18. Up in Flames #2
“They, who?” I asked, somehow already knowing the answer.
“Our parents. When they sent me away… The Lockhart Institute isn’t a fucking boarding school.
It’s more like a tactical military school.
They got paid to send me there and let them turn me into a weapon.
They sent me to hell on earth for money, Des.
That’s why I hate them so fucking much… And the worst part of the whole thing was what it did to us,” she cried.
I didn’t need to hear another word to be convinced that she was telling the truth.
“Eden, no…” I bit my lip, letting tears fall at how horribly I treated my little sister.
After not getting responses to my letters or hearing from her for fucking years, I assumed that she had forgotten about me.
When she popped back up in Sleighton, I ignored her for months, letting anger keep us apart just like our parents did.
“Now, do you see why I hate them so much? If it wasn’t for you, both of their asses would have been on my list.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, pulling her into my arms. I had so many questions, but I had to start with letting my sister know how much I loved her.
“I didn’t know… If I would have known, I would have done something, Eden!” Each word came out between pathetic sobs. At that moment it all made sense why she seemed like the older sister. She had to grow up way faster than I did.
“There was nothing you could have done. Once they have you, there’s no getting out until they say so. I just decided to come back home and use my skills for good.”
“So, you… kill people?” I asked, pulling back from our hug to give her a nervous look. This whole thing was surreal. I didn’t realize that something like this could be going on right under my nose.
“Only ‘bad’ people, Des… And I know that term can be used loosely, but I mean the worst of the worst—child molesters, rapists, people who harm for sport. I do a thorough background check on my targets, and if they don’t fit the profile, I don’t take the job.
I really wanted to tell you, but I was scared that you would disown me. ”
“You’re my fucking sister, Eden. I would never!” I promised.
“I don’t know…” She chuckled. “You just came in here ready to whoop my ass over Brick West,” she teased making me smile a little.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as the smile washed right off my face. “You were gon’ whoop my ass, huh?” We both laughed, drying the rest of our tears.
“I wouldn’t have hit you, girl,” she said. “I would have put your ass to sleep, but I would never lay hands on you. Even though you were gon’ try to tear my ass up over that nigga!”
“So, how does Brick fit into this whole Endgame thing?” I asked, arms still locked around my sister like I was afraid to let her go.
“He and his brothers pulled up on me when I was in the middle of a job. Please don’t be mad at him—this is all my fault. He gave me the space to tell you, but I was so afraid of losing you, Des.” I held her tighter.
“You won’t.” We stood there for a moment before I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket… Knowing it was Brick, panic instantly set in.
“Oh, shit…” The realization of everything I did that day came rushing back, replaying in my head like a highlight reel of the dumbest crash out ever. “I fucked up,” I said barely above a whisper.
“It's okay. I'm sure if you go home and apologize, all will be forgiven. That man is crazy about you, Sis,” she said with a hopeful smile on her face.
“Yeah, but he's also plain crazy… I’m scared!” I shrilled. At that moment I considered leaving the city altogether. Maybe even the state. That man pulled a gun on someone for barely bumping into me two days ago. I was as good as dead.
“Scared of what?” she asked. “Is that nigga putting his hands on you or something?”
“No, but he might… and I’d deserve it!” I said nervously, looking around and biting my lip.
“Why the fuck would you say that? No you don't, Des!”
“I really might.” I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. “Especially after what I did today. Do you possibly have any connections in the Witness Protection Program?” I had already started mapping out my new life in a new city… Maybe, I would dye my hair.
God I’m gonna miss that man… and that dick! Lord, I just got it, and I waited until marriage like I was supposed to! Why would you let this happen to me?
“What did you do?” she asked in confusion.
“Exactly what you said before—but in light of recent discoveries—I may have slightly overreacted.”
“What I said?” she asked with raised brows. “Des… bitch, what did you do?”
“I blew up his car!” I admitted with my arms up.
“I blew up his fucking car, Eden!” In my heartbroken delirium, I may have pulled Brick’s pride and joy out, doused it with a little gas, and watched it go up in flames.
At the moment, it seemed like the most rational decision, but now the regret had my stomach turning.
“You what? The Bugatti, bitch!? Oh fuck…” Her eyes ballooned and she stepped away from me like she could already see the sniper dot on my forehead.
“Yeah,” I whined. “And when I did it, I must have spilled a little of the gas because I accidentally burned up his grass… you know he takes pride in his yard-work. Then I tried to use the water hose and that just made the shit bigger, Eden. I had to run in the garage and get the damn fire extinguisher!” He was just bragging to me about how he and his gardener had concocted the perfect water and fertilizer ratio to have the yard the most vibrant shade of green.
Now there was a big ass bald spot in the middle of the backyard.
“Oh yeah… he might kill you.”
“That's what I just said! You gotta help me!”
Both of our eyes turned into saucers when we were interrupted by a pounding at the door.
“Just… Just don't open it!” I whispered in a panic.
“Eden!” Brick yelled as he continued to pound on the door. “Open this muhfuckin’ door or send my wife out here, now!”
“Wife? Brick, Des is not here! You need to leave!”
“And I will leave when she brings her ass out here!”
“I just told you, she's not here! I have company. If you not tryna hear some loud fuckin’, I'd suggest you go!” I wanted to give her an award because she was really playing her role. I slapped my forehead in realization when I remembered that my car was parked right out front.
“You want me to break this muhfucka down? I promise you that you gon’ lose your whole deposit on this apartment, and I’m still leaving with Destiny.”
“Shit,” I mumbled, dragging my body over to the door.
Knowing what I now knew about Eden, I couldn’t risk someone calling the police because of all the noise.
When I slowly pulled it open, and his eyes landed on me, his face held a look of relief, and I saw him let out the biggest exhale. Maybe the fallout wouldn’t be so bad.
“If you ever leave that fuckin’ house again and don't tell me where the fuck you goin’ or answer my thirty-nine muhfuckin’ phone calls, I'm putting a tracking device in yo' ass,” he snapped, making me jump.
Oh yeah, I’m dead.
“Get your shit, let’s go, Destiny.”
“Baby… Let—”
“I said let’s go,” he growled.
“She doesn’t have to go with you if she doesn’t want to,” Eden said.
“Fuck if she don’t. We made vows that said til’ death do us part. I don’t think either one of us is about to punch our ticket, so I’m about to take my wife home so she can tell me what the fuck I did to make her abandon me on the middle of a Wednesday.”
“I didn’t abandon you! I just—” This time he shut me up with just a look. I turned back to Eden. “Sis… I’m just gonna go. I’ll come get my car tomorrow,” I said, giving her a smile that gave away every bit of fear I felt.
“Des, you don’t have to go,” she pleaded.
“I’m okay,” I promised her. “I’ll call you, okay.” It only took me a moment to realize that if my husband was Michael Meyers, then my sister was Jason Voorhees, and I did not want to be a witness to this particular horror showdown.
She gave me one more nervous glance before Brick walked me out the door with his finger linked through my belt loop like I was a bad ass kid and he was afraid that I would take off running.
He walked me to the passenger side of his car, loaded me in, and closed the door without another word.
He didn’t speak until we were almost home.
“You can start talking at any time,” he quipped.
“I-I-I… Um, s-so.” I couldn’t get a damn word out because I was shaking so hard.
“Sp-Sp-Spit it out, Destiny! We way too grown for this! If I did something, you need to tell me. Running away and ignoring me ain’t gon’ do neither one of us no good!” he said, and I could tell he was doing everything in his power to keep his volume low.
When my dad got mad, he yelled. The fact that I could feel the anger radiating off that man and he had yet to raise his voice at me had me terrified.
“I came to Dream’s for lunch today, a-and when I got there, I overheard you talking to Eden… It s-sounded bad, and I thought…”
“You thought what, Des?” He gave me a sinister brow raise that made me stutter even worse.
“I-I thought you two were f-f-fucking,” I wailed before crying again. “I was really upset, and that’s why I did that to your car! I’m so sorry,” I sobbed.
“My what?” he asked, giving me a look that shot straight to my bones.
“H-huh?” I mumbled.
“If you can huh, you can hear, Destiny. What car?”
“You haven’t seen it?” I asked with wide eyes.
“I pulled up in a hurry to see you. Came in, and you weren’t there and didn’t answer my calls.
What did you do?” By this point we were pulling into the driveway.
The Bugatti was in the rear garage and not visible from where we were.
He turned the car off and looked me in my eyes, more serious than I had ever seen him.
“What the fuck did you do to my car, Destiny?”
“I-I-I burned—”