This is clearly payback for what I did to him a year ago. I remember the day I smashed his knuckles so vividly. He’d told me he’d forced himself on Dia, and I lost it. Beat him up so bad he couldn’t do anything but scream and beg for mercy. Then I took a brick to his fingers and smashed every bone in his hand.
“You’re not going to get away with this.” I make myself cringe. I sound like a fucking cliché.
He scoffs. “That’s the thing with you rich kids. You think nothing can touch you. You think because Daddy’s loaded, you’re above everyone else. It’s about damn time you step the fuck down from your throne and understand what real life is like.”
Every word that comes out of his mouth is laced with bitterness and jealousy. I’d be willing to bet what upsets him the most isn’t that my family sent him to jail; it’s that we didn’t even have to try that hard. Because we have money. Power. Privilege. We have control over our lives, something this motherfucker probably never had. He thinks he’s angry at us. But he’s really angry at life.
“I’m sorry for what we did to you.” I lie my ass off.
“Cut the bullshit! You and your dad made sure I didn’t stand a fucking chance. You sent me to jail, and for what? Because I killed a fucking dog? The bitch was old as shit anyway. You came after me because you could. And you’re always going to do whatever the fuck you want unless someone stops you.” He pauses. “Not anymore.”
I almost flatline when he cocks the gun, and Dia closes her eyes as if to prepare herself.
“Think about this, Joel,” I blurt out. “You got three years. Three years and you’ll be a free man. But if you do this, you’re going down for life.”
I catch a glimmer of doubt in his eyes and take it as a sign to keep talking.
“You don’t really want to do this. You don’t want to be a murderer. You can just walk away right now.”
He doesn’t speak for a long moment, and I dare hope that I’m getting through to him.
Until he laughs in my face.
“You’re right, I don’t want to become a murderer, which is why I’m going to make sure they never trace it back to me.”
“And how do you plan on doing that? You’re going to shoot us and burn the house down? It won’t be enough to destroy the evidence,” I improvise, talking out of my ass. I’ll say anything to make sure he doesn’t use that gun.
“Why not? It worked on your daddy’s house. The cops still have no fucking idea I did it—well, technically, my buddy did it, but same difference.”
I don’t even blink at his confession, putting on a brave face when inside, I’m scared out of my fucking mind. He managed to burn down my childhood home from jail. I don’t even want to think of what he’ll do now that he’s out.
“Now, where were we?” Joel’s hand leaves Dia’s throat, making a descent toward her breasts, and I nearly lose all control. “It’s a shame I have to kill her. Such a hot little body.”
I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him, and I’m going to shove that gun so far up his ass they’re going to have to cut him open to retrieve it.
“Any last words, sweetheart?” Joel teases before realizing that Dia’s mouth is still taped up. “Right. Let me get that for you.”
Joel rips the tape off Dia’s mouth in one go and grabs hold of her face, forcing her chin forward to take a good look at her.
“You know what? On second thought, I might have to kill your boy first so we can have some fun. What do you say, baby?”
Dia remains quiet for a few seconds.
Then she spits in his face.
It only takes a second.
“You fucking bitch.” Joel takes a swing at her in a knee-jerk reaction, hitting her directly on the side of the head. The blow knocks her right out, and Dia drops to the ground like dead weight. I’m screaming in my head, dying to run to her, but I also know this is the opening I’ve been waiting for, and it might be my only shot. I take advantage of the distraction and throw myself at Joel.
I’m not even aware of my own actions as I tackle him to the ground, operating on pure instinct. The gun slips out of his hands as soon as he hits the floor.
I drop on top of him, cock my arm back, and crash my fist into his jaw. I pummel his face with violent blows and watch him struggle to keep up. He eventually manages to deck me in the face with his elbow, and I assume that’s something he picked up while he was getting his ass kicked in jail.
I fall off him, blood gushing out of my nose and pooling into my mouth. I immediately know it’s broken. Before I realize what’s happening, Joel has jumped to his feet. I think he’s going to try and scoop up the gun, but he pulls a much deadlier weapon out of his pocket instead.
A lighter.
“Joel, don’t!”