Chills scattered down my arms as Elder growled, “I am your son. I’ll forever be your son. I’ve done everything I could to make it right, but you banished me. You took away my home, my family. You—”
“Don’t you dare blame this on me. It was you who took away our home. You who killed any family who ever wanted you!”
“But I took care of you! I fed us. I committed crime for us.”
“No.” She laughed like a witch stirring a bubbling cauldron. A cackle. A curse. “You went into crime long before you stole to keep us alive those few months.”
“I didn’t do it deliberately.”
“Don’t lie!” she barked. “You knew exactly what you were doing. You might’ve been young, but you had a choice!”
“I never had a choice!” Elder bellowed. “Why could you never understand that? Do you think I wanted to be the way I am? Otosan understood that. He tried to help—”
“Yes, and look what happened to him. Because of you!”
“I hurt just as much as you do. Knowing I was the cause eats me alive! I can’t change what happened—”
“And that’s why I can’t stand to look at you!” Tears tracked down her cheeks, almost sizzling from her rage. “I prefer to think you’re dead too; that way I don’t imagine killing you every night for what you did.”
Elder sucked in a sharp gasp.
The volley of slurs stopped as he shook his head silently.
My own tears welled at what a terrible thing she’d said. I couldn’t get in the middle of this, but no one should have to hear his own mother wanted him to die.
Stepping forward, I called upon every inch of bravery I had left. “You don’t mean that.”
Elder’s head whipped to me, his face tortured and strained. “Pim. Don’t.”
I didn’t obey.
Moving to stand in front of him—just like I had the night Alrik pointed a gun at his chest—I did my best to protect him. “Life is too short to hold grudges.”
His mother gripped her knife tighter, disbelief whitening her face then livid animosity replacing it. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Absolutely no right to interfere.”
“I have a right when you’re hurting someone I care about.”
“Pim—” Elder snapped, grabbing my arm to haul me backward. “Stop.” Pulling me into him, he grunted, “Go wait in the car. Tell Selix we’re leaving.”
“No.” I squirmed in his hold. “I need to—”
Remind you that you do have someone who wants you.
Show you that you might have had no one, but now you have someone.
Me.
His mother pointed the blade at me, her wrath changing its victim. “Who are you anyway? Why are you with this heathen? Why are you not running for the police? Do you know what sort of monster you’re with?”
I shrugged off Elder and marched forward, not caring she had a knife or hate. I wanted to tell her exactly who I was and what Elder had done. To inform her how I would be dead if it weren’t for her son, but words flew out of my head, my heart. I had nothing to reply with. A dried and dusty throat.
Elder didn’t give me time to figure out how to respond. He placed himself in front of me, once again protecting me in the face of battle. “Don’t talk to her that way.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” His mother waggled the knife, her shakes fading, replacing with more and more loathing. “Get out! Leave or I’ll call Airbnb and tell them how—”
“Wait,” Elder said. “What did you say about Airbnb?” He chuckled as if he couldn’t believe it. “That’s what you think this is? A rental?”
She sniffed condescendingly. “That’s how Raymond found it.”
“Raymond lied to you.” Elder laughed coldly. “Like I said before, this is my place. He knew that. I told him you were welcome anytime. That my door is always open. That I built a fucking yacht big enough to house all of you. That I wanted my goddamn family back. I told him to tell you so many things once you cut off all communication. But he never replied. Never came. Not one phone call or email. Nothing. And now you’re here and you’ve probably brought them right to my door. You should’ve stayed hidden, Okaasan. They’re still watching. Did you think they’d be satisfied with Otosan and Kade’s death?” His voice lowered to a terrible whisper. “They’ll never stop.”
“They’ll stop once they’ve killed you.”
Elder nodded sadly. “Perhaps. But you know as well as I do that they’re ruthless in revenge.”
His mother matched his laugh with an almost identical one. No one could deny they weren’t related. Their mannerisms were similar, their syntax, their hate. “Their revenge stops at you!” She stabbed the counter with the knife. “The sooner they find you, the better for all of us. And stop lying! Always lying! There is no way this is your house. Know how I know? Because Raymond would never stay in a place that’s linked to you. We all prefer you dead. Why would he risk bringing your memory back to life?”