21. Alonse
Alonse
“Perfect. Yes. That’s perfect.”
My leg bounced uncontrollably as I clutched my phone against my ear.
“Yes, sir,” the airline representative replied. “Your driver has already been dispatched. Estimated arrival is fifteen minutes.”
Thirty more minutes and I was finally getting the hell out of Havenbrook.
“Tell him to ring the bell. Waiting outside is not something I do. Do not call me when he’s five minutes away. Instruct him to get out of the car and ring the bell.”
It would be just like Simone to try and get revenge on me right before I headed back home.
I would've left the moment I saw her ghost in the form of Psalm’s little girlfriend, but the precautions I required when flying privately made it difficult to find pilots and crew willing to accommodate me. So, for the last few dreadful days, I'd been ghost-prepping this house.
Sage and Florida Water had become a part of my daily regimen.
There was even a local root worker willing to consult with me over the phone, and all it took was his confirmation of Simone’s presence for me to spiral completely.
Spending some of the spring season in Havenbrook and turning into a Ghostbuster wasn't on my agenda, but I was a man who did what had to be done.
Simone’s fate was proof of that.
“Sir?”
The airline representative’s voice chimed through the receiver. I’d forgotten she was still on the phone.
“The bell,” I repeated. “Have him ring it.”
Then I ended the call.
My luggage sat beside the front door, and I could almost smell the burnt leather scent from the candles filling the living room. Freedom was so close I could taste it.
“Leaving so soon, cousin?”
Psalm and all his rudeness startled me.
I’m going to mail that boy a bell for Christmas so people can hear his ass coming.
“Not soon enough, young tike.”
“This might be the first thing we’ve agreed on your whole stay,” he said with a wink. “Well, I’m headed out. Safe travels.”
The front door slammed behind him, and the sound instantly triggered old memories.
After killing Simone, my mother used to slam the basement door extra hard whenever she locked me inside. The force of it ensured every lock connected properly from the outside.
My father wanted me gone. Sent to prison. Locked away. He said I was sick.
But my mother hid me.
She hid me, and she hid the truth.
Eventually, she arranged for me to relocate to Florida under a different name.
What I’d done cost her almost everything financially.
Paying to secretly transport Simone’s body to the hospital.
Paying staff and nurses not to report her condition.
Paying whatever shady legal team was willing to accept the money.
I’m sure every last one of them retired early.
Then came the fabricated court case and the lie fed to the Everettes—that I’d been sentenced to a long-term medical facility. Because of their superior legal representation, the Everettes eventually accepted the story and moved on.
At least publicly.
I heard Echo looked for me for a long time afterward.
My mother lost her marriage in the process. I loss my father.
The only person we didn't lose was Aunt Selene.
And that's only because Aunt Selene never learned the truth.
She believed the story my mother told her—that my parents’ divorce triggered several mental health conditions and that moving away, changing my name, and living in Florida were all part of my healing process.
A laugh escaped me.
Then another.
Soon, I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
“You win again, Simone.”
The empty house remained silent, but that didn't stop me from carrying on with the conversation.
“But then again, you already know that.”
Still laughing, I paced the living room and ran both hands through my hair. The sound echoed off the walls and bounced back at me, feeding the frenzy building inside my chest.
“You were nothing but a taker. Even in death.”
My voice cracked.
“You took me for granted. Used me. Took my future. Ruined my family's life. And now you want my peace?”
The laughter returned, wild and sharp.
“Now, you selfish little bitch, you want my peace.”
I pointed toward the window as if she were standing there staring back at me.
“You can have Havenbrook. You can have Echo. But if it's my peace you want...” My finger began shaking violently. “...you got thirty minutes to come get it, bitch.”
Unable to control my own body, I swayed and stumbled through the room as if I were drunk.
And maybe I was.
Drunk on rage.
Drunk on revenge.
“You chose that nigga over me,” I screamed. “And now you got the nerve to chase me out of town just to protect him. Still choosing him. Still saving him.”
My voice rose higher and higher until it was nearly unrecognizable.
“This is why I'm alive and you're not!”
I slammed my fist against my chest so hard it hurt.
“Dead!”
Spit flew from my mouth as my breathing became erratic.
“You hear me, bitch?”
My laughter and twitching grew more violent with every passing second.
“I killed you. I killed you and the monstrosity you were carrying.”
The room spun, the walls shifted, and the floor seemed to move beneath my feet. I knew it was her. She was trying to impose on me, trying to take control, trying to make me weak.
But I was stronger.
Always had been.
“You don't control me,” I snarled. “And if you come around my family again, I promise I'll get him next time. I'll send his ass straight to Hell.”
My finger stabbed toward the empty corner of the room where I imagined her standing.
“You want that, Simone? Huh? Is that what you want?”
The question flowed through the house, and for a moment, I almost expected an answer.
Then the doorbell rang.
I froze.
My driver.
Relief washed over me so quickly it almost hurt.
“Well, my dear sweet Simone, I guess we'll have to fight another day.”
Grabbing my luggage, I practically hopped toward the front door. Freedom was finally here. Florida. Safety. No more ghosts. No more Havenbrook.
I yanked the door open, and my smile vanished.
My breathing stopped and took my heart with it. The image standing on the porch shouldn’t have been there, yet somehow, I wasn’t surprised. Of course she would do this. Of course she’d find one last way to torment me before I escaped.
“Oh, so this is how you want to play it.”
The whisper escaped before I could stop it.
The vessel moved, and I reacted instantly.
“Let me go!” she screamed.
Her fists connected with my chest and shoulders as she fought against my grip, trying desperately to pull away. She kicked, twisted, and clawed at my arms, but it didn't matter.
“Oh, so you learned to fight, I see,” I taunted.
She was still no match for me.
Pulling her against me, I forced her to look into my eyes.
“Oh, how I missed you, my love,” I confessed.
For a brief moment, I thought she would remember. Remember us. Remember who she belonged to before he poisoned everything.
I leaned in, trying to kiss her, trying to force her to remember.
Instead, she bit my lip.
Pain shot through my mouth, and I instantly released her. Before she could fully pull away, I cocked my hand back and delivered a hard slap that sent her stumbling into the house.
“You bitch!” I yelled.
The front door slammed shut behind us.
My chest rose and fell slowly as I watched her scramble backward across the floor. She kicked wildly, scooting away from me, her face twisted with terror.
The sight should have upset me.
Instead, it made me smile.
A grin slowly stretched across my face as I watched her retreat.
“One more for old times' sake.”