Twenty Eight
R I V E R
THE SHOT FIRES, THE loud, abrasive sound echoing. I feel Mako jerk beneath me, right before we both topple to the ground. Another shot rings out. I squeeze my eyes shut tight, waiting to feel the burn in my back, but all I feel is Mako’s still weight beneath me.
“Don’t move another fucking inch!” a voice screams from behind me. I turn my head and see Mako’s partner pointing a gun at Billy, with the latter pointing his right back, holding onto his bloody shoulder.
Whipping my head back around, I lift up and inspect Mako. Blood is pooling beneath him, but his eyes are open and lively, and his teeth gritted in pain.
“Mako! Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth as I carefully scramble off of him. He wheezes from the movement.
“I’m fine,” he grits.
Liar. He’s not. He’s been shot and is bleeding.
“Where are you shot?” I ask. He’s wearing a black shirt, which is concealing the bullet wound too well for my panicked eyes. All I can see is blood. Blood everywhere.
“My chest,” he gasps.
No, no, no. Before I can raise my hands to apply pressure, he’s lifting himself up. A long groan hurdles past his tightened lips.
“Stop it!” I gasp, attempting to push him back down. He evades me, though, and is on his feet before I can process that this man has just been shot in the chest and is standing up. And not just that but lifting his own gun and pointing it at Billy.
Billy is also bleeding, his injured arm dangling and now holding the gun with his left hand. Amar must’ve shot in retaliation once Billy shot off his round.
Billy dares to take his eyes from Amar, watching Mako rise and point a gun at him with an evil smile on his face. “Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” he taunts from the porch.
I growl, charging back towards my captor, but Mako’s free arm scoops around my waist and shoves me behind him. I’d send a fist into his back in defiance if a bullet didn’t just pass through it.
Or did it?
Oh, God, it could be lodged in there for all I know.
“I know, baby, you don’t need me to save you,” Mako placates, his eyes still on Billy. “I’m only going to murder him, that’s all.”
Billy tips his head back and laughs at Mako’s words.
“You think you can kill a god?” he asks, his blue eyes bright with excitement and pure incarnate evil. He’s enjoying this stand-off. Even being completely outnumbered and already shot, he’s getting a
sick pleasure out of it. Billy always did love the thrill of his life hanging precariously close on the edge of death.
I step aside, still keeping the majority of my body behind Mako’s, only if it means to keep him from stressing further. “You’re not a god, Billy. You’re just a washed-up old man that has no loyalty.
That’s why you keep killing everyone, right? You can’t trust a single soul in this world because everyone despises you.” I spit the words with every ounce of hatred I can.
Billy’s lip curls. My words eat at him because he knows it’s true. The drugs have crippled what little sanity he had left. He’s too paranoid now. Too nervous. That’s why he inserted himself into Mako’s investigation. He thought if he could pull strings on the inside as well, no one would catch onto him. The last thing he expected was for me to have a relationship with a detective and get close enough to spill the truth. Billy has killed so many people. Hurt so many families. He has an enemy within ten feet of him at all times, and he fucking knows it.
“I gave you life, bitch. I will take it away,” he growls. I laugh at his words. At his audacity to think that killing me is the worst thing he could do to me. He’s already done his worst. He’s already ruined me for life. I’ll never be normal because of him. Killing me would be a mercy.
“The fuck you will,” Mako intervenes before I can say anything else. In one quick movement, Mako flips the gun in the air, catching hold of it by the barrel, lifts his arm and throws the gun directly at Billy’s head. His aim strikes true, the butt of the gun smacking Billy directly in the forehead before he can process what’s happening.
The moment the gun left Mako’s hand, he charged towards Billy, seemingly confident the gun would hit. Billy’s head knocks back, and he falls to the ground.
“Fuck!” Billy shouts, his hand whipping to head, now spilling blood profusely from where he was hit. “You motherfucki—” He doesn’t get to finish his sentence. Mako’s upon him, lifting Billy up despite his own gunshot wound.
“Mako! Be careful, you idiot!” I shout, my legs finally unlocking and carrying me towards the couple. Mako ignores me and drags Billy back inside the house. My legs stutter. I don’t want to go back inside that house. I worked so hard to come out of it.
Amar runs up to me. “River, please go sit in the car. I’ll make sure Mako is okay.” I don’t look at him. Not when Mako is disappearing around the corner, dragging a fighting Billy into the kitchen and out of view.
“I… I can’t leave him alone,” I say. But yet my legs still won’t move. Why won’t they fucking move? Why now, does my body decide to process the trauma?
Move, River.
“Sweetheart, I got him. Just go sit inside the car.” The end of Amar’s sentence is drowned out by a loud scream, filled with agony. It sounded like Billy.
“No,” I say, the sound finally spurring me into action. Mako didn’t run away when I got my revenge on Ryan. I’m not going to do the same to him. Plus, it’s only fair I get a few of my own punches in before Billy meets his death. Billy was my abuser far longer than Ryan ever was and has done much worse to me over the years. I want in on this, too.
I scramble into the house, fighting the chill that wants to overtake my body at being back inside this house. It took months before I could walk inside Barbie’s house without wanting to vomit and have a mental breakdown.
I just need to remind myself—I’m safe now. Mako is here. Amar is here. Billy is going to die, whether he wants to or not. I’m safe.
Just as I’m rushing into the kitchen, I see a knife plunge into Billy’s chest. Mako is bleeding
profusely and looking more ashen by the second. He’s not doing good and that knowledge instantly takes anything else I’m feeling and tosses it into flames. All I can think about is Mako’s declining
health.
“Amar, take him to the hospital.”
“Fuck that—”
“—I’d be glad to.” Amar and Mako both speak at the same time. “But I’m not leaving you alone with him. I’m taking Mako to the car, and I’m coming right back.”
I side-eye Amar, still wary of where his morals stand when it comes to upholding the law.
Something tells me he’s not straight-laced and was more than willing to let Mako do what he wanted.
But I’m not so sure he’d do the same for me.
“I’m fine, I got this handled,” Mako argues. He sways.
“You’re going to the hospital, man. You’ve lost too much blood,” Amar says, rushing towards Mako and forcing Mako’s heavy arm around his shoulders. The fact that Mako doesn’t fight any further only cements my worry.
With one last passing glance, Amar says, “I’ll be back.”
I watch Amar nearly drag Mako’s body out of the house. Billy’s groans drown out Mako’s grunts of pain.
Turning my attention back to the bleeding, groaning monster before me, I turn my worry over Mako’s possible death into blinding rage. If Mako dies… if Billy takes the one man in my life that has ever given a shit about me—and I mean actually cares about me—I won’t survive it. Billy will have succeeded in completely breaking me, just like he always wanted.
I turn, walk back out on the porch and find Mako’s forgotten gun lying on the rotted wood.
Picking it up, I turn the gun in my hand, reveling in the weight in my hands. I’ve never shot a gun before. Never felt the mixture of trepidation and power that nestles deep inside you when holding a gun. I can understand why people use guns. Such a tiny thing has the power to take a life in a matter of seconds.
Loud clattering draws my attention back inside the house. Amar having fitted Mako in the car, he rushes in with me, finding a toppled chair next to Billy. He must’ve tried to use it as leverage to lift himself up. The knife is still protruding from his chest, rivulets of blood streaming out of the wound and onto the floor. He tries to get up again but slips on the blood.
“Get over here and help me, you fucking bitch!” he screams, spittle flying from his lips.
I stare at him.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, just standing there? Help me!” His eyes are wide with pain and rage. Bloodshot and wet. I want to stare into the eyes as I take his life. I want to watch the life fade from them when I do.
Slowly, I walk over to my father’s sprawled form lying on the ground, careful not to slip on his
blood.
“Amar, please leave,” I whisper.
“Do what you need to do, but I’m not leaving you alone.”
I turn my head to the side, studying him closely. When he sees my look, he repeats himself, “Do
what you need to do.”
I smile and turn back to Billy.
“You’re pathetic,” I say calmly. I crouch down, the gun dangling between my knees as I study him. “You’ve lived your whole life as the monster. Desperate to be the meanest so no one can hurt you. Tell me, Billy. Are you hurt?” I pause and rip the knife out of his chest. His screams send warm
shivers down my spine. “Do you feel the pain now?” I taunt as I plunge my thumb into the knife wound Mako inflicted.
Billy screams intensify, his hands wrapping around my wrist tightly. He could snap it if he wanted to, but his grip is too weak. He’s losing blood, and if I don’t hurry, he’ll die from his injuries before I get my chance. If I don’t hurry, Mako will die, too. And that just won’t do.
“You may kill me, River. But I’ll never die. I’ll be inside you the rest of your life, causing you pain. You’ll never be able to let me go.” He looks manic with his crazed eyes and bloody teeth.
I smile.
“That may be true. But it’ll be easy to not feel pain when I have the sweet memory of being the last thing you see before you die.”
He snarls, opening his mouth to spew more venom. I don’t hesitate. I lift the gun to his forehead
and lock my eyes onto his.
And I pull the trigger.
His head jerks backwards, blood and brain matter splattering across the tile. His body slumps, and everything fades to silence behind the ringing of the gunshot.
Pure, utter silence.
Something I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing when in Billy’s presence. It feels… nice.
Good. I drop my butt on the ground, not minding that I’m sitting in a pool of blood. The gun clatters next to me.
And I stare at Billy’s dead body, and just smile.
I SHOOT UP FROM THE hard, plastic chair and rush towards Amar. “How is he?” I ask Amar, my ass having long grown numb from the uncomfortable hospital chair. I’ve been sitting here for hours on end, just waiting to hear anything. I’ll gladly give up all feeling in my ass if it means Mako being okay.
“He’s stable,” he answers, his eyes sparkling with relief, despite the exhaustion etched into every wrinkle on his face. Immediate relief assaults me, nearly stealing my breath. Slowly, the immense amount of pressure sitting on my chest starts to ease.
Amar had rushed us to the hospital and got Mako admitted into ICU. During the drive, I prayed. I prayed that I didn’t take too long killing Billy. I prayed that the bullet didn’t hit anything vital. I just prayed. While I did, Amar called in the death to his boss, explaining the story he told me right before the cops arrived.
Mako and Amar watched Billy. Followed him here. And they basically told most of the truth, with a few different details. I managed to escape myself, running out of the house just as they arrived.
Billy immediately opened fire, shooting Mako once in the chest. Amar returned fire and shot back.
Billy ran into the house, Mako followed while Amar held me back from entering the house. There,
Billy came at Mako with a knife, in which Mako got ahold of the weapon and stabbed Billy with it.
During the scuffle, Mako was able to overpower Billy and then shoot him dead.
Mako got the glory of killing Billy, but I couldn’t care less. I don’t care what the cops believed happened at all. A complete stranger could’ve gotten the glory for all I care, because I will go to sleep peacefully at night knowing the truth. I took Billy’s life from him.
“He had a collapsed lung and needed surgery. Had to get a blood transfusion ‘cause he lost so much blood. But luckily, the surgery was successful. He’s going to be okay,” Amar continues, pulling my attention back towards him. I nod, wiping the nervous sweat on my hands on my jeans. Flakes of blood crust from my palms. I haven’t gotten the chance to wash up yet. Every passerby has looked at
me like I’m a lunatic.
I suppose I am one.
“Can I see him?” I ask, standing up.
“Yeah, you can see him. He just woke up from surgery. There’s gonna be a couple cops here that are going to want take your statement, though.”
I nod, another nervous sweat breaking out across my forehead. Speaking to a cop always makes you feel like you did something wrong, even if you didn’t. And well, in this case, I think murdering someone would be classified as wrong.
Noting my nervous energy, he says, “Just stick to the story and you’ll be fine. It’s just protocol.”
Stick to the story, River. Yeah, as if cops don’t ask the same question five hundred times just to see if you change your story.
“Oh, and Julie and Matt are on their way.”
I don’t say anything in response. I’m not ready to face them, yet. Especially least of all Matt. I might be liable to kill him, too.
Brushing past him, I speed walk towards Mako’s room. Anxious to see him, but incredibly nervous. The last time we spoke, he was done with me. I had information that he’d been searching for for a long time. And I kept it from him for entirely selfish reasons. I didn’t blame Mako if he wanted to cut ties with me. At this point, I’ve been nothing but a headache to him.
Timidly, I walk into the room. It feels wrong. Nothing about me has ever been timid. Not until I met Ryan. Forcing my spine to straighten, I walk around the corner and see Mako lying in the hospital bed, staring mindlessly at the television screen. Mako is a large man, but even he looks small in the hospital bed. Hooked up to IV’s and wires, with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes. The sight nearly brings me to tears.
I glance up, noting some cooking show that’s on. By the time my eyes drift back to him, his grass green eyes are already pinned on me, holding me in place. I can’t move now. I can hardly breathe from the intensity in his stare.
“Teasing yourself with all the things you can’t eat?” I ask, proud of how well I kept my voice steady.
A small grin slides on his face. That small movement gives me a small amount of comfort, though. Maybe this conversation won’t be as hostile as I assumed it would be.
“Teasing? Please, I’m getting gourmet food here,” he jokes. I offer a small smile and sidle further into the room.
I clear my throat. “I’m sorry you got shot, Mako.”
He quirks a brow. “What part of me getting shot was your fault?”
“The fact that you were there at all? I know you came looking for me, and I appreciate that. But none of that should’ve happened.”
Mako just stares, the intensity in his stare increasing.
“It wasn’t all about you, you know?” I flinch, shame filling my pores.
Stupid, River.
Once again, being selfish and assuming Mako was coming there purely because of me. Of course, Mako had to come looking for Billy. Not only was he the Ghost Killer, but he was holding someone captive. He would’ve come looking regardless.
“I know, that was stup—”
“Billy killed my father. My real father,” he cuts in. I snap my mouth shut, startled by the information. “He was Billy’s first signature victim. Carved ‘Ghost’ into his chest and shot him once in the head. Assumed my father was betraying him or something, I’m guessing. Who really knows why.
My need to find the Ghost Killer was because I wanted to avenge my father’s death. He wasn’t a great man, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
I nod slowly. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“But then you came along. And turns out you had a close connection with the Ghost Killer. The same man who murdered my father was also actively abusing my girl.” My heart drops when he says my girl. “I was always meant to find Billy, River. But the original plan was to find him and put his ass in prison for the rest of his miserable life. Not attempt to murder him. That—that was about you.
He stole you away from me and hurt you in god knows what ways.” He closes his eyes, seemingly losing a bit of control. After a moment, he speaks again. “That was far more personal than what he did to my father. And I wanted him to die for it.”
I’m not sure when tears started tracking down my face, but by the time he’s finished, I’m wiping them away profusely.
“You’re not angry with me anymore?” I question, glancing at him the blurry eyes. A sad smile teases his lips.
“Not anymore. You hid the truth because Billy scared you. Obviously, you had good reason to be scared of him. The only thing I hate is that you didn’t feel safe enough around me to trust me with that information.”
My head is shaking before he finishes his last sentence. I rush to him, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.
“That wasn’t the issue, Mako. I did—do—feel safe with you. I wasn’t only scared for my own life, I was scared for yours, too. I guess… I guess I just feared Billy more.”
He nods and grabs my hand. I can’t look away from the way his massive hand completely engulfs mine. I feel so small compared to Mako, but instead of that intimidating me, it makes me feel secure.
“He terrorized you your entire life, along with many other men, including my brother. You’ve only known me for a short period of time. I can’t expect your fear and lack of faith in the male population to override the protection I tried to give you. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I tried hard to protect you, and I failed. I’m so sorry for that.” His voice cracks on the last word.
More tears flood my eyes, and I’m once more shaking my head.
“Please don’t ever apologize for that. Billy was always going to find me, Mako,” I parrot, stealing his similar words from earlier. “I made it impossible for you because I wanted to save myself. That’s important to me.”
“River, I know you can save yourself. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you always have to. You’re incredibly strong and I admire you for it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you walk through this world alone. You’re no damsel in distress but I’ll be damned if I don’t have my girl’s back while she kicks ass, you understand?”
Unfiltered love fills my chest so tight, it feels as if my heart is a balloon pumped full of helium. I can’t describe the overwhelming feeling that’s taking my soul and ripping it apart, making room for the man next to me. That’s only way I can describe it. Two souls coming together, entwining deep until there is no end to me or him.
“I love you, Mako. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. But I love you so much.”
A cocky smirk adorns his face, and before I can smack it off, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me to him, effectively distracting me with his plump lips. Lightening explodes,
skating across our connected lips.
Finally, I found a home.
