Chapter 55
Chapter fifty-five
Barrett
His death wasn’t long enough, but I made sure it was painful. And silent for Sage and Nova’s sakes, who’d been huddled together in the corner.
But as Rafe forces Nova out of the room to take her home, the sight of the broken woman in my arms tears me to pieces.
There is nothing I can do to fix this for her.
I’m helpless. I hate feeling helpless, but the emotion was a strong throat punch as I launched into the room and Campbell had the knife to Sage’s throat.
Nova struggles against Rafe’s hold and I have to hold Sage up with my arm across her ribs.
“It’s okay, Nova. He won’t hurt you.” Sage tries to reach for her.
Nova snaps her head around, going utterly still, making even Rafe pause in his pursuit for the bedroom door.
“I don’t ever want to speak to you again.
” Her eyes land on Campbell’s slumped form, her pink skin from anger and fear paling instantly.
Sage follows her gaze and I feel her stomach clench against my arm.
When Rafe continues to pull Nova along, she doesn’t fight him anymore. Shoving her chin in the air, she walks as if on her way to the gallows.
“This is a mess.” Fain sighs from the doorway.
A plan forms. It’s the simplest way and the only way to keep any suspicion off of Sage. “Move all of the bodies. We’ll burn all except Campbell.” I cup Sage’s cheek and lift her face. “Is there anything in here that you can’t live without? Anything irreplaceable? Sentimental or high value?”
“Why?”
“We need to burn the house. And we need to do it quickly. We don’t know if anyone heard the fighting.”
“But the neighbours. We’re all connected.”
“We’ll make sure everyone gets out.” Because of this we can’t leave the bodies here to burn. Not enough would burn before the fire department gets here, leaving bodily remains for them to find. But we need to get rid of the rest of the evidence.
“I have a safe in my closet. It has any important documents, passport, photo albums, and a few other things. Everything else is replaceable.” Her eyes linger on the bedroom door, chasing after her sister.
“Take her home. I’ll start without you.” Fain pushes off the wall and leaves. The last thing I want to do is leave Sage somewhere without me, but Fain can’t do this on his own.
“Let’s empty the safe and get you home, pet.” I help her to her feet, taking most of her weight when she wobbles.
“I’m sorry. I had to.”
“I know.” I’m pissed, but now isn’t the time to tell her that. She’s just lost her sister, maybe not physically, and every decision Sage has made has been with her sister in mind. And now, Nova refuses to speak to her.
Half an hour later, I’m tucking her into my bed after tending to the cut on her neck and ensuring her arm has stopped bleeding. I’ll have Hayden come by later to check her over. Her eyes are hooded and cloudy, lost in her own thoughts. She stopped answering me the moment we got in the car.
I brush her hair away from her face, tracing my thumb down her nose, hoping to help her close her eyes and sleep.
Standing, I turn to Paisley hovering by the bedroom door. “I have to go back and finish this. It isn’t over yet.”
“I’m s—”
“Don’t.” I can’t accept her apology even though I understand why she did it. Just as I’m pissed at Sage for leaving the house, I can’t stay angry knowing why she did it. But I don’t want to hear Paisley’s apology. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I meet Fain back at Sage’s townhouse. Rafe pulls in behind me and I raise my brow.
“I have someone else watching her for now. I have to see this through.”
As Fain drives the bodies out of town to burn, Rafe takes Campbell.
We wanted a day between the other deaths and his, giving Campbell time to panic and time for the police to dig and see exactly where this was going.
Now, we have to open the whole damn bag and dump all of the contents at their feet.
I stay back to light the fire, making sure the hottest point is as close to the most evidence left from the multiple deaths. Rafe and Fain had no mercy as they slaughtered through Campbell’s henchmen. We were all determined to succeed in taking him down.
Once the fire burns through the lower level and picks away at the ceiling above it, I leave, pound on the back door of the neighbour to the right, and yell “Fire!”
As lights turn on, I disappear over the back fence and watch to ensure all of the neighbours get out on both sides and I hear sirens in the distance.
I call Rafe. “Done.”
“It’s done,” he agrees and I know that Campbell’s body is displayed with enough evidence surrounding him that no one will be able to sweep his organizations under the rug. “I’ll visit the mayor now. Payment will come through in the next few hours.”
“I don’t give a fuck about payment,” I growl, slamming my car door and speeding off from four blocks away from Sage’s townhouse.
“Neither do I, but no one else needs to know that.”
“Have you heard from Fain?”
“Yes. He’s staying until there’s nothing left of the bodies or the fire.” Rafe sounds exhausted, something that takes a lot to do with that man. With any of us. “Go home. It’s over.”
“Call me if you need me.”
“I won’t.” Rafe hangs up.
The satisfaction of a completed job doesn’t fill my veins as usual.
This had never been a normal job from the moment Rafe called me asking for help.
There was no satisfaction in this end other than knowing Sage is safe, and that doesn’t carry joy or relief.
Not when she’s breaking inside with guilt and worry.
Sage is asleep when I return home and Paisley is curled up in a chair at the end of the bed.
“It took her a while to fall asleep, but she hasn’t moved since,” she whispers and takes soft steps to leave the room. “I’m going home, but I can come back if you need me.”
I nod. Just as I can’t accept or reject her apology, I can’t give her gratitude. I will eventually, but the emotions are too raw. Paisley was put in an impossible decision. I won’t hold this against her.
Sage doesn’t stir as I pull her arm free of the blanket and rebandage it after gently cleaning away the dried blood that broke through her stitches earlier. Then I check her neck before moving the chair Paisley had been using to the side of the bed and wait for Sage to wake.
It’s a tortuous few hours of her waking in fear, or being trapped in a nightmare, or opening her eyes to stare blankly past me. I don’t know how to get her past this. My only option is to wait it out.
To wait it out and hope she still belongs to me.