Chapter 41
My heart stops when she opens the door; racing toward me, naked with Mia clutched to her body.
“Alicia, shit...Did he? I’m gonna fuckin kill—”
Alicia screams when a loud bang comes from the bedroom, splitting my ears and making Mia scream like she’s in agony. I wrap my arms around Alicia, holding her and our baby tight to my body, then reaching out past her shoulder, I push open the door to see if Greaser’s been good on his word.
“It’s okay, he’s dead...It’s over now,” I tell her, staring at Greaser's body and the blood smear on the wall as he’d slid down it.
“Shhh, shhh, it's okay.” She looks down, rocking Mia in her arms, trying to soothe her while her own body shakes uncontrollably. “We’re okay now, we’re okay.”
“Did he—” I close my eyes, unable to bear the idea of being this close and so fuckin’ helpless.
“No, he let us go before, but I thought...” She bursts into tears, and I drag her over to the couch, sitting her down and wrapping her naked body with a blanket.
“What the fuck happened?” I look across the room at Mrs. Stowman’s body.
“She was nothing like herself; she wasn’t erratic and manic, she was calm and focused.
She was mean to him, Vike. She said such cruel things, and he shot her,” Alicia explains.
“Greaser was clearly having some kind of breakdown; he kept dipping between reality and what his mind was making up. He called me his wife…and he’s been watching us. ” She looks at me fearfully.
“Watching us?!” I pull back in shock.
“There are cameras in our room; he planted them there. He’s watched everything; he knew you were suspicious of him, he said you were trying to frame him for killing Raze.”
“Shit, Alicia, I’m sorry.” Once again, someone I love has had to suffer because of me.
“He told me that he liked me way before Griller did.”
“Is she okay?” I look at Mia, who Alicia has automatically started feeding.
“Her poor little ears, you don’t think the gunshots will have damaged them, do you?” She strokes her hand over them, looking worried.
“I don’t think so, but we’ll go home, get you both cleaned up, then take you to the hospital to make sure.
” I go back to the bedroom to get Alicia’s clothes, then take Mia from her so she can get herself dressed.
I can’t explain the relief I feel from knowing they're both okay, and I stroke Mia’s tiny cheek with my thumb, making her a silent promise to never let her be in danger again.
“I should have never let you leave the club by yourself; never let me allow you to persuade me you're right again. Fuck, Alicia, I can’t lose you, neither of you.” Just the thought of it makes me wanna go back into the bedroom and put a hundred bullets in Greaser’s skull myself.
“You're never gonna lose us; you came, and you saved us.” Alicia smiles, taking our little girl back when she’s finished, and holding her tight as she smells the top of her head.
“I did nothin’, I was trapped on the other side of a fuckin’ door. You saved yourself,” I remind her. “Now, let’s get ya home.”
“What about Iris and Greaser? We can’t just leave them here. The neighbours would have heard the gunshots, and the police are gonna want to talk to me.”
“Ya see any police?” I tell her as we step outside onto Iris’s porch. “Take a look around ya, darlin’. What do you see?” I watch as she looks around the quiet, dead street in front of us.
“I see houses, but no cars or people.” She looks back at me, puzzled.
“This whole street is being demolished next week.” I point up at the huge development sign a few hundred yards up the road.
“Wait, the date on that sign says... the development was supposed to be completed years ago.” Alicia looks even more confused.
“I don’t know what happened; if funds ran out or shit went wrong, but Iris would have been there, living in that house by herself for some time. Greaser had her right where he wanted her—
“No,” she interrupts me as we start walking toward the car.
“Iris was the abuser; Greaser was scared of her, I saw it...She knew exactly how to trigger him. I know you hate him, but deep down, Greaser was just a scared little boy. I said that in the bedroom. I trusted my instincts, I let him know that I saw him for who he was, and it saved my life.”
“Come on, darlin’, I wanna get ya both home. This place is givin’ me the creeps.” I’m too mad at the man to feel sorry for him, so I strap Mia into the car before opening Alicia's door for her, then, getting behind the wheel, I get ready to drive my family home.
“Vike. We can’t just leave him there on his own; who knows when someone will find him? He deserves a funeral, a Soul send-off. Please.”
“Alicia, the man was gonna rape you. He kidnapped you and your kid, and you're worrying about his fuckin’ funeral?” I don’t know why I’m questioning her when I’d expect nothing less. Alicia has a kind heart and feels no malice
“He was ill; they both were....things could have been so different if they had gotten the right help.”
“You're too good for this world, Alicia Peterson.” I lean over the console to kiss her. She kisses me back then, as she rests back in her seat, the contented sigh she makes brings my heart rate back down to what it should be. An image of my family flashes in my brain as I focus back on the road, only this time it’s different.
They ain’t pale, they ain’t lifeless; they’re smiling just like in that photograph I keep in my wallet.
I grip the steering wheel and let the tears fill my eyes as I take in the message I think they’re trying to give me.
“You okay?” Alicia asks, reaching over and taking my hand.
“I’m fine,” I assure her with a smile.
“You look like you're gonna cry.” She frowns
“What's the matter? Never seen a man cry happy tears before?” I look back at her and smirk, trying to regain my composure.
“I don’t think I have.” She reaches over to press her lips to my cheek and laughs.
“What's so funny?” I question her
“I’m just thinking of some ways I can make you cry more of ’em.” She giggles sassily, and I feel my chest warm with love. Love that I’m gonna rain over this woman until the day I fuckin’ die.