Chapter 10
Aria
The night around us is quiet as we stand in the back lot, the cold creeping in from the shadows where the bodies of the two men lie still and lifeless.
I glance at the guys all of them standing around the bodies, expression unreadable.
Beau, Jackson, Nolan and Liam are all lost in thought as we process the aftermath of what just happened.
“Hello?” The word catches me off guard, and we all turn toward the sound. Rounding the corner from the alley is Detective Abbot. His gait is slow he always seems one step ahead. His eyes scan over the scene as he approaches.
Abbot nods, his eyes flicking over to the bodies on the ground, then back to us. “Got a situation here, huh? I didn’t think it would be a one and done attack.” He takes a beat before looking at Jackson, his expression unreadable. “Got something for me?”
Jackson rolls his eyes and reaches into his back pocket. Grabbing his leather wallet. He slips five one hundred dollar bills from inside and into the detective’s outstretched hand.
Abbot doesn’t even blink, sliding the cash into his jacket with one smooth motion. “Good,” he says, the folds his arms across his chest. “Now, let’s talk.”
“You two have apparently moved here and created new identities,” he says, glancing at my men, “Because the all-points bulletin doesn’t use the names you gave me. So, I’ve been thinking, I can help you stay and live under those new identities.”
The detective’s face is serious as both Jackson and Beau listen intently to the details of how this will all work. “We’ll take the bodies. Burn them, make sure they’re gone. When I get back to the station, I’ll tell them I was called out for a fire, and when I showed up, you found these two dead.”
Jackson nods slowly, as if he’s already picturing the scenario in his head. “That works,” He murmurs. “But the issue is how are you going to prove it is us?”
Abbot gives him a sharp look, then shakes his head slightly, as if he’s already figuring out a way around that. “Standing here looking at you two now,” He says his voice low as he looks between the guys. “I see what we’re gonna do.”
Beau raises an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.
Abbot steps forward, a touch closer to the bodies, his voice lowering even further.
“Clothing is replaceable, right?” He says, and without waiting for either of their responses, he motions to their vests.
“I want both of their vests off of their bodies. Take them home with you, burn them, cut them to pieces. I don’t care.
We are going to take both of your vests and you will put them near the bodies, as if they tossed them off before the fight with whoever burned them to death.
The vests are key, it gives us your real identification quickly. ”
Both guys shrug out of the vests like they honestly have no attachment to them.
I guess its easy to give them up again when you already lived without them for over a year.
“Now, there’s one thing we still need to take care of before moving the body.
Who’s got the strongest stomach here?” Abbots gaze shifts from one man to the next.
“Someone’s gonna need to pull the teeth. I have tools in the car.”
There’s a long, tense moment as the men look at each other, their expressions unreadable. Then, three of them, Beau, Jackson, and Nolan, all points to Liam.
Liam looks between them, his face slowly contorting into something of a grimace. “Oh, yeah, thanks guys,” He mutters, clearly not thrilled at the prospect.
Abbot smirks slightly, though it’s not really amusement, it’s more like a silent agreement.
“After this is all said and done, when I get back to the station I’ll tell them the story we’ve agreed on.
That I found the two individuals who’ve been on the run for a year from Florida.
They’ll buy it, with my high up position in the station they have no right to question me.
I’ll even cover the entire case so no one gets suspicious.
No autopsy for two reasons. One, because you two are escaped murderers and no one gives a shit about you, and two, because we already know the cause of death.
After we burn them there might not even be enough body left for a report.
The teeth have to go because there is no guarantee they will burn or be disfigured in the fire.
After that I will make a call to the Florida police and inform them they can close down the all-points bulletin.
Then you will officially be free, and no one will be looking for Wren or Sawyer anymore. ”
The silence that follows is heavy, almost suffocating, but it’s clear now, we can trust him. If he is willing to do everything he said that would leave us clear from ever having to worry about this again. “That sounds like a plan to us.” Jackson steps forward and shakes the detectives hand.
Abbot nods, “Let me run to my car and grab everything we need. I got two tarps so we don’t have to worry about blood spread, and then the tools to pull the teeth.
Once we get them wrapped and pulled we will bring them to another location so this isn’t tied to the bookstore.
” With that he turns and walks through the backlot.
The cold of the night bites into my skin as we stand on a dark, empty road deep in the woods. The trees surrounding us feel like silent witnesses to everything that’s going down. Jackson, Nolan, Beau, Liam, and I are waiting beside the car, the quiet pressing in on all sides.
That gnawing, uneasy feeling sits heavy in my stomach.
Liam pulled their teeth. He just ripped them out one by one then crushed them into dust with a hammer.
It was brutal. So brutal that the image won’t leave my head.
The sound of bone cracking still echoes in my ears, sharp and final, and impossible to forget.
I’m standing between Jackson and Beau, and I’m not sure if it’s the cold or the dread in my chest, but I find myself leaning into them, trying to press as close as possible. Their warmth sinks into my skin, and it’s grounding, steadying me in a way nothing else can.
Jackson’s hand rests on my shoulder, with his forehead pressing into the side of my head.
Beau shifts and wraps his arms around me too, pulling me in tighter.
They hold me close, the kind of close that makes it easier to breathe.
“You alright?” Jackson murmurs softly against my hair.
His voice is low, calm, like he’s afraid even a whisper could unravel me.
I nod, even though I don’t fully believe it myself. Their warmth is comforting, but the reality of what I’ve dragged us into is too big to ignore.
Liam, standing off to our left, hasn’t looked at us once, but I can feel his focus locked on the road.
His voice cuts through the silence, sharp with suspicion.
“You guys sure we can trust this cop?” he asks, tone laced with doubt.
“He hasn’t shown yet. He’s got the bodies in his car, and he already took the money.
For all we know, he’s headed straight to the police station to turn us in. ”
Jackson straightens next to me, his hand still steady on my shoulder, though I can see the tension in his face as he watches the road.
“I don’t think he will,” he says, but there’s a faint edge to his voice, like he’s trying to convince himself just as much as the rest of us.
“We might’ve just met him, but at this point, he’s in deep too. He’s already taken our bribe.”
I glance at Jackson, hoping for some kind of reassurance, but his face gives nothing away. Still, I think I can see the same doubt flicker in his eyes.
Then we hear the sound of tires crunching over gravel.
All of us turn at once. Headlights flicker through the trees.
Detective Abbot. Finally.
A fresh wave of nerves floods my body, sharp and sudden, but I swallow it down before it shows. I press in a little closer to Jackson, letting the steady rhythm of his breathing anchor me. His arm tightens around my waist like he knows. Like he feels it too.
The car rolls to a stop in front of us, headlights slicing through the thick trees that crowd the road.
The woods are silent… No wind, no animals, just the distant hum of the engine and the crunch of tires on gravel.
Abbot steps out like he’s got all the time in the world, his gaze sweeping over each of us, then the road, then the shadows stretching long behind us.
“You’ve got the bodies still?” Jackson asks, voice calm but clipped.
Abbot nods, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Of course. I took your money, didn’t I? I’m just as tied up in this now as you are.”
He walks around to the back of his car and pops the trunk.
The hinges creak, and then the smell of blood hits my nose.
The bodies are crammed inside, wrapped tight in tarp, limbs bent at unnatural angles.
My stomach flips, not with fear, but with the weight of how final this all is.
There’s no undoing any of it. No taking it back.
The guys move in sync, silent and efficient. Jackson, Nolan and Beau step forward, reach in, and drag the bodies out with practiced ease. The sound of limbs scraping against the ground grates against my nerves. Liam keeps watch, eyes scanning the tree line like he’s expecting something to move.
They carry the bodies a few feet farther down the road, away from the cars, and lay them out like trash being prepped for disposal. The woods press in around us, dark and endless, the silence so thick it feels like it’s listening.
Abbot pulls out two gas cans from the trunk and straightens. His eyes flick to me, lingering for a beat. “Took me longer than I expected,” he says, almost sounding apologetic. “Had to swing by my place for these.”
I nod, unable to trust my voice right now. My throat feels tight, my chest heavier than it should be.
Jackson returns to our car and reaches into the backseat, grabbing his vest and Beau’s.
He tosses them to the side without hesitation, then looks at me.
Our eyes meet, and for a moment, everything else fades.
There’s something in his expression, an understanding, exhaustion, and the weight of everything we’ve survived. No words. Just truth.
Abbot kneels next to the bodies, uncaps one of the cans, and starts pouring. “Everyone step back to the cars,” he calls out. “This is gonna go fast.”
They move without question, boots crunching over gravel as they fall into place beside me. Jackson’s hand finds mine. Beau’s fingers brush my shoulder. Liam and Nolan flank the edges, silent sentinels.
Abbot flicks open a matchbook, strikes a match with one smooth motion. The flame dances for a second, then he tosses it.
Woosh.
The fire erupts instantly, flames surging into the sky with a roar.
Heat rushes toward us, fierce and immediate, licking at our clothes and skin even from a distance.
The blaze crackles, devouring everything in its path.
The trees around us glow orange, casting long shadows that flicker and stretch like ghosts.
We don’t speak. Not for a long time.
We just watch.
The bodies burn, their forms slowly consumed until there’s nothing left but blackened ash and smoke. I know deep down, in the marrow of me that this is it. We’re bound together now in a way we never were before. We’re all killers. And we’ve just erased the evidence.
Jackson steps forward, reaches out, and shakes Abbot’s hand. The detective’s grip is firm, his eyes flicking briefly to Beau, then back to Jackson.
“Call me in a week,” Abbot says, tone cool and professional, though something darker glints behind his eyes.
“The APB will be cleared by then. You two’ll be officially dead as far as the system’s concerned.
” He pauses, letting that sink in. “Shoot me a text tomorrow with the names you’re using.
First, middle, last. I’ll get you real paperwork.
Birth certificates, IDs, Social Security. Everything you’ll need to start over.”
Jackson gives a small nod, his voice even. “We’ll do that.”
Abbot surveys the fire one last time. “Alright then. I’ll be in touch. But for now, get her home. Let her rest. You’ve all had one hell of a night.” His gaze shifts between me and Jackson. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. Get as far away as you can before I make the call.”
Jackson meets his eyes, voice quiet but full of intent. “She’s strong. But we’ll take care of her. That’s a promise.”
Abbot raises an eyebrow, clearly measuring his words, then nods, satisfied. “Good. Now get out of here. Have a good night.”
Jackson nods once, then turns to me. “You ready?”
I look at the fire, the smoke, the scorched earth where monsters used to lie. I think of the dagger. The scream. The blood. I think of the way Jackson and Beau held me like I was something worth protecting. Worth avenging.
And I nod.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I’m ready.”
Abbot turns and walks off without another word, calm and collected as he heads back to his car.
Beau’s arm slides around my shoulders again, pulling me close for just a second before all five of us climb into the car. Without a word, we head to the store to grab the other vehicle.