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“Not if you don’t want me to.”
Red nods and scrubs a shaky hand over his face. “Okay. No shooting unless you have to?”
“No shooting unless I have to,” I repeat, giving him a quick kiss before we hop out of the car.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
It only takes a moment to unload the drone and set up the computer on the trunk so we can watch the feed in real time. When I send it flying, Red starts trembling beside me. “Cold?” I ask, eyes on the computer while I navigate the drone over trees.
“I’m Canadian, Daddy. This weather isn’t so bad.” I give him a crooked smile and he returns it, even though he’s still trembling. “Just thinking about the first time I met Andler. I had a bad feeling about him. His eyes. They were so dark. Dangerous. I’m afraid to see them again.”
Quickly—but with care for an expensive machine—I drop the drone into a pile of leaves and set the controller beside the computer. I pull Red into my arms and hold him tight, wanting him to know that I willneverlet anything happen to him and soon, Andler will be talking to Satan’s son about all the bullshit he did on Earth. “Soon, he won’t be a factor. I’ll take care of it for you. I will keep you safe, baby boy. Don’t forget that. We’re almost done. Can you be brave for me a little longer?” He nods against my chest, wrapping his arms tighter around me. “You can stay here and I’ll go. There’s no shame in that. Your mental health is important. Do you wanna stay here?” Red shakes his head.
Pulling away from me, Red reaches up and rubs my cheek. “Thank you, Daddy. I needed that. I can go with you. I can handle it.”
“Let me know if you can’t. We can leave now if you want.”
“No. I want him gone. It’s fucking scary to say, but I don’t want him here tomorrow. Do you understand?”
“More than you know. Come on, let’s get this done.”
Picking up the controller, I maneuver the drone around trees, the branches seeming to move out of the way so I can take care of this for my boy. When the coordinates get closer to the cabins, I pull up, the drone zipping into the air without a sound. I angle the camera and see the cabin come into view and outside of it, a man dressed in all black is chopping wood without a care in the world.
Good, he’s here. My palm itches, wishing I could just use my Sig to put a bullet in his brain. But my boy asked me not to shoot him, so my gun stays put. That axe might come in handy though.
“Got him,” I whisper. After I bring the drone back, I turn to Red. “He’s here. Last chance, boy. I won’t ask again because you know what you want. Stay or go?”
Instead of answering, Red’s face morphs from unsure to resolute, his eyes going steely and his back going ramrod straight. Nodding, he steps beside me and threads his fingers through mine. The gloves make the fit awkward, but we manage. Then my brave boy pulls me in the direction of the cabin, stomping through the leaves and foliage covering the ground.
Ten minutes later, the cabin comes into view. It’s old and rustic, looking as if it belongs in an old movie about mountain men. There is a large chimney that shoots up into the air, smoke drifting from the top. Beside the porch is a small pile of wood, freshly chopped, but it won’t do Andler any good. One, because it’ll probably be too damp to be useful and two, he’s about to die.
Before I can tell Red we need to be quiet and to stay behind me, Andler rushes out of the cabin, hand raised, a Glock making an appearance. I don’t have time to push Red behind me, to protect him from a bullet I’m sure is coming before the gun goes off.
Thank God Andler is such a terrible shot. Bullets ping all around us, ricocheting off sideboards and embedding themselves into trees. Red screams and drops to the ground and I stand in front of him, ready to take any bullets meant for him. When the gun clicks and we’re still alive, I turn my fury onto Andler. This fucker could have killed my boy. He’s fucking dead.
The look on my face must startle him because he takes off running. Before I give chase, I bend to check on Red. He’s shaking with tears streaming down his face and his hand is covering his arm. Swallowing roughly, I move his hand and see that there’s no blood. Just a rip in his puffy jacket that I’m sure scared the shit out of him. The breath I let out is full of relief, knowing that my boy is safe.
Wiping his wet cheeks quickly, I tell him, “I’ll be back. Run in that direction for one minute and count to 100 before you come back. And take this.” I hand him my Sig. Surprisingly, Red takes it and flicks the safety off, then back on, looking at me with pride in his eyes. “Good boy. Now go!” Red nods frantically, his wet eyes wide and afraid, but I sense the underlying courage.
The crunch of the leaves under his boots is a welcome sound, because I know he’s as far away from this piece of shit as he can be. Unfortunately for Andler, he fucked up more than he already had. This won’t be quick and I know I’m going to enjoy what happens next.
Taking off after him, I palm the axe stuck in the tree trunk as I run past, yanking it free without breaking my stride. Andler isn’t in great shape, so even though he had at least a fifteen second head start on me with empty hands, I catch up with him in no time. He’s not that smart. Instead of him ducking behind trees, he runs in a straight line. It’s almost like he readnoneof the fan outrage about Rickon onGame of Thrones. No zigzagging—just running straight into the woods.
Instead of continuing to give chase, I stop, grip the axe, take aim, and let it fly. I’m no professional axe thrower, but if the blade doesn’t bury into his flesh, the impact of it when it hits him will cause him to either trip or fall and I’ll be able to subdue him before he can get his bearings.
I needn’t worry. The axe blade finds its mark, burying itself in the small of Andler’s back. His shout is like a balm to my frazzled nerves over how Red is doing. Knowing Andler is in pain helps me put one foot in front of the other to bring him back to the cabin instead of running back to my boy.
His crying and groaning is fucking annoying. If I didn’t think Red had some words for him, I would cut his fucking head off now and be done with it.
Andler is trying to drag himself away but doesn’t get far—not with an ax sticking out of his back. From how his legs are at awkward angles, I would say I did some damage to his spinal cord. Fucking fuck! I’ll have to drag him back to the cabin. I’m strong and in excellent shape, but even that will tire me out. A long bath is in my future when we get to a hotel room.
“You shot at my boy,” I say in a voice that barely contains my anger when I yank the axe from his back, causing him to cry out.
“Fuck you, motherfucker!” he yells at me when he flips to his back. I kick him in the face, not wanting to hear his mouth right now. Andler groans, hands cupped over his bleeding lips.
“Don’t speak until I tell you to speak.”
He doesn’t say anything, just tries to twist his body away from me. Irritated and not wanting to drag a struggling man, I hit him in the face with the flat of the blade of the axe, knocking him out. Then I grab the back of his shirt and start to drag him back to the cabin where he can face his executioner. Before I get too far, I let him go and go back for the axe, gripping it tightly in my other hand. It might come in handy again.
