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Cole reminds me of my childhood, when I used to play with my brothers on this very pavilion. It reminds me of a time when I felt normal. When the darkness didn’t consume me. When I could be a young, carefree boy.
“Why not, Cole? Huh?”
I stand up and wave my gun at my brother. Flashbacks of us playing in this very field run in my head. The laughter. The screams of pleasure. Clark doesn’t even lift his gun towards me. He stands firm, never taking his eyes off me.
“You weren’t always like this, and I don’t understand why you’ve chosen this life.”
“No. You left. I was the one who had to step up to the plate and accept my part within our family.”
“You could have done what Damien and I did. It didn’t have to end like this. You could have told him to do his own dirty work, but you never did. You thrived from the attention.”
Are they tears I see unshed in my brother’s eyes?
“You have no idea. None of you have any idea. I killed, I tortured, I begged, I stole. I destroyed anyone I was told to go after. I had no choice.”
“Everyone has a choice, Cole. It’s never too late. You can stop this right now. Walk away. Do your time for the crimes you’ve committed and start afresh.”
“Always the optimist, huh? You haven’t got a clue.”
“Well, we have time. Fill me in, brother.”
I laugh. It’s too late to act like the doting brother now. That ship sailed, sank, and decayed a long time ago. There is no turning back. I’m never coming back from the things I’ve done. Absolution isn’t a word that can be put in a sentence with my name.
“I will hand myself in.” Clark’s shoulders relax. It’s only now that I see how tense he was. “Only when I’m ready. When I’ve got payback for the life I’ve been forced to live.”
“And that means what, Cole? Who has played a part in making you this evil person?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I lift my gun quickly and fire my first bullet at Clark’s right shoulder. He flies backward, his gun landing several feet away from him. “I never explain myself to anyone.”
I walk over to him, pick up his gun, and unload it, letting the bullets fall to the ground. Clark’s left hand is putting pressure on his shoulder. The color has drained from his face. I don’t know why he looks shocked that I shot him. He’s nothing to me now. I look over his body on the ground and our eyes connect.
“Why, Cole?”
“I need you all gone. One day… one day, I hope you’ll understand.”
I straighten up and shoot him in the other shoulder. I could end his life quickly, but I don’t. By shooting his shoulders, it will leave him out of action long enough for me to do what I have to do. If someone finds Clark before he bleeds out, then someone up above must be looking after him. If he succumbs to his wounds, then… so be it.
I walk back to my abandoned car and decide where I’m going next. I’ve started this crusade, and now I must finish it. I have no choice.
Regrets are for the weak.
Chapter 31
Damien
“Where is Clark?” I burst through my brother’s front door and come face to face with a tearful Nancy and worried gazes from the Shawland Brothers. “What’s going on?”
Caleb walks towards me first. “Nancy can’t get a hold of Clark. We’ve called all his known to us numbers. We’re trying to track down his cell right now. Chris is running a tracker and trying to see who the last person was to contact him.”
I clear my throat. “The clinic called me. Kally was looking for him. She wanted to speak to Clark.”
“I’ve been in contact with Kally. I’ve reassured her that she needs to stay put so we know she’s safe. I think I got through to her,” says Caleb. “We need to find Clark, though.”
Caleb turns back to the worktop in front of him and whatever he’s doing on his computer. I take out my cell and call Clark. The call goes straight to voicemail. This isn’t like him; he always has his cell on him. He never just disappears.
“He never turns his cell off,” cries Nancy.
“It could have died,” says Chris reassuringly.
