Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
Willow
This is a fucking rush. The moon is high tonight giving me the perfect lighting through the woods to be able to see while I run. I can hear footsteps off somewhere in front of me, the snapping of twigs easily giving away his position as he tries to evade me, but it won’t work.
For the last month, Noah’s been helping train me.
And by Noah, I mean Noah stands by and instructs us while Jeremy spars with me.
They’ve been helping me hone my skills just like Noah.
Each night we run, to build up our endurance.
We have a big home gym at the main house and a smaller one at the cabin in the guest house. No matter where we are, I can train.
I’ve gained more muscle mass these last few months, and speed. I can outrun Noah easily now since he is still healing, which makes it fun for our chases through the woods, but soon he’ll be able to chase me down easily.
Our cabin sits on just over two hundred acres of thick woods, hidden ravines, and unmarked trails. I’ve been studying these woods every weekend that we’ve come up here, and I know them now like the back of my hand.
“Snuggs, come here,” I call out to our Great Pyrenees crashing through the underbrush somewhere off to my side.
His full name is Mr. Snuggles. Yes, Noah let me name him after my rabbit.
We weren’t looking to get a dog, but when we were heading home after Noah first showed me the cabin, I begged him to stop at a random estate sale.
There was a cage with a massive white dog in it.
His ears were long and floppy, and I knew I had to have him.
Noah instantly fell in love with the floppy-eared pup, and when I told him I wanted to name him Mr. Snuggles, he agreed it was the perfect name.
The vet says he must be mixed with a different breed because of his longer ears.
They aren’t super long, but at least an inch longer than a standard Pyrenees.
I don’t care. I love the fluffy little shit with all my heart.
He trains with us every day but loves it up at the cabin the most, running through the woods, scenting and learning the trails. Even in the dark, he knows where to go.
He suddenly comes bounding toward me from my right. I quickly stop as he goes tumbling past then continue my pace. He quickly recovers and joins me in the hunt. Because that’s what this is. A hunt.
Antonio Vallero.
The latest in the long list of scum that Noah’s father has managed to set free.
This was the fucker that originally had charges against him for aggravated domestic assault, battery, and disorderly conduct.
During the trial, he violated the restraining order and broke into their family home to murder his wife in cold blood.
The neighbors called the cops as soon as they saw his car out front because they knew what kind of man he was.
Unfortunately, the cops were too late. They got there shortly after he killed her.
I saw the photos, and it was horrible. And yet Nathaniel, Noah’s father, somehow managed to find a way to get the charges dropped.
It was one of the firm's biggest cases of the year, and most monetarily for Nathaniel.
It disgusted me, and I was beyond furious.
I almost left Andersons’ and Sons, but Noah convinced me to stay.
Reminding me that now that Vallero was walking around a free man, we would be able to enjoy taking justice into our own hands.
It happened when Noah first got out of the hospital three months ago.
That was when my endurance and muscle training had a purpose. Noah encouraged me to use the rage I felt with each piece of shit that managed to get free and channel it into something new. Vengeance. I’ve accepted the darkness inside of me, finally realizing its true purpose.
Fast forward to four nights ago. Noah and I have been following this man for a month…Okay, maybe stalking is the correct term. We learned every fucking pattern, every person he interacted with, and every single place this rat bastard frequented to pick up women. That’s where we struck.
I was the bait, despite Noah literally trying to figure out any other way.
It could only be me because I had never come face-to-face with him.
Noah didn’t want me involved in the case, and neither did Jeremy.
They both tried to shield me from him. It paid off in the long run because he had no clue who I was or what I even looked like. It was perfect.
I made sure to go to the bar he’s always at for three nights in a row. I made sure to get him to notice me every time, but I didn’t pay any attention to him. Noah sat outside watching from across the street in our car. I could see him through the window, and I swear I could feel him too.
The tension in his body as he clutched onto the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he watched me get flirted with by multiple men. Let’s just say that the possessiveness really took hold after the second night, and the sex was amazing.
The third night, Vallero made his move. He bought me a drink and sat at the bar next to me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I had to watch Noah screaming on the phone, probably at Jeremy, while he had to endure watching Vallero flirt with me.
He brushed my hair off my shoulder, placed his hand on my back a few times, and even went in to try to kiss me on the cheek.
I turned, brushing him off when he tried because if his lips connected with my skin, Noah would have stormed into the place and ripped them off his face.
He invited me back to his place, walking right into our trap.
Noah followed a safe distance behind his car as we left the city.
We pulled up to a rundown house and parked the car.
I was already aware that this was his second house.
Out of the city, secluded, and private. I waited until he came around to open the door for me and then sank a syringe filled with a sedative into his arm.
A very fast-acting sedative. Noah pulled up and we easily slid him into the trunk of our car.
We wiped my fingerprints, double checked for any security cameras, and then immediately drove up here to our cabin.
Noah transformed the cold cellar into our own personal torture chamber.
We kept him down there last night and all this morning, letting him sit in the cool damp darkness, wondering what the fuck was going on.
We could hear him screaming throughout the day after he woke up from the sedative.
It was quite amusing hearing his curses and threats through the floorboards as we went about our day like nothing was different.
Jeremy even came over for dinner, but he left about an hour ago as soon as the sun went down.
He’s fully aware of the late-night activities that both Noah and now me partake in now.
He likes trying to guess which one we are crossing off the list.
Is it fucked up? Hell yeah. But do we care?
Fuck to the no. The way I see it, it’s protecting another person from falling to the same fate as the previous victims. No one deserves to keep breathing after the shit some of these men have done, and I will happily assist Noah in every single kill that I can.
Vallero will only be the second man I’ve ever killed, but I have something special planned for him tonight.
Noah is letting me have some fun first while he cleans up from dinner. He said for me to take Snuggs and go for a run to get our prey warmed up, and that he’d come find me in a little bit.
“Oh, Antonio,” I sing his name letting my words echo off the trees.
“Please, stop. I swear, I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me what you want,” he screams from further up ahead.
Snuggs growls next to me and quickly surges forward as if hearing Vallero’s voice triggered something in him. They say dogs can feel their owners' emotions. I wonder if he can feel the hatred I have for this man and the soul-crushing rage I’m feeling, desperate to watch the life leave his eyes.
He slows then stops, putting his nose to the ground before glancing left then right. I stop next to him and place my hand on his back to let him know I understand. He glances up at me then looks to my right. Staring into the darkness that leads towards one of the ravines. Is that where he’s hiding?
I close my eyes and breathe slowly, trying to listen to the forest around me, but I can’t hear a thing other than the wildlife scurrying through the underbrush and the occasional hoot of an owl off in the distance.
*Snap*
A twig snaps down the dark path to my right, and Snuggs starts growling fiercely. He stands protectively at my side, teeth bared, the fur along his back raised like my own personal albino hellhound. He stares into the dark then takes one step forward and then another.
I don’t get it. He wasn’t that far ahead of me. If he’s still moving at all, I should still be able to hear at least the leaves crackling, but there’s nothing.
*Thunk*
Another sound, but this time from up ahead.
Snuggs turns quickly, racing off toward the noise.
I keep waiting to see if it was Vallero or just an animal running away.
I don’t hear any screams coming from Snuggs ripping into him, so I can only assume it’s an animal.
After a moment, I can’t even hear him running through the underbrush anymore, so I know he’s gone too far.
“Snuggs. Come…”
I don’t get to finish my command. A creak from the tree above me is the only warning I get before a weight drops down on me shoving me to the ground. My face hits the hard, still semi-frozen dirt pushing sticks and rocks into my flesh.
“You stupid fucking bitch,” Vallero snarls from above me.