CHAPTER 35 - Bryan Trevor #2
“And you got what you wanted, right?” he asks, helping me lift the body. “I don't think anyone's ever felt as much pain as what you put him through.”
“I'm not done, and lucky for us, there's still life in his rotting body.” I smile and he returns it. “Dom, grab nails and hammers from the backpack,” I instruct, and the dark-haired man does what I say.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the people turn away.
Good. They don't need to see this, especially the children.
“For Noah, for Brittany, and for every girl you terrorized,” I declare as I start nailing his body down.
No screams, but whimpers escape his mouth, proving that somewhere deep in his mind he can still feel the pain seeping into his nerves with each hammer blow.
“I think you're gonna like this.” I turn to find Dominic holding a wooden log.
Bloodthirsty son of a bitch!
I don't respond, just take it.
“I want a gallon,” I order as I start forcing the wood into Gavin's ass.
His eyes widen in horror as the log tears through everything. I want him to understand, even on the edge of death, how cruel it is to be violated without permission.
When it's almost completely inside him, I grab the gasoline Travis set beside me and pour it over his body.
“May you burn in the depths of hell, you bastard!” I hiss close to his ear, hoping he hears and understands.
“The whole place is covered in gasoline,” Travis warns. “We can only light the match once we're past the entrance gate.”
I nod and step back.
Gavin moves his head, and his fading gaze meets mine.
“I am your seven minutes,” I murmur slowly, letting the words sink into his mind.
I spin on my heels and start walking away, followed by Travis and Dominic, one on each side.
I step over the bodies strewn across the ground.
The filthy people who were part of this demonic cult.
I hope they find nothing but the fires of hell after this life, and that the devil does worse to them than they ever did on this earth.
“NO!!!” a female voice roars, cutting through the air, yanking me from my thoughts.
One second we're approaching the exit, and the next Travis's sister pulls him aside, stepping in front of him.
In front of a goddamn bullet.
I whip around, my eyes searching for the source, and it doesn't take long to find the shooter. Elias Thorne watches his daughter's body fall to the ground with a cruel smile, but the smirk doesn't last—a cascade of gunfire tears into him.
I spin around, realizing the shots came from Noah. She's standing there with the gun raised, her eyes wide with horror and pain.
I run toward her, noticing she keeps pulling the trigger even after emptying the clip into Elias.
“He's dead, my love. He's already dead,” I say, trying to snap her out of her shock.
I tear the Glock from her hand, and only then does she look at me—but her gaze doesn't linger. It falls on Brittany.
“PLEASE, NO!!” Travis lets out a desperate roar as he drops down and cradles his sister's body. “Come back to me, sunflower, please,” he screams, and never in my life have I heard such raw pain poured into words. “Wake up, damn it!!”
Travis shatters in front of all of us.
No tough-guy act, no masks.
He simply falls apart while holding his sister's body.
“Let me see. I can revive her,” I say, dropping to my knees beside him—I have first aid training—but he won't let her go.
Travis shakes his head.
His eyes are red, bloodshot with pain, silent tears streaming down his face.
His gaze moves between me and her.
The silence around us is suffocating.
“7:35 PM…” he murmurs, desolate, and the hollow emptiness in his voice is cruel. “That's the time of death. The exact moment I killed my own sister,” he says, turning his gaze back to Brittany, touching where the bullet hit, and only then do I realize it struck the center of her heart.
Her white dress is soaked with blood.
Her eyes closed.
No movement to suggest she's breathing.
A single shot took her life.
“It wasn't you, damn it!” I snap back, but I'm certain he doesn't even hear me.
Travis is descending into an abyss meant only for him.
Into a darkness that will consume him.
Into a spiral of guilt that will destroy him.
“Forgive me. Forgive me for not saving you,” he begs, cradling his sister, and my chest burns as I witness so much pain. “Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me.”
He starts repeating the same apology over and over, and Noah throws herself down beside me.
She cries and I hold her, trying to find a way to comfort them both, knowing there's nothing I can do to ease this loss.
“We need to get out of here now!” Dominic shouts, and when I look up, I see him backing away from Elias's body. “I forgot about the damn gasoline and tossed my cigarette on the ground,” he warns, and I see flames starting to grow.
I don't have time to process anything else, much less that Dominic ripped Elias's head off and it's hanging beside the body.
“Let's go…” I stand, pulling Noah up with me. “Travis, we need to leave,” I call to him.
“No…” he refuses, lifting his face toward me. The emptiness in his dark eyes is terrifying, even to someone like me who's seen almost everything. “I don't deserve to leave here, Bryan.”
“I'm not letting you burn alive.” I look at Dominic and within seconds he's at my side. “If you don't get up, I'll drag you out by force.”
“No, damn it!!! I won't!!” he snaps back furiously, still clutching his sister's lifeless body. “I want to go with her. We'll go together!” he screams, and I see the flames creeping closer.
This place is going to blow any second.
There's gasoline everywhere.
I nod to Darius, Hunter, and Andrew, and the three of them rush over.
“Take Brittany,” I tell Dominic.
Before Travis can protest, Dom pulls the girl from his arms and my three guards lift him with ease.
He struggles, screams, kicks, but I don't care.
No fucking way I'm letting him kill himself.
The flames are spreading too fast, and I catch a glimpse of Gavin's body catching fire before I feel Noah's fingers grab my coat.
“Love…” she calls out, and when I look at her, I see her eyes rolling back.
On reflex, I catch her as she starts to collapse and scoop her up into my arms.
“Out. Everyone out!!” I bellow, quickening my pace to escape this hell.
Noah is still unconscious in my arms as I pass through the gate.
I don't look back, but the heat presses against my back.
I can still hear the crackling of everything burning.
Of Gavin Black's empire being destroyed.
Of him reduced to nothing but ashes.
I promised I'd set the world on fire to save her. And today, even the devil bows before my word.
Her body stirs and I move to the bed, laying her on the mattress.
The room reeks of stale cigarettes and mold, and the peeling walls make it clear this place is long overdue for a renovation.
There was no way I could take Noah home unconscious, much less with visible injuries. Besides, there's blood all over my clothes, and I'm sure the little one would be terrified to find us like this.
“Where are we?” Her groggy voice pulls me back to reality.
“A roadside motel,” I answer, helping her sit up. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired…” she says, blinking, maybe trying to adjust to the light. “What happen…” she starts, but the words die.
Her mouth closes and her eyes quickly fill with tears.
“I'm so sorry,” I say, not knowing what to do to ease the pain. “Did you meet her at that place?”
“Yes…” she sobs, and I hate seeing her suffer.
“She was an incredible girl, Bryan, and even though I'd only known her for such a short time, she earned a place in my heart.” I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her.
“She wanted so badly to get out of that place, believed God had a purpose for her, but what kind of purpose takes her life?” she asks, and a sob tears from deep in her throat.
“I don’t know, my love, but she saved her brother’s life.”
“How cruel and unfair—having to die to save someone you love.” She holds me tighter.
“That’s how life is, most of the time.” She looks at me and I run my thumb over her wet skin. “I’m not going to judge her. I’d do the same for you, for Luke, and for Sadie.”
“Don’t you dare throw yourself in front of any bullet,” she grumbles, wiping her face. “I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”
“I promise I’ll always be the one pulling the trigger on our enemies, and no one will get anywhere near you or our family.”
“How’s Travis?” she asks, changing the subject.
“Destroyed. Dominic went with him to handle the burial arrangements for Brittany.”
“Will it be here in town?”
“Probably.”
A sharp knock on the door makes Noah jump.
Her eyes practically pop out of her head.
“Relax, it’s just Lauren,” I tell her, and she lets out a sigh of relief as I walk to the door.
Lauren breaks into a smile when she sees me, and I step aside.
The blonde has ditched the wig she was wearing, along with the contact lenses.
“Good to see you again, girl,” she says, and Noah smiles. “I brought clothes and some toiletries.”
“How are things at the house?” I ask, taking the backpack.
“Your brother finally stopped pacing after Darius told him everything went well.” I almost smile, picturing his desperation at not being able to storm the Redoubt. “Now he’s playing with Sadie—the little girl is fascinated by the drones.”
At the mention of our daughter’s name, Noah’s eyes light up.
“I need to see her.” She scrambles to her feet. “I really need to see her.”
“We’re going to shower, change clothes, head home, and then you’ll have a lifetime with her,” I tell her, and she nods, overcome with emotion.
“What happened at that place?” Lauren asks. “Where’s the rest of the crew?”
“The security team is probably home by now, and Travis…” I stop, and she scrutinizes me. “He’s handling the funeral arrangements for his sister with Dominic.”
“What?” Her voice comes out sharp, and she takes a step back as if she’d been slapped.
I watch shock settle into every line of her face.
“We were leaving the Redoubt when Elias fired at Travis. Brittany saw it coming and threw herself in front of him.”