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Cargo is here.
“What are we gonna do with this place after tonight?” Vaden muses as long blades of grass whip our boots.
“Don’t know. Pop has given it to us to do what we like.” We climb the steps to the front door, and Priest pushes it open just as Halen makes her way down the hallway.
She comes straight for me, and my arms wrap around her back, pulling her in tight.
She kisses my arm. “Come. I want to show you guys something.”
“Should I be scared?” I joke into her neck, lapping my tongue over the vein that bounces against her flesh but allowing her to lead me to whatever it is that she wants to show me.
“Always,” she quips, before stopping.
I raise my head from her neck and my brows shoot up in surprise. “Okay. Now I see how you’re your brother’s twin.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
I stare back out to the yard. Its flat green grass is clear of any excess shrubs or gardens, but to the left it looks to dip down over the cliff, as if you can walk it. I draw my eyes back to what Halen is gesturing to. There’s a single clear cube front and center. You can see in, and they can see out.
“Archer and Danny didn’t waste time after you got in contact with them last night. They kept to their agreement, that they would allow us Callihan, though I believe Archer gave you a gift, too?” Halen turns in my grip, peering up at us. “That is his wife, daughter, and son. I don’t care for them personally, they did nothing to me. He kept them away from the Factory, from what I gather since I’d never seen them.”
I keep my hand planted on her ass, forcing her in closer to me. “That’s okay, baby, we’re gonna kill them anyway.” I use my other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Figured so.” She winces. “There was a slight amendment to the agreement. And before you get angry, I agreed to it for us.”
Priest steps closer to the window that overlooks the yard, resting his hand against the glass. “What is it?”
“They want to witness it.”
Priest’s head snaps to her. “What?”
She lifts her finger. “Priest, this man did bad things to Danny’s daughter for almost ten years. Ten years. Archer? His father gave them his best friend in turn for me. He only just got out last night, when they blew up the compound and killed every one of the soldiers. Now, it’s just the ones on the street, but they’re kids selling drugs, coming from bad homes and all that. Most of them never met him because he’d just pay them off for what he’d get them to do, and they’d never ask questions.”
Her eyes drift up to Vaden. “I’m sorry. I know I should have come to you—”
He shakes his head. “We can play nice for one night, I’m sure.”
Halen smiles up at him. “Good. Come, I’ll show you the armory.”
Halen
The night feels young,even though it’s fifteen minutes to twelve. The full moon hangs brightly in the sky as I lean over the concrete barrier that lines the mini-Italian-inspired Renaissance garden. I copied Mom, a little, but it was only for this part here, not her extravagant masterpiece. This is my favorite part of this island and one of the first places we designed. To get here, you walk down a pathway from the backyard, right where the clear cube is placed.
White pebbles direct you down until you’re beneath a bridge that arches over your head from the slant of the cliff, to where the island ends, connecting to the articulately designed concrete barrier. Greenery and herbs grow over every inch of the concrete, camouflaging it with nature, and statues carved as skulls are placed evenly over the top. I threw in a Tuscan-style outdoor sitting area too, because I’m pretty sure I’ll be spending more time out here than in there.
I peek over the rail at the man-made steps that slowly descend until they disappear into the angry waves of water.
I’ve thought about this night a lot over the years. How it would be done, what would happen when everyone found out. I didn’t expect it to be like this. For what we have planned.
I rest the goblet glass against my chest, swirling the red wine around and losing focus on the endless abyss of the ocean. During the day, the sun is hot, but at night, the moon is cold. Fitting. I don’t even know if I’m dressed for the occasion. I kind of thought I’d be in Jimmy Choos.
Wearing flared denim-wash jeans, sneakers, a white crop top, and a beige mid-jacket with straps around the cuffs and hips, I don’t know. The simpleness of it bothers me. This is the night I’d been dreaming about. I could have at least been in Jordans.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Mom’s voice lures the smile on my lips. She rests beside me, her hand next to mine.
“I’m okay.”
“Wow. It’s really pretty down here.”
