Ma didn’t listen, just reached for another match.
"This is suicide," I screamed, hobbling forward, wanting to get to them before they did something fucking stupid. Something that couldn’t be taken back.
Some days, I hated them. Others, I loved them.
Either way, I didn’t want this to be my last day with them.
For this to be our final memory.
She tossed the flame to the left of the altar. It shot up as Da called out, "Go, boys. Go. We’ll be fine."
We’ll be fine?
The light of the fire, the fucking heat of it, gleamed on Finn’s face as we stared at each other in horror while we both rushed forward. The flames licked at us when we made it up there, and we tackled them both.
Ma shrieked as Finn grabbed her around the waist, hauling her up onto his shoulder. Her howl of agony as she was denied something she wanted, made the sounds coming from Masters seem pleasant. I wanted to close my ears against the noise, but I couldn’t, instead, I focused on the fire that was beginning to rage, that was starting to make my skin tighten with the heat, that was going to hit my father soon if I didn’t hurry.
About to tackle him, I saw something in Da’s eyes that I never thought I’d see.
Regret.
Resolve.
Remorse.
"No," I snarled at him. "No."
His hand came to my shoulder. "Leave, Aidan. Leave. I deserve to burn with him."
"It’s suicide!" I barked, coughing and choking on the smoke that was already filtering through the air. "You’ll go to hell."
"Exactly where I belong," he rasped, and he moved closer to Masters, closer, closer.
Which meant he left me with no choice.
As fucking usual, the man couldn’t even atone for his sins without fucking me over.
Well, not this time. Not again. Never fucking again.