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Her voice breaks, and my lips tighten. “I know. He’ll have his day, Lindy. He’ll suffer the worst.”
She nods, her strength renewing as she angrily bats her tears away.
“Antonio left me when he believed Kyle. Kyle said I had sex with him. I told my husband I was…raped. He believed my rapist over me. Just left me.”
I nod, already knowing this. Antonio is on my list, but not for death. He’s marked for penance. Should be fun.
Jake has already started the process of ruining him, starting with bankruptcy. With any luck, the bastard will kill himself within the year when he’s homeless, penniless, and pointless.
“No one cared. No one wanted to listen. No one wanted to be bothered with something so horribly, inconceivably evil. They wanted to pretend it just didn’t exist.”
A dark smile takes over my lips. “They’ll never keep their silence again. They’ll quake in fear every time the lights go off. They’ll be the ones scared for a change. The town will burn, Lindy. It’ll burn to the ground. Trust me. I have a plan. And no one innocent will get caught in the crosshairs.”
She blows out a shaky breath. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
She bats away fresh tears, looking over at the little girl, who is eating gratefully, oblivious to our conversation. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
“Make Laurel understand she can’t tell the cops I’m a woman. Make her understand she can’t tell them anything, or else I can’t stop other monsters.”
/> “I won’t tell them a thing,” Laurel says from the living room, proving she’s not as oblivious as I thought. She swivels her head, steely determination in her eyes. “I want you to catch all the monsters.”
Maybe she’s more like me than I thought.
As she turns back around, returning her attention to the sandwich, Lindy whispers to me, “I want you to catch all the monsters too. Your secret is safe with me, Victoria.”
A chill runs up my spine. “It’s Lana now. They killed Victoria that night,” I tell her quietly.
She nods, understanding. “What about Diana? She tried to—”
“I know. They threatened her son,” I interrupt, waving off her concern. “She’s going to play a different part. My ducks are in a row. I’ve been patient. I’ve thought it all through. Now I just wait on the chips to fall in place, and while they play poker, I’ll be playing dominoes.”
She smirks, leaning back to grab me a bottle of water. As she hands it to me, I take one last look at Laurel.
“She’s strong. Make sure she turns out like you and not me,” I say to Lindy, whose eyes turn a little duller.
“I’m weak. I quit fighting and ran away.”
“You survived. You fought against a war alone. You’re stronger than you realize, and you’re exactly what she needs.” I sigh as I look into her teary eyes. I wish I could stay longer. “I have to go.”
I start to turn away, but suddenly she launches herself at me, and I wrap my arms around her, feeling a hug connect to so many dormant emotions. It’s the first time I’ve faced my past with a face I didn’t want to cut off.
It hurts as much as it heals.
She hugs me tightly, and I return the affection, though I’m not sure how long we stay that way.
As she pulls away, I hand her a piece of paper. She studies it, reading the directions, and nods at me, proving she’s ready to play her new role.
Just as I’m about to leave, Laurel stands on shaky legs and makes her way to me. I kneel just as she tosses her arms around my neck, catching me off guard.
Slowly, carefully, I hug her back.
“Kill all the monsters,” she whispers. “That way they don’t hurt anyone else.”
Lindy’s breath catches, and I frown. I hope her influence outshines mine in the long run.
“I’ll kill them all so you never have to,” I whisper back, even though it’s highly unlikely that it’s the right thing to say.
“Good.”
