Page 44 of Winter Break

He’s definitely stomping, just like Sylas informed us. The man lost his slave, and he’s furious. He’s about to lose a whole lot more than his live-in labor.

My phone buzzes. It’s Sylas. “What’s up?”

“Hey. I did a bit more digging into Vincent Jones. He was never a golden boy. Before he moved to this area and married Cora’s mom, he was married to another woman four states away who pressed charges against him for battery. She filed for divorce soon after. I haven’t been able to hunt her down, but it looks like she eventually dropped the charges and left town.”

“Asshole,” I mutter. The woman probably just wanted to get on with her life and not end up dragging that fucker through a court system that doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to ruling on such cases.

“And before that,” Sylas continues, “he dated a young woman in yet another state. He beat her so badly she ended up in the hospital. She also dropped the charges.”

I’m seething. This is Vincent’s last day on Earth.

“Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks. I’ll take all of that into consideration when I make this motherfucker pay.” I end the call and resume watching Jones’s erratic movements inside the house. I noticed he has a few gas cans outside. Hopefully he hasn’t emptied any of them. That would be a bitch to clean up. Not to mention, I’d rather arrive before he sets the place on fire and burns Cora’s childhood home. I doubt she’ll be returning here anyway, but I don’t want Jones taking that option away from her.

Quinn parks the truck far enough away that Vincent won’t hear the engine and be alerted to our arrival. Plus, we don’t need the authorities to be aware of our presence here at any time, either.

We finish the trip on foot and walk right into Cora’s home through the unlocked front door.

The piece of shit who terrorized my girl for the past four years is in the living room, and he spins around, eyes wide when we enter. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he shouts.

I assume he doesn’t have a weapon on him since he doesn’t pull it out immediately. Either that or he’s too stupid to think.

“Just paying you a little visit,” I say as I stalk toward him.

“Well, get the fuck out.” He points toward the door the four of us just entered.

“I don’t think so.” I reach him and back him against the wall without touching him. “It’s come to my attention that you don’t actually own the land you were trying to sell to my pride.”

He flinches. “Of course I do. You’re standing in my house.”

I shake my head. “I’m standing in Cora’s house. You stole her inheritance and lied to her. She was just sixteen. And then you spent four years abusing her so you could live a life of leisure off of her inheritance.”

“Not fucking true. I was married to her mother. By all rights, this homestead and the house are mine.”

“Tsk tsk. You know that’s a lie. You’re a thief and an abuser. It’s time to pay the piper. Your gig is up.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You’re not even human. No one would listen to you in a court of law. You’d be laughed out of the chamber.”

I smirk. He’s wrong. If he believes that, he’s been off the grid a bit too long. My pride is well respected in these parts. We’re contributing members of society. We even make sizable donations to the local causes to help improve public perception. None of us have ever done a single thing to cause the authorities any concern. And we won’t be caught for what’s about to happen here either.

Ronan steps past me to enter the kitchen. “Sturdy light fixture in here.”

“Good. Set it up.”

“Be right back,” Ronan says as he passes back by me. We planned this, so I know exactly where he’s going. The best way to get rid of a piece of shit like Vincent is to use his own equipment so nothing can be traced back to us.

We’ll wait. Meanwhile, I’m disappointed that Jones hasn’t even taken a swing at me. How boring. I don’t mind him trying to injure me. Any wound he inflicts will be healed before the deputy shows up on our property to question us.

But Vincent is trembling with fear. He doesn’t even try to hit me.

“Been digging around in your background,” I say.

He winces. “You can’t prove nothin’.”

“Don’t need to. I don’t even care what you did to anyone before you met Cora. The way you’ve treated her is enough to make steam come out of my head. But I’m happy to rid the Earth of the likes of you before you find your next victim.”