan releases my other hand and jogs forward in Lex’s direction, leaving both Gio and me alone. Smart man.
The night air is warm against my skin, the scent of earth and smoke clinging to both Gio and me as I wait for him to speak.
“Even with the sunrise…” Gio murmurs. “The stars still look brighter.”
I follow his gaze and pick out the glittering gems nestled amongst clouds. “Or,” I say, “it could be that we’re just standing still long enough to notice them.”
His lips twitch. “You think?”
A hum vibrates in my throat and I shuffle closer to his side, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I wonder how they’ll look from Eastpoint.”
Gio glances down, the corner of his lips curled up. “Different, probably,” he says.
“Maybe,” I agree. “Different… but also better.”
“Everything’s better with you, Prep Girl.”
I smile and grasp his hand tighter, going onto my toes to press my mouth to his. His lips part for me, letting me take the lead in a way that he normally wouldn’t. It’s soft and sweet, and so damn addictive that I wonder how I ever lived without them.
We’re weeks away from our last days in Silverwood.
It’s something that my parents haven’t quite grasped yet.
That no matter how many apologies they make—no matter how many times my mother blames Morpheus’ threats for her abandonment or my father blames his lawyers for being unable to get him out of jail—none of it matters.
I’m glad my mom’s alive, but the fact is… I don’t need her anymore.
I don’t need either of them.
Not money.
Not acceptance.
All I need is three psychos who would kill for me and each other.
Eastpoint isn’t the end of a chapter, it’s a beginning.
Thank you for reading!