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“Before anything else, Axel, that guy was my first friend. At a time when I had nothing but men showing me things no child should see, hearing threats no child should hear, he was a glimmer of hope. Small bursts of carefree moments in an otherwise torturous dungeon.” I reach out, touching his cold hand as my body racks with the threatening onslaught of emotion, but I bite it back. “He was never a Reaper; he was a prospect for the Ruthless, but he wasalwaysmy family.”
My heart thunders in my chest, my pulse ringing in my ears as I slowly look back at the man holding my world in his hands right now.
Axel rubs his lips together.
Shuffles from foot to foot.
Dips his shoulders.
Finally, defeat takes over his features, but not with anger; with a kindness I’ve never seen before in my life.
“Show me where.”
* * *
Water hits the pool below,calming me in a way onlyitcan as I stand on the boulder Emmett fucked me on. It feels like a lifetime ago. It felt like I had all of the problems in the world. If only I had been able to fast forward to now, then I would see the difference.
Axel, Emmett, Ryker, and Gray work tirelessly, digging and digging and digging. It feels like it’s never ending, but more than that, I know it’s for me. I don’t know how to display my gratitude.
The moon shines above us, shadowing what we’re doing here as portable lanterns line the ground around us. This is supposed to be a moment of peace, a farewell so deserved, but I can’t tear my eyes from the four shirtless men as they shovel the dirt.
Watching their muscles and the sweat beading along their skin as they move is mesmerizing, and the way Gray keeps smirking at me tells me he fucking knows it too. Asshole.
Tearing my gaze from them, I turn to Emily, who is sitting in the bed of the truck parked behind me. She’s got a blanket thrown around her shoulders and a little pink nose, but she doesn’t complain. The second I told her what was happening, she burst into tears, thanking me repeatedly as she quickly dressed.
Now that we’re here though, it feels so final, but my heart knows that just getting rid of his body would have left our feelings and emotions exposed for an eternity. There would have been no closure, not like this. Not that I expect it to magically make me feel okay, I know that won’t be the case, but it offers me something at least.
“How are you holding up?” I ask, dropping off the boulder and moving toward the truck.
She smiles as I take the spot next to her. “I’m doing okay. It hurts, and it’s not easy, but it’s a relief to be doing it.” She leans into my side, resting her head on my shoulder.
“We’re going to make them pay for this, Emily. We know we have to be calculated and ruthless, but their time is coming, and I’ll have their blood on my hands all in his name.”
Emily hums, not moving from her spot as she nestles closer. “It’s weird hearing you say that. Like my instinct is to say leave it to the guys, keep yourself safe and protected, but a deeper part of me knows that it’s you I’m talking to. And you aren’t just any woman. You’re Scarlett fucking Reeves, the crazy-ass woman who stood toe-to-toe with my brother when you first met me, protecting me without even knowing the details. You stand for family, even though you’ve never truly known one until now.” She lifts her head and smiles. “So I’ll let you keep that promise. His retribution is yours, and I’ll make you a promise of my own.”
Wetting my lips, I try to clear the lump in my throat, but my voice is still hoarse as I speak. “And what’s that?”
“I promise you a family with me, no matter what.”
Is she purposely trying to make me cry right now? I’m sitting here, struggling to keep my emotions on lock, and she’s saying shit like that. Shit that matters to me even when I don’t realize it.
I swallow back the overwhelming emotions the best I can and fix my eyes on her. “I promise you a family with me too.”
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “The crazy thing is, Scarlett, that’s all you’ve ever shown me already.” She floors me once again, but if she knows it, she doesn’t show it as she drops her head back to my shoulder. “My mom told me something before she passed, something I never truly knew or understood until now. Do you want to know what it is?”
“It’s cute that you offer it out there as a choice,” I murmur, and she chuckles.
“Families who slay together, stay together.”
“Wise woman,” I murmur, feeling those words deep in my soul as she rubs my arm.
We sit in comfortable silence for a little while, the combination of trickling water and heaving shovels our only background noise until Ryker calls my name.
“It’s time, Rebel.”
My mouth dries instantly as Emily rises beside me. “It’s time to say goodbye,” she whispers, emotion clogging her voice as I nod silently in response.
Axel and Emmett gather Duffer from the other truck parked beside us and lower him into the hole they’ve spent hours digging. He’s thankfully wrapped so we can’t see him anymore, but it still hurts my heart when he’s lowered into the soil.
