CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE #2
Liam slides into the passenger side. “I’ll ping the tracking information to everyone who can come. They are further away than I estimated.”
“He dies tonight,” I warn as I get in the back.
I don’t care that Malia is in the car. Not because I’m past the point of caring but because I know she gets us.
She’s protected her family. And from what I’ve picked up, she’s killed to protect them.
She hasn’t said that but it’s a vibe I get from the things they say.
I don’t think she’ll hold this against us.
“Trust me, it won’t be quick either,” Malia warns as she fires off a text.
Jaxon is quiet as he follows Liam’s directions, speeding through red lights and traffic cams until Liam tells him to slow down so we aren’t caught.
My phone is going crazy in my pocket, but I can’t stomach looking at the screen. I had been right there. I saw Mum and could do nothing.
“You need to let us deal with this,” Liam tells her.
“Fuck you, handsome. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He turns in his seat now the location is pinged to the sat nav for Jaxon to follow. “This isn’t about that. Do you really want this one on your conscience?”
I know from that look, she definitely killed someone. Because to me, he’s saying, do you need more to have nightmares over?
For a moment, I think she’s not going to answer, but then she does. “Are you going to make it painful?” she asks, arching a brow.
“Yes,” Jaxon replies roughly before Liam can.
“Then have at it. But don’t worry about the body. I know a place you can take it.”
This is really happening. It shouldn’t bother me. We’ve been saying this for months. I’m not backing out, but I’m human. I have feelings. I’m worried it will be one last thing Black does to fuck us up. Change who we are.
More minutes pass by, and the sharp turns are doing nothing to help with my headache. Still, no one asks her where, or questions her at all.
I take a breath, then go for it. “Where?” I ask, hoping my voice doesn’t show my hesitance.
Fuck.
I flip through everything he’s done. Not just to us but to all his victims. Mina flashes in my mind, then Evie, Rebecca, Lily and Mum, and yeah, that fucker needs to die. I know if we don’t do this, it will never end. I think everyone knows that too.
What the hell is wrong with me? Killing him will be easy once he’s in front of us. It’s not actually that, that is bothering me. Yet I can’t pinpoint what exactly is.
“There’s an old funeral home where they do cremations not far from here. A friend’s family used to run it, but it went out of business so it sits empty. Mostly.They let people use it for occasions like this. And sometimes the council use them to cremate bodies without families or loved ones.”
“You are asking us to put trust in a stranger,” Jaxon points out. “We cannot go to prison for this.”
“Not when we are doing the world a favour,” I mutter.
Malia sighs and sits up straighter. “This stays between us. Obviously. But, um, this friend, she has a problem with certain types of men. This wouldn’t be her first time doing this kind of thing for someone.”
“That doesn’t guarantee us her silence. She could try to blackmail us. Or go to the police,” Jaxon explains, and I know even talking to Malia about this is a risk for him. It’s how he’s wired. Don’t trust anyone but family.
Malia eyes me, like she’s at war in her mind about whether or not to trust me. I know exactly what is running through her mind. “You want me to keep what you’re about to say to myself, and not tell Summer, don’t you?”
Reluctantly, her chin jerks down. “Summer isn’t like us.
It’s why she’s always been special to us.
She’s the middle child in her family. I should be closer to Faye, her older sister, but I’m not.
We just never bonded, not the way we all did with Summer.
Summer never judged us. She never gave up on us once.
And she also grew up in a home where there were years between her and her two siblings.
Summer wanted what I had with my sisters, and instead of building it with her own siblings, she chose to do it with us.
I can give you a million reasons as to why she’s special, but it would be pointless.
You’ve seen them in her yourself. She’s fucking light.
I don’t want that to change. And knowing certain things will change her.
Fuck, Reid, she thought she had cancer once, and the entire time she was waiting for her results, she didn’t colour her hair because of how fucking sad she was. It was like colour had left her life.”
I knew about her cancer scare, but hearing that still has a pang shoot up through my chest. “I get it. But I’m sorry.
I won’t keep anything from her if she asks me.
I don’t want to lie to her. Trust me when I tell you, if you tell her it’s in her best interest not knowing, she won’t push.
She won’t resent you for keeping it from her either. Her love doesn’t come with strings.”
Her hands shake as she rubs them down her thighs.
“This friend, she isn’t originally from here, and she definitely wasn’t raised how any of us were.
I cannot go into details about how I met her, who she is, or what she does, but she owes me a favour.
Or favours. Some might say she isn’t all there, but if they knew what she had been through, they’d understand.
If I tell her what Andrew Black has done, I won’t even need proof.
She will take me at my word because it’s me.
But... You won’t all be able to go in there.
It will set her off, and I’m assuming you’ll want proof that the evidence is gone.
Personally, I think you should call Max and ask him to go in. ”
I watch as questions flitter across Liam’s face. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would tease him because he actually looks horrified by her entire speech. He shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Wait, Max? Really? Are you sure?”
“They kind of have a similar personality. Maybe?” she suggests on a shrug.
“I don’t know. He acts like a kid high on ADHD medication.
He has no brain filter. He could tell you about how he dismembered a body like he’s listing off a shopping list. Come to think of it, the dumb shit that comes out of his mouth is similar to how she is with creepy stuff.
The first time I met her, she was slurping on super noodles over a dead body.
To me, I feel like she’ll find a kindred spirit in him.
And then maybe Jaxon or you Liam could go with him. So she doesn’t keep him.”
“Keep him?” I question and wish to God I hadn’t.
She nods, and by the look of her expression, she is done with this conversation. “She likes to keep people she bonds with.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
The car falls silent as Jaxon hits a back road. “We need to find him first,” he replies quietly. “Set it up. Just in case.”
Malia furiously types on her phone, whilst it pains me to ignore mine.
I desperately want to message Paisley, check in about Mum, but I’m scared of the answer.
She would want me to concentrate on Milly.
She loves the little girl like she loves her two granddaughters.
It would kill her if we didn’t find her.
“Where is he going?” Liam murmurs, messing with the tablet in his hand.
Malia unclips her belt, sitting so her head sticks between the two seats.
“That is an old private airport,” she announces, and I’m pretty sure her voice shakes slightly as she points to the screen.
“He’s definitely taking her there. That road is the only way in.
The other lane wouldn’t even be suitable for a bike. ”
“How do you know it’s an airport?” Liam asks.
“Because I’ve been there. It’s mostly overgrown with weeds, trees and junk from fly tippers before it was chained up and locked. He’s going to take her out of this country,” she shakily gets out.
“We will get her,” I promise.
“Plus, there’s probably not a useable runway there,” Liam reassures her.
“Yeah, there is,” she whispers, falling back, her gaze out the window.
“How do you know?” Liam asks.
For a minute she doesn’t answer, so when she does, it sounds loud in the car. “Because I used it to bring back the man I killed so my friend could hide the evidence.”
I knew it. I fucking knew it.
I reach over, poking her in the thigh instead of making a big deal out of it. “We will get Milly back.”
“I know. The family who own that land are not going to be happy with a man like Black using it. And before you ask, no, they wouldn’t help a man like him. They aren’t law-abiding citizens but they do not deal with rapists or abusers.”
“Fuck,” Liam murmurs before the car falls silent.
The adrenaline leaves my body and I slump back in my seat. “My phone is still ringing,” I admit quietly. “I’m too scared to answer.”
“Lily is covered. When I spoke to Isaac, they had dealt with that too. You know the bed and breakfast has been dealt with,” Jaxon replies back.
“My sisters have it sorted too. It took longer than you guys because Magnolia wouldn’t let Summer call the police until she had a bit of payback. Those kids will turn their lives around now. Trust me,” she replies. “You should check on your mum though.”
The car swerves for a second before Jaxon gets his shit together. “What did they do? You said... Actually, you didn’t say anything. Speak, Reid. Fucking tell me what happened.”
“Black was at the house,” I force out, unable to tell him anymore. “Please don’t make me describe what I saw. Please.”
“Reid, fucking tell me before I pull the car over,” he roars, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. “Fucking tell me.”
“She was beaten,” Malia rushes out, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Badly. But she’s going to be okay. Reid, just call your sister.”
“Fuck, you mentioned Milly being taken and that’s all I could focus on. I should have pushed you,” he stresses, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “Please tell me she’s okay. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
I call Paisley when I see Jaxon still isn’t calming.
They should be at the hospital now. We’ve been driving awhile.
“Hey,” she greets, sounding empty and drained.
I put her on loudspeaker since I don’t want to repeat her update.
I just hope it’s not bad since Jaxon is still driving.
He’s not speeding as much as before, but it will still cause damage if he doesn’t keep his eyes on the road.
“Is she okay?”
“Once they assess all her injuries, she will be going down to X-ray for her ribs. We’ve not been here long. The paramedic said Mum will need a specialist to look at and treat the burn on her neck. It may require plastic surgery. We will know more once they are done.”
I quickly glance at my brother as I bring the phone closer to my mouth. “And the other thing? Did any of them mention that?”
Paisley hesitates and I hear her shaky breath as she exhales. “It was the first thing they did when we got here. They have to take samples for evidence, and it’s better to do it right away.”
My stomach drops and the phone nearly slips from my fingers at what she is implying. “So she was...” Jesus, I can’t even fucking speak the words.
“No, no. She has bruising to her thighs, but there are no signs of sexual assault. It’s all they would give us before they kicked us out of the room.”
I feel Liam move before I see him. He reaches for the steering wheel. “Pull over,” he yells to Jaxon. We are on a back road so the closest safe space is in front of a gate to a farm. As soon as the car stops, Jaxon flies out of the car, his fist hitting the bonnet of the car over and over.
My head hangs and I no longer hear the words coming from Paisley. Malia takes the phone from me, and I’m thankful. Relief hits me but not in the same way it has before. Because she is still hurt. It still nearly happened.
I don’t realise I’m crying until the tears fall into my hands that are balled into fists in my lap. I hear Liam telling Jaxon to calm down and to get it together or he will drive. I don’t hear Jaxon’s reply. I keep my head down, my gaze on my hands.
We’re driving again, but I’m barely aware. “Malia, can you find out where Maverick and Max are,” Liam asks, and I look up to find his gaze focused on Jaxon. “Eli, Wyatt and Luke are five minutes behind us.”
“How far are we from the strip?” she asks. “I’ll use Reid’s phone.”
“Fifteen minutes tops. We’ll hit that road in ten minutes,” he answers.
“Maverick and Max are five behind too. But they said they aren’t alone. Their brothers are with them,” Malia explains before turning to me. “Um, isn’t Evie your brother’s girlfriend?”
“Yeah, why?” I ask.
“She’s messaged you saying the twins have disappeared. She thought they made their way to the hospital when they heard about your mum but they aren’t there.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Liam growls.
“What?” I ask, although I’m afraid of the answer.
“They are on their way to the strip. Coming from the other side.”
“How?” I ask, then groan. “Please tell me they’ve not got a taxi there.”
“Wait, Evie also mentioned one of Rebecca’s dad’s bikes have gone missing.”
I drop my head back and then wince at the pain. The twins being there only means disaster. They don’t do things halfway. My only hope is that they know Milly has been taken, and that it’s Black who has her.