Page 37 of At The End Of The Day

This time, her voice was much closer, like, right outside the door closer.

“Oh, shit,” he croaked. We were pressed so close together, I could actually feel his heart bang into his ribs.

“Fuck,” I snapped, stepping away. For a few seconds, we just looked at one another, him stunned, me pissed off. Cursing under my breath again, I hurried to the bathroom and shut the door. Turning on the water, I bent over the sink and splashed some on my face, needing to cool down.

“Yeah? Come in.”

“Hey, you. You two want some ice cream?”

He chuckled and I could hear him lighting a cigarette. “It’s too early in the morning. What happened to breakfast? I thought you guys went on a hike.”

“They’re kind of missing their Daddy, so I decided to come back and spoil my babies.”

“Shit.”

I cursed, as well, gripping the edge of the sink to lean forward. My head bowed between my shoulders, I closed my eyes, trying to dredge up better memories of my oldest friend. Where had he gone so terribly wrong? Or, had he always been this way and no one noticed? Was he always insane, or had his obsession with Violetta turned him into a lunatic?

Did it really matter? We had to kill him. We had to spill his blood before he spilled ours. It wasn’t the cops I was worried about at the end of the day, it was the Serpents. If they suspected, for one second, any of this was premeditated, they would torture us all. The kids would be safe, but me, Vincent, Violetta, and Tyler would suffer the worst kinds of pain imaginable before we slowly died, pleading for mercy.

“Dammit,” I hissed, banging my fist to the porcelain.

I hated Jackyl for doing this to us. I fucking hated him.

Chapter 16

Edoardo Jackson “Jackyl” Bianchi

Sweat steadily trickled down my face and the dip of my spine, my clothes soaked. The humidity in Georgia was no joke! It was stifling. It had been days since I’d showered, and it was making my skin crawl. Tonight, when the sun went down, I would sneak out to the creek about a quarter mile east and rinse off. Then again, what was the point? Another day or two, and everything would be over.

Laughter echoed through the trees, sending prickles to the end of my nerves. Holding my breath and tilting my head, I listened, but they were still too far away to determine who it was. Creeping to the edge of the cave, my palms on the rocky side, I peeked around the corner. My heart skipped a beat, seeing my family headed straight toward me. My wife and my babies. Christ, were they a sight for sore eyes. It was remarkable how much I missed them. Having them in my life every single day, I had taken them for granted. Now that they were gone, I could barely breathe.

My sight raked over Violetta, my breathing shallowing and my stomach coiling. Her hair was braided and then twisted into a bun with several thin curls falling around her face and neck. Wearing a pair of faded denim, cutoff shorts and a light pink tank top, her breasts were swaying, indicating she wasn’t wearing a bra. As always, she was stunning to look at, stealing my breath and claiming my heart.

When I noticed they were headed my way, I ducked to the end of the cave that was only about thirty feet deep. Backing all the way to the rear, I lurked in the shadows, anticipation gripping my bones. Adrenaline banging at my ears, my pulse was racing, my muscles trembling.

“Wait, wait!” she shouted when Eddie burst forward. “I need to check it out first.”

“Aw, Mom.”

“Don’t ‘aw, Mom,’ me, little boy. Do you know what lives in caves? Bears. I need to make sure it’s safe.”

Her shadow fell across the small opening a second before her petite frame filled my vision. My brows lifting, my palm pressed to my chest, longing to touch her again. I never knew this would be so hard. Until she was gone, I hadn’t realized how much I loved her.

She squatted, her legs parting, the seam of the shorts spreading her cheeks perfectly. I suppressed the groan and cupped my dick, desperate to be inside her at least one more time. Holding the side of the entrance, she squinted, trying to see inside, but I knew it was too dark back here. She picked up a rock and threw it toward me. I bit down on my tongue and braced so when it struck me, I didn’t react. The jagged edge sliced at my leg, making it bleed.

When the rock didn’t clatter, as it should have, her brows furrowed, her lips parting. Hesitantly picking up another, I dared twist to the side, so when she flung it, this time, it hit the back wall. Thankfully, the kids were chattering and giggling, covering up any sound my movement made.

Satisfied, she sighed and stood, clapping the dirt from her palms. “Okay, it’s safe.”

“Yay!” Eddie cried, running inside.

My heart raced, my first instinct to hold out my arms and scoop him into my embrace.

“Eh eh! That is far enough, Eddie.”

“Aw, Mom.”

“One more ‘aw, Mom,’ and we head back, understand?”