The sound of growling is heard, and his panic intensifies as he flops around on the rope. Observing the deadly creatures up close is always a treat unless you’re the guy I’m feeding to them. Then it sucks.
“Was she alive when you carved the baby from her body, Johnny? Did she see your darling daughter before blood loss and trauma took her life? Did the baby cry?” The more I think about it, the angrier I become.
I cut off his opportunity to speak because I don’t need to hear the details to know he deserves this. His whimpering echoes around us as I land blow after blow to his flesh, knocking the air from his lungs and cracking a rib. Breaking his jaw. And just before he passes out from the agony I’ve inflicted upon him, I slice the rope, watching as he drops into the murky water. Alligators congregate on him like the feast he is. Blood bubbles to the surface as he’s torn to shreds.
Cleaning up, I toss everything into a bag, and doing as I always do, I burn everything until there’s nothing left. Holding up an envelope to be mailed, I feel satisfied that Courtney and her unborn child have been given justice. I can only hope her family will feel the same way.
After finishing off the job for the family tonight, I needed to blow off steam. Noelle wasn't ready for more yet, so I did the next best thing.
Kill a man who deserved far less in life.
Gazing at my watch as I walk down the highway, I have eight hours until I meet Noelle, and I’m hoping that today I’ll be able to convince her to allow me to help her and Sawyer. I hated dropping them off at home, knowing they weren’t safe.
It’s another hour before I’m at the garage picking up my Tahoe and driving back to my empty house. It’s a modest farmhouse with four bedrooms, a reading nook off the family room, a large kitchen, wrap-around porch, and more space than I actually need. However, as I pull into the three-car garage, I can imagine Noelle and Sawyer loving it here.
We could build a treehouse in the small patch of woods just a hundred feet away. Build a fenced area so Sawyer won't be able to wander too far away. And Noelle could still work; she could experience life knowing she’s safe to enjoy it.
Fuck.
I’m doing something I never imagined I would or could.
I’m planning the future with a woman so damaged that I don’t even know if she can accept what I long to offer her and the boy.
Shutting the alarm system off, I enter the house and head straight upstairs. I know exactly which room Sawyer would like. The skylight over the guest bed would allow him to watch the stars at night. Dream about anything he desires, understanding that Noelle and I will give it to him.
He might only be her cousin, but I already see him as mine in the same way she does as hers. Noelle raised Sawyer; they have the bond all parents and their children should.
Christ.How did I go from murderer to family man?
I need to go to fucking bed.
* * *
Noelle
It took all night, but I was able to tweeze out all the shards of glass stuck in my body. I should probably have stitches in a few places, but I can’t bring myself to go to a hospital. The bruises on my face and side are worse than I’ve ever seen them.
“Sawyer,” I whisper in the sleeping boy’s ear. He's huddled on the floor in his closet with blankets piled around him, and I fight back the tears I’ve been holding in. “Time to wake up.”
Nobody is up yet, and I have our bags packed, ready to go. I grabbed the video camera I set up in my room yesterday morning, knowing I would need it. And I’ve got pictures of Sawyer’s bruised face, and I want to cry. I thought I could shield him. He’s never run in between Seth and me before. I didn't expect it this time.
“Noelle?” His sleepy voice quivers in the early morning.
“It’s time to leave, sweetheart.”
“Leave?” The question holds so much hope.
“For good,” I confirm.
After helping him get up and dressed, I allow him to stuff his backpack full of his favorite things and grab his pillow and blanket before opening the door a sliver. Everything is quiet.
Grasping his shoes in one hand and his hand in the other, I tell him, “Quiet as a mouse.” He nods, and we begin our descent down the stairs, stopping when one creaks.
After a minute of waiting and hearing nothing else, we continue on until we’re out the door. Picking Sawyer up, I carry him four blocks with my own bag on my back and another in one hand while his bag is slung on his back before finally letting him down to sit on the sidewalk so we can put on his shoes.
“Where are we going, Noelle?” Staring down at Sawyer’s trusting yet worried eyes, so much like my own, I don’t know how to respond. The plan was always to go to Sparrow House. But after our meeting the other day, I honestly don’t know if they could even help us anymore. In order to stay up and running, they have to follow rules, and what I’m doing is essentially kidnapping. Nobody knows the truth about Sawyer.
“To get breakfast,” I tell him, plastering a smile on my face.