Page 90 of When Sinners Hate
I think back to the conversation over dinner. So much has happened since then. It doesn’t feel like I’m the same person, even. “We did. I’m not sure if I actually won it according to the rules of that bet, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. Nothing before matters now. But a Cortez wife needs a respectable car.”
The slight smile that tugs at Abel’s lips is infectious, and I walk to him and throw my arms around his neck in thanks. He lifts me a little off the ground, and I think it’s the least-Abel thing he could possibly do, but it’s perfect.
The perfect end to a pretty great day.
EPILOGUE
ABEL
It’s been a while, but this needs doing now.
Smells stale in here, like it needs air to breathe.
Not that he’ll ever breathe again.
Dropping the keys on the hall table, I look around the place and sigh at the feel of him all over it. Everything’s dark, just like my place is. It’s filled with crisp edges, harsh furniture, and endless swathes of black curtains. I pick up a jacket abandoned on the couch and head through to the kitchen, gently putting it on a hook on the back of the door. It’s as still in here as the rest of the place, with only the sound of a clock ticking to interfere with the sound of death.
It’s been nearly six months now. I miss him. I miss his need to create havoc and chaos, to push me, to walk outside boundaries I set down and tell me I’m a pussy for thinking sensibly. He was the wild card of us all. The one who didn’t conform to anything. I need some of that back. I need him cajoling me into the rhythm of destruction rather than sense. Fuck Knox’s idea of being as we are. We can be more, and withLexi behind me now, and the manpower that brings, I’m going to use it whether he likes it or not.
A knock sounds behind me on the front door, and I go back to swing it wide. Men walk in with boxes and tape, and I nod my head at them to start filling his shit into storage. I’ll sell the place after that’s done, and then maybe when I’ve killed the cunt that murdered him, I’ll take some time going through his belongings. There won’t be much any of us want because he lives in our hearts, irrespective of him being dead, but, I guess, there might be something some of us need. Dante especially.
Leaving the guys to it, I grab a framed photo of the six of us the day after I came out of Huntsville and head for my car because, other than this constant reminder of my own failure, life is good at the moment. It’s stable, solid, and as dependable as it needs to be. Maybe we are chaos and carnage in some respects, just like Elias was, but we’re united in that whether it’s morally inept or not. And now we have a new addition to our cause – my wife. Never thought it would end up this way, but it is as it has become. And that fills me with a warmth I didn’t think existed for men like me.
I smile at the thought as I get in the car and head into early morning traffic. I left her this morning before the dawn broke. We fucked in the dark, lazily, and she ended up swallowing my cum like a good wife should with my hand holding her down on me. I can still picture the look on her face as she crawled back up to me and kissed me after it, and still taste myself on her lips.
She laid there after with her hair fanned out and her tight body half out of the covers. Our rings clinked, as I unthreaded my fingers from hers, and then she watched me with a smile on her face as I dressed and backed out of the room. No questioning me on anything. No needy call for me to come back to her. She knows she doesn’t need to do either. Anything I’m doing, I’mdoing for us, and I’ll always come back to her whether she likes that thought or not. She’s in with no getting out now. That’s what love is in this family. No escaping it, nor running from it.
I just drove for a while after that to get some perspective now everything has quietened around us. It’s a big word considering what we now are because of our marriage. Our wealth has tripled, our reach the same. I suppose I did think for a while about calming us all down. Relaxing in that wealth and just being, like Knox said, but that’s not who I am. He’s right. I do want more. And not only do I want more, I want everything. I’ve spent a good portion of my life inside a fucking cell, looking at nothing but four damn walls and taking it up the ass by guards who thought they could control me. And yeah, they’re all dead now, but there’s always another someone who thinks they can tell me what to do, or another problem that thinks it’ll beat me. It won’t. Nothing will.
Taking the long route back to Mother’s, I pass through the suburban neighbourhoods and eventually slow as I turn onto Kayla’s avenue. Two of her kids are playing out front with a basketball, jumping hoops and living the life I’ve given them. They’re not mine, but she had a home and money out of me all the same. Don't know why I did that for her. Penance maybe, for ruining her before she was ready for ruining. Either way, there is, and always will be, a low-lying moral compass that guides me still buried deep. It keeps us all together and strong. Maybe keeps us sane in the insanity we’ve become.
The eventual sight of the main house comes into view, and I drive through the gates and up the winding drive. I’ve got work to get on with today and a plan to put in place regarding Reed. A trip to New York might be in the cards. We can call it a honeymoon. Always have liked the place and the opportunities it brings me, and maybe with time, and thought and a little intel from Chance, I can make the trip worthwhile in other ways. Apriest could also be useful before I use him as leverage, given that our marriage was never sanctioned under God. It wasn’t real then, though. It is now.
Getting out, I walk around back to see if anyone’s out by the pool yet. We all stayed here last night. A family meeting to get the next six months in order now Lexi’s fully on board. The sound of raised voices coming from inside hits me instantly. Both Mother’s and Lexi’s. I stop and lean on the wall, listening to the argument rather than interfering with it. One thing they both need to get to grips with is hierarchy here, and that’s something I need Lexi to find on her own terms.
“You will do as you're told!” Mother shrieks.
“Melena, there is no point using that tone. This is my business and–”
“Why you little bitch. It is not your business. It is my son’s, and you’ll heed my fucking warning.”
“Don’t you dare call me a bitch!”
“You’re here because he accepted the terms. Don’t think you’re anything special. You’re just part of a bargain made. A bargain I facilitated. We allowed you into our home, but you’re nothing but profit to any of us.”
“Maybe at first, but it’s changed now and–” The piercing sound of a scream interrupts the noise – my wife’s scream. Still, I wait and light a cigarette.
“You’ve drawn blood! If you ever touch me again, I’ll end you,” Lexi spits. “I think we all know I’m as capable as any of you.”
“You wouldn’t dare. Abel would kill you for even trying.” My brow arches as I think that problem through. “You ever come at me, and your time will be done. You wouldn’t be able to spread your legs and get out of that fucking scenario. He’s my son. He does what I say.” No, he doesn't. Not unless it suits me.“You’re a bought package, Alexia. We got you for your business alone, and you will deliver on that.”
“I will run my business as I see fit, Melena. My business!”
Scuffling starts, which makes me assume they’re actually fighting now. More than likely started by Mother.
“BITCH!” Mother shrieks again.