Page 35 of Beautiful Unity
I never knew I could love them as much as I do. When I focus on that, I can do anything.
The big moment is soon approaching. I haven’t seen Agonizer since the date he raped me. The past few years have been tough as I’ve worked on dealing with the pain he caused. The real test will be to see if it was enough.
Will I crumble under his stare? Or will he under mine?
If I could have a superpower, I’d want to be like Medusa and turn him to stone. Except I’d have a precise vision where I could turn certain parts to stone and leave others. I’d make his dick stone and then smash a hammer against it. Then I’d start on his toes, and do each one until there was nothing left of him but dust in the wind.
And the best part, no one could charge me because there would be no evidence left. Perhaps that’s a shitty way to think—knowing I could get away with murder, making it okay to do it. But in this instance, I believe it would be warranted.
Hopefully, by the next time I write, I’ll have an actual update on the status of the world here in Jackson, Mississippi. Or, you know, be dead.
Morbid? Maybe. But also true.
Either way, you’ll know.
Love you,
Darcie
Twelve
GRAYSON
Sweat dripped in places I didn’t know existed, and my muscles felt like they’d been chewed up and spit out by a meat grinder. My face had a layer of grime, and my typical luscious locks were flat and damp. It was not a look I enjoyed. At all.
Everyone made fun of my love affair with beauty products, but I’d maintained I was a low-maintenance man, trusting I could tough it out with the best of them.
I didn’t want to admit I might be wrong.
Because fuck this shit. I craved a day at the spa. Being pampered and waited on sounded like heaven. If Darcie was beside me, it would be. I’d gladly embrace a high-maintenance label if it meant I got to be clean and moisturized.
“If I didn’t know Darcie and Maddox had passed this, I’d think we were being punked,” I huffed, wiping sweat from my brow. I screwed up my nose when my hand came away dirtier than it had been. Gross.
“I’m not sure we aren’t,” Brooks groaned. Bubba grunted, unwilling to use any of his oxygen for words if Darcie wasn’t around.
The first test had been easy—a written test on laws, morals, and ethical dilemmas. The three of us had finished quickly, luring us into a false sense of security. The second test had been on using weapons, stamina, and fighting. Tiny had enjoyed that round a little too much. Brooks had done the best with Bubba close behind, leaving me in third. My earlier confidence had crashed and burned along with my hygiene.
The final test they’d, thankfully, allowed us to do together, but I wasn’t sure it was the advantage they believed. We’d been dropped off in the middle of some random town with only the things we had in our pockets. The very same pockets we’d emptied before stepping into the ring with Tiny. Mack had grinned so wide when he’d dropped us off that I’d been able to see his tonsils. It did not bode well for our success on this last task.
Our mission: locate the missing asset, secure a location, and send an encrypted message for pick up. All while staying off the radar of the other MCD graduates playing the bad guys. Oh, and there was a time limit.
If we failed, our asset would be destroyed, and we’d lose Hank’s blessing to be with Darcie. Not that I believed for one second she’d dump us, but damn if I didn’t want to earn that man’s respect. Darcie was angry with him right now, but it wouldn’t be like that forever. I didn’t want her to feel torn between us and him. Not to mention the part of me who’d never had a dad figure and craved that connection. Add in Hank’s belief this was the difference between keeping us and Darcie alive and we needed to crush this.
As it was going, it didn’t look hopeful.
Brooks turned the map we’d been given, and I scanned the clues sheet. It was written in code, more gibberish than informative. For some reason, my eyes kept scanning it, something sticking out on the page to my brain. I wiped my brow again, squinting against the sun and cursing the heat.
Who knew Mississippi was hotter than Satan’s balls? This heat was criminal.
“This looks like the best place to stay once we have the asset. It’s got multiple exits and plenty of barriers for cover.”
“This one is better,” Bubba said, pointing to a place on the map.
“It’s a trap,” I said, flicking my gaze to it and then back to my sheet. “Brooks is right. They want you to pick that one, but it’s actually the worst possible.”
“Why?” Bubba glared, crossing his barrel-like arms across his chest.
“It’s in the center of town for one. They’ll be able to overtake us and block us in. It’s also too open. There’s no coverage.”