B017GCC62O (R) (16 page)

I close the door behind me and wait for Adam to speak. He’s standing with his back to me when he says, “We leave in one hour. Don’t tell anyone. Just meet me out front by the station wagon. I have already loaded all the bombs and extra gasoline.”

I nod as he turns around and leaves the room. As the door clicks closed behind Adam, my heart starts to beat frantically.

Finally! I’m going to have my revenge.

An hour later I sneak out of the house, making sure no one sees me. I run to the station wagon and get in the passenger side. Adam is already waiting.

As we leave the plantation I look back and my eyes automatically go to River’s window. I see her standing there, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Before guilt can start to eat at my conscience again, I look away.

For the first few minutes we drive in silence. When the silence gets to be too much, I ask, “Why didn’t you blindfold me? I heard that you blindfold everyone.”

Adam takes a deep breath and without taking his eyes off the road, he says, “That didn’t help much. All the precautions we take aren’t worth shit if we can’t trust the guards or people we bring here. From now on the only way you can leave the plantation is in a body bag. Once someone makes the choice to stay there it’s for life. I won’t risk the other’s lives for one person who suddenly gets an itch they want scratched.”

“That will be better,” I say, fully agreeing with him.

“You agree?” Adam asks, actually looking surprised.

“Of course,” I say and then I settle back into the seat for the long ride. “I don’t want to invest myself into that plantation only to have it ripped from me. I’m sure the others feel the same way.”

“Where’s all of this coming from?” Adam asks. “You’ve been so quiet since we brought you here, just … existing.”

“Yeah, I’m done just existing.” Adam is sacrificing so much for me. He might understand all I’m feeling. “I felt numb at first … just dead. I think my survival instincts kicked in and that’s all I could do … just survive.”

Adam nods and then he asks, “Was it the fire that brought it all back?”

I think on his question for a moment and then answer, “Partly.” I take a deep breath and say, “River deserves someone who can take care of her. She’s been taking care of all of us. I know she’s got her own pain and I can’t help her work through hers if I don’t deal with my own first. River needs a man and the only way I can be the man she deserves is by burying the past. I want a future with her, a future that’s not clouded by our past.”

A smile tugs at the corner of Adam’s mouth. “I’m so glad to hear that, Jack. I’m glad you want to bury the past and move on. After tomorrow you’ll be able to do just that.”

After the serious conversation we stick to lighter topics. Adam asks me about my love for plants and I ask him about the plantation, the cattle and anything else I can think of. I want to learn everything there is to learn.

The drive is long and we’ve covered three quarters of it when Adam starts to look really tired. We got some snacks at the last gas station. “Why don’t you pull over and take a break? Eat and drink something.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he mutters, and a few miles up he pulls over to the side of the road and he parks the station wagon under a tree. He grabs a sandwich and soda.

“You need to learn how to drive,” he suddenly says.

“Yeah,” I say, wondering how it will feel to be able to drive myself somewhere.

Adam swallows some soda down and then he points to his feet. “That’s the gas and that’s the break. This here is the handbrake.” He points to a stick thingy. “This is the gear shift. The R is for reverse so the car can go backwards. The P is for park, that’s what we’re doing now. The D is for drive, as in going forward.”

I grin at him. “It sounds easy.”

“It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.” He hands me the empty can and then starts the car.

I watch everything he does as he drives. “Will you teach me how to drive when we get back?”

Adam looks at me and he smiles. “Sure thing.”

~*~

It’s close to midnight when we near Cameron’s estate. My whole body is shaking from the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Adam stops close enough for us to walk but also far enough away to not draw any attention.

“It’s a fifteen minute walk. We each have three bombs in a backpack. You can’t miss, Jack. We only have six between us to make sure that place burns to the ground. I’ll go around the front and you go around the back. Try and get them inside, it will do more damage faster. But,” Adam takes hold of my shoulder, holding me back, “do not risk getting caught. I can’t come for you. If they get me then you run, Jack. Don’t look back. Just run.”

I want to argue but I know Adam by now, he won’t budge. We each take a backpack. Adam hands me two lighters and checks his own before shoving them in his pocket. I check mine too.

We start to walk to Cameron’s estate, careful not to jar our backpacks.

Cameron’s estate sits at the top of the hill. There are lights on both outside on the grounds and inside the manor. As we get close, Adam pulls a gun from his bag. He catches me staring and explains, “It’s just for safety sake.”

Adam points to a dark corner at the back of the property. “We can get over the wall there. I’ll go first while you hold the bags. Once I’m over you can hand the bags to me and then climb over yourself.”

I’m so glad I asked Adam for help. He’s been so patient with me. He feels like a … friend.

  “Thank you,” I say the words in a rush of air.

Adam smiles and then pats my shoulder. “You know you can trust someone if you help each other get rid of the bodies.”

“I do trust you,” I trust Adam more than River, or anyone in my life. He might be a quiet person, but he’s been there for me when I needed someone most.

“Let’s get this done so we can get back to our women.”

Adam shrugs the bag off and hands it to me. I hold both the bags as Adam pulls himself up on the wall and then reaches for the first bag. When he has them both resting securely on the wall he jumps off the other side. I pull myself up the same way he did, and then I hand him one bag at a time. Once we’re both on the other side of the wall, Adam whispers, “I’m going to go around the front. You go around the back.” I know he’s telling me again to make sure I know what to do. “Oh wait!” He says suddenly. “Shit, I almost forgot. Here are some cable ties. Seal the exits off so they can’t get out. Stick to the shadows so someone won’t see you.”

I take a handful from him and shove them in my pocket. We go our separate ways and I do everything Adam told me. I keep to the shadows and avoid places where I know guards might be.

At the first door I reach I have to use three cable ties. I tie the first two around each of the doorknobs and then use the third one to link the other two together.

I keep my head low as I sneak from door to door. There are a few windows that are open, but I don’t bother with them. I can use those windows to throw the bombs inside the house. When I’m all done I go back to the middle of the yard, where the rose garden is. I crouch down between the roses and then carefully place the bag on the ground. I remove all three bombs and the small can of gasoline. I quickly wet the pieces of cloth and as I’m about to light the first cloth, I hear screaming come from inside.

There’s no time to think. I run to the window that’s furthest away from the rose garden. I quickly light the cloth and then toss the bomb through the window. I run as fast as I can and then it explodes behind me.

I grab another bomb and light it. I throw it against the glass door I’ve used so many times before.

I run back to get the bag and the last bomb when someone tackles me from behind. There’s a hard blow to the side of my head, but I push my hands into the ground and use my whole body to throw the person off of me.

I grab the bomb and run for the other end of the house. “Stop, fucker!” I recognize Sven’s voice and I stop. I stare down at the bomb in my left hand and the lighter in my right hand.

I slowly turn around and then Sven starts to laugh. “It’s you.” He laughs harder as if it’s a huge joke for him to see me here. Then he says, “So the beating wasn’t enough? You’ve come back for more?”

Smoke bellows from the house and the screams are getting louder. I should finish the job and run, but instead I say, “You were always the one who beat me. Did you beat me that last night too?”

Sven scowls at me, his face going hard. “You were a good fuck, especially when you were younger,” he raises his hand with the gun, pointing it right at me, “but like David said that night, every hole has an expiration date.”

Anger floods me, hotter than the flames around me. Sven was the first one to rape me. He trained me to be a slave. He burned Momma.

I look down at the last bomb in my hands and I light the cloth. I throw it hard and the bottle crashes hard against Sven’s chest. He screams and a shot goes off as the jar explodes over his body, setting him alight. I feel a slight sting on my right arm, but there’s no time to waste!

I run back to the corner of the estate and pull myself up on the wall. Once at the top I look back at the burning estate. I quickly find Sven’s burning body and I soak in the sight and screams around me. It’s a beautiful sound, listening to the monsters screaming and crying. When I see people slamming their fists against the windows and glass doors, I look hard trying to recognize them. They’re all gasping for air, trampling each other to try and find a way out.

I see Eduardo and my eyes start to search frantically for Cameron. One of the glass doors burst open and a flaming body comes running through the doors. A smile slowly creeps over my face. David. It’s only right that he goes the same way our mother did.

I hear a high pitch scream and then I see the old bitch - Westbrook. I watch until I don’t see anyone but the flames, and then I jump off the other side and run back to where we left the station wagon.

I see Adam pacing in front of the car, his whole body tense. When he sees me he hisses, “What the fuck took you so long?”

“I had to watch,” I say, and we get in the car. “I had to make sure they all burn.”

“And did they?” he snaps as he drives off in the opposite direction.

“Yes,” I say and then I sigh with relief, “and it was beautiful.”

I can’t describe all the feelings coursing through my body. Relief, liberation, freedom … I’m feeling so much that it makes tears spill from my burning eyes.

“I’m free,” I whisper to no one in particular.

~*~

Chapter Twenty Two

River~

Two long days. Two days that almost cost me my sanity.

That’s how long they were gone. Forty eight hours of raw fear eating away at my heart. A million thoughts kept bombarding my mind. It’s amazing what horrors your mind can conjure up when you’re worried about someone.

Sophia is the first to see Jack and Adam. She’s been living on the patio since they left, her eyes never leaving the entrance.

The men look tired as they come walking down the road. They must’ve left the station wagon somewhere, burning it like we always do, so we don’t leave any traces behind.

Sophia runs down the road and she flings herself into Adam’s arms. Adam needs someone like Sophia in his life and she needs him. They are good for each other.

Jack keeps walking up the road and I have to suppress the urge to run to him and to see if he’s okay. I want to inspect every inch of him.

For an awful second I wonder if he’s going to keep ignoring me like he’s been doing the past few days, but then he climbs the stairs and walks right up to me. He throws his arms around me and lifts me off of my feet.

“You’re home,” I whisper, getting all choked up on the happiness of having him back home.

He presses his face into my neck and whispers, “I’m home.”

He sets me down on my feet and then grabs my hand. He walks into the house, pulling me behind him. He goes straight for my room.

When we’re inside, he closes the door and then he yanks his shirt over his head. Instantly my eyes flit all over his body, checking for wounds. He has a gash on his arm and I rush to him.

“What happened?” I brush my fingers just under the gash. It just needs to be cleaned, it’s not that bad.

Jack doesn’t answer me and undoes the button on his jeans. He lets the jeans fall down to the ground and then he steps out of them.

“Jack, what are you doing?” I take a step back as he takes hold of his boxers and shoves them down his legs.

He stands up, as naked as the day he was born. “I’m going to shower and then I’m going to have sex with you.”

My mouth drops open as I watch his sexy ass walk away from me. I hear the water start to run in the bathroom.

I walk into the bathroom and say, “We can’t just have sex, Jack. There’s so much to talk about.”

I watch as his hands glide over his body and I have to admit, it’s by far the sexiest thing I’ve seen in my entire life. There is nothing as hot as Jack’s strong hands soaping up his muscled body. I can watch him shower all day long.

Jack rinses the soap off and then he steps out of the shower. His eyes meet mine and I must be showing exactly what I’m thinking, because he smiles.

“We can talk later,” he says. He grabs a towel and he quickly rubs his face and hair dry.

“No, Jack. We have to talk first. We have to talk about where you are emotionally …” he starts to come at me and I start to sputter, “ …and … and … what about what you just did?”

He stops a few steps from me and he tilts his head, just staring at me.

“Jack, we have to think this through. Sex is a huge thing for me.” Immediately I feel rotten for what I just said, “I’m not saying it’s not a big thing for you.” Immediately my eyes drop to his hard cock.

Oh my word! I’m making such a mess of this.

“River, keep quiet,” Jack murmurs.

I keep my mouth shut because of the look on his face. This is not the Jack I’ve come to know. This is someone else. This is a man.

Have I been blind all this time, not allowing myself to see the real man that’s been there all along? I kept telling myself Jack needed time, but I was wrong – I was the one who needed time, but not anymore. All I need now is Jack.