“I do trust you,” I trust Adam more than River, or anyone in my life. He might be a quiet person, but he’s been there for me when I needed someone most.
“Let’s get this done so we can get back to our women.”
Adam shrugs the bag off and hands it to me. I hold both the bags as Adam pulls himself up on the wall and then reaches for the first bag. When he has them both resting securely on the wall he jumps off the other side. I pull myself up the same way he did, and then I hand him one bag at a time. Once we’re both on the other side of the wall, Adam whispers, “I’m going to go around the front. You go around the back.” I know he’s telling me again to make sure I know what to do. “Oh wait!” He says suddenly. “Shit, I almost forgot. Here are some cable ties. Seal the exits off so they can’t get out. Stick to the shadows so someone won’t see you.”
I take a handful from him and shove them in my pocket. We go our separate ways and I do everything Adam told me. I keep to the shadows and avoid places where I know guards might be.
At the first door I reach I have to use three cable ties. I tie the first two around each of the doorknobs and then use the third one to link the other two together.
I keep my head low as I sneak from door to door. There are a few windows that are open, but I don’t bother with them. I can use those windows to throw the bombs inside the house. When I’m all done I go back to the middle of the yard, where the rose garden is. I crouch down between the roses and then carefully place the bag on the ground. I remove all three bombs and the small can of gasoline. I quickly wet the pieces of cloth and as I’m about to light the first cloth, I hear screaming come from inside.
There’s no time to think. I run to the window that’s furthest away from the rose garden. I quickly light the cloth and then toss the bomb through the window. I run as fast as I can and then it explodes behind me.
I grab another bomb and light it. I throw it against the glass door I’ve used so many times before.
I run back to get the bag and the last bomb when someone tackles me from behind. There’s a hard blow to the side of my head, but I push my hands into the ground and use my whole body to throw the person off of me.
I grab the bomb and run for the other end of the house. “Stop, fucker!” I recognize Sven’s voice and I stop. I stare down at the bomb in my left hand and the lighter in my right hand.
I slowly turn around and then Sven starts to laugh. “It’s you.” He laughs harder as if it’s a huge joke for him to see me here. Then he says, “So the beating wasn’t enough? You’ve come back for more?”
Smoke bellows from the house and the screams are getting louder. I should finish the job and run, but instead I say, “You were always the one who beat me. Did you beat me that last night too?”
Sven scowls at me, his face going hard. “You were a good fuck, especially when you were younger,” he raises his hand with the gun, pointing it right at me, “but like David said that night, every hole has an expiration date.”
Anger floods me, hotter than the flames around me. Sven was the first one to rape me. He trained me to be a slave. He burned Momma.
I look down at the last bomb in my hands and I light the cloth. I throw it hard and the bottle crashes hard against Sven’s chest. He screams and a shot goes off as the jar explodes over his body, setting him alight. I feel a slight sting on my right arm, but there’s no time to waste!
I run back to the corner of the estate and pull myself up on the wall. Once at the top I look back at the burning estate. I quickly find Sven’s burning body and I soak in the sight and screams around me. It’s a beautiful sound, listening to the monsters screaming and crying. When I see people slamming their fists against the windows and glass doors, I look hard trying to recognize them. They’re all gasping for air, trampling each other to try and find a way out.
I see Eduardo and my eyes start to search frantically for Cameron. One of the glass doors burst open and a flaming body comes running through the doors. A smile slowly creeps over my face. David. It’s only right that he goes the same way our mother did.
I hear a high pitch scream and then I see the old bitch - Westbrook. I watch until I don’t see anyone but the flames, and then I jump off the other side and run back to where we left the station wagon.
I see Adam pacing in front of the car, his whole body tense. When he sees me he hisses, “What the fuck took you so long?”
“I had to watch,” I say, and we get in the car. “I had to make sure they all burn.”
“And did they?” he snaps as he drives off in the opposite direction.
“Yes,” I say and then I sigh with relief, “and it was beautiful.”
I can’t describe all the feelings coursing through my body. Relief, liberation, freedom … I’m feeling so much that it makes tears spill from my burning eyes.
“I’m free,” I whisper to no one in particular.
~*~
Chapter Twenty Two
River~
Two long days. Two days that almost cost me my sanity.
That’s how long they were gone. Forty eight hours of raw fear eating away at my heart. A million thoughts kept bombarding my mind. It’s amazing what horrors your mind can conjure up when you’re worried about someone.
Sophia is the first to see Jack and Adam. She’s been living on the patio since they left, her eyes never leaving the entrance.
The men look tired as they come walking down the road. They must’ve left the station wagon somewhere, burning it like we always do, so we don’t leave any traces behind.
Sophia runs down the road and she flings herself into Adam’s arms. Adam needs someone like Sophia in his life and she needs him. They are good for each other.
Jack keeps walking up the road and I have to suppress the urge to run to him and to see if he’s okay. I want to inspect every inch of him.
For an awful second I wonder if he’s going to keep ignoring me like he’s been doing the past few days, but then he climbs the stairs and walks right up to me. He throws his arms around me and lifts me off of my feet.
“You’re home,” I whisper, getting all choked up on the happiness of having him back home.
He presses his face into my neck and whispers, “I’m home.”
He sets me down on my feet and then grabs my hand. He walks into the house, pulling me behind him. He goes straight for my room.
When we’re inside, he closes the door and then he yanks his shirt over his head. Instantly my eyes flit all over his body, checking for wounds. He has a gash on his arm and I rush to him.
“What happened?” I brush my fingers just under the gash. It just needs to be cleaned, it’s not that bad.
Jack doesn’t answer me and undoes the button on his jeans. He lets the jeans fall down to the ground and then he steps out of them.
“Jack, what are you doing?” I take a step back as he takes hold of his boxers and shoves them down his legs.
He stands up, as naked as the day he was born. “I’m going to shower and then I’m going to have sex with you.”
My mouth drops open as I watch his sexy ass walk away from me. I hear the water start to run in the bathroom.
I walk into the bathroom and say, “We can’t just have sex, Jack. There’s so much to talk about.”
I watch as his hands glide over his body and I have to admit, it’s by far the sexiest thing I’ve seen in my entire life. There is nothing as hot as Jack’s strong hands soaping up his muscled body. I can watch him shower all day long.
Jack rinses the soap off and then he steps out of the shower. His eyes meet mine and I must be showing exactly what I’m thinking, because he smiles.
“We can talk later,” he says. He grabs a towel and he quickly rubs his face and hair dry.
“No, Jack. We have to talk first. We have to talk about where you are emotionally …” he starts to come at me and I start to sputter, “ …and … and … what about what you just did?”