Part 17 (1/2)

Alden smiled s.a.d.i.s.tically. ”f.u.c.k you,” he said as he spit blood out on the ground.

Nate released another shot, again into his leg, and Alden cried out and dropped down on his knee.

”Tell me!” Nate screamed.

”She was a cheating wh.o.r.e. She deserved what she got. Every f.u.c.king second of it,” Alden said cold-heartedly. Each second drew out longer than she thought possible as each bullet jolted his body until he dropped to the ground. Nate had released the entire round into him.

Stephanie couldn't take her eyes off him as she just watched his lifeless body. She wondered if this nightmare was ever going to end. The world didn't feel the same. The evil of the world had ripped her veil of happiness away and she didn't know what to think of it anymore.

”Thank you, Stephanie,” Nate said, kneeling down beside her after an unidentifiable amount of time pa.s.sed. She felt like she had been drifting for hours.

”Thank you for what? Stabbing someone?” Stephanie said in disbelief.

”It was him or us,” Nate said, nudging her shoulder with his.

”It's not that simple.” Stephanie shook her head. ”That little girl lost her mother and now her father is gone.”

”She has her grandparents. She'll be fine. Trust me, that little girl is better off not knowing who her father really was,” Nate said without remorse.

”How did you know?” Stephanie asked.

”I had a feeling. I know he's involved in this Stodden s.h.i.+t somehow. He was as ruthless as the rest of them. I just have to find out the how part.”

”I don't even know what to say,” Stephanie confessed as she leaned back against the car.

Nate stood up and walked around to the driver's side of the car and returned a few seconds later with his phone. Stephanie watched numbly as he dialed a number and placed the phone against his ear. ”I need to speak with Detective Haffey.”

Stephanie pushed off the car and barely stood up before she threw up all over the ground, barely missing Nate's feet.

CHAPTER.

TWENTY-SIX.

Sabine ”You always were the soft one, brother,” Sabine said as she picked up a bottle of red wine that sat next to a collection of empties and pulled the cork out. She brought it to her nose before she tipped it to her lips.

The kitchen was a ghost of what it had been. It would have once been standing proud as the cherished home of an upper cla.s.s family. The fine details were still present under a thick layer of dust and grime. It was once a trophy of success but now remained abandoned after something horrific tainted it. The home must had once brought envy to the neighbors but now it stood as a reminder that nothing is what it seems.

People stayed away from this house, and that was exactly why Sabine decided it was the perfect place. The real estate agent jumped at the chance to rent it, and after she discussed terms, he agreed to let the paperwork slide. Sabine smiled to herself how easy it was to convince him to let her stay here unofficially.

s.e.x could make any man bend, it was almost too easy. Just like all the ones before him it didn't matter if he wore a ring, it didn't matter who was waiting at home. Men were weak creatures, and if it didn't serve her so well she would be disgusted by the fact that they swayed too easily from their morals. She enjoyed s.e.x just as much as the next person, but it would never make her lose sight of her goal.

”Are you gonna drink the rest of the bottle?” Flint complained. He was standing with his back against the wall and his arms folded across his chest.

”I might save you a drop,” Sabine teased as she watched him with a tilt of her head. She tapped her fingers on the side of the bottle as she revisited old memories. ”Do you remember all those rodents and disgusting little insects you used to collect and keep in boxes in your room?”

”Where the f.u.c.k are you going with this, Sabine? I don't want to drag up old ghosts.” Flint rubbed his forehead. The dark circles under his eyes showed his stress.

”I still remember the look on your face when you came home and saw the pile of boxes in the backyard. Dad was pouring lighter fluid all over them. You begged him to stop. You were crying and screaming,” Sabine said thoughtfully. ”And then whoosh.” She waved her arms to mimic the fire. ”Our f.u.c.king father lit up all those little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds you loved so much.” Sabine walked closer to her brother. He stared at her and she could feel his anger starting to bubble under his skin. Sabine pointed to the ceiling. ”That little b.i.t.c.h upstairs is your pet and Stodden is our father. It's a cycle you can't seem to break. It's only a matter of time before he destroys you. Just like our father did. Every. Single. Day. Take my advice now and walk away. You give people too much power over you.”

”I was ten years old,” Flint said as he narrowed his eyes.

”What's your excuse now? You've been trying to win Stodden's approval for years just like you did with Father. It's pathetic.”

”Shut the f.u.c.k up, Sabine. You don't know what you're talking about.”

”Don't I?”

Sabine wasn't surprised when she felt the sting of her brother's hand across her face. She smiled and wiped the back of her hand across her lips and saw blood just as she began to taste the copper on her tongue.

She held up the bottle of wine and Flint grabbed it from her hand. He downed the rest before tossing the empty bottle across the room. They both watched it shatter against the wall and rain down on the floor.

”I'm the only one who really cares about you, Flint. If you're not gonna do what needs to be done, then I will. Just like I always have.”

”What did you do?” Flint narrowed his eyes. His words sounded like poison as they dripped from his lips.

Sabine placed her hands on her hips and gave him a sly smile. She knew it was only a matter of time before her plan became obvious. The look on her brother's face would be priceless. ”What the f.u.c.k did you do, Sabine? Answer me,” Flint demanded as he grabbed for her shoulders. His grip dug painfully into her skin, but she would never let him know it. She would never show anyone weakness; not even to her brother, the only person she truly cared about. Sabine watched his eyes widen slightly before his hands slid down her arms, falling to his sides. He looked down at his uncooperative hands, trying to flex his fingers.

”Sabine...” Flint tried to force the words from his mouth but his tongue would no longer cooperate. He began to stumble and Sabine caught him under the arms before he dropped to the ground.

”It will be all right, Flint.” Sabine helped guide him down to the floor and then propped him against the wall. ”You were right, your little science experiments do come in handy.” Sabine tapped him on the side of the face. ”I didn't know how much to give you, so I may have gone overboard. You might have one h.e.l.l of a headache when you come out of this, brother.”

Sabine leaned back on her heels and looked at Flint leaning against the wall. She could tell by the look in his eyes he was livid. ”You pushed me to it. I can't let you make this mistake.” Sabine stood up and ran her hands over her face and then looked down at her fingers. ”You know I can still feel his blood on my hands.” A strangled laugh escaped her.

”Part of me hated you for constantly trying to impress Father. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve anything. That night...that night when he found out you had scratched his car. I stopped him. I knew he was angry. I did what I had to. You know that, right? That I did it for you.” Sabine bit her tongue hard to stop any emotion from appearing. ”When they released me all those years later I hated the fact that you had found another b.a.s.t.a.r.d to crawl in the shadow of. You have to get your s.h.i.+t together, Flint, so I don't have to keep coming to your rescue.

”Neil!” Sabine screamed. She grabbed a pack of smokes off the kitchen table and stalked toward the stairs. She pulled a smoke from the pack and placed it on her lips and lit it with the lighter that was shoved inside the pack. She pulled the smoke deep inside her lungs and let it calm her. ”Neil!” she belted again as she started up the steps.

”Yes! What the f.u.c.k, Sabine?” Neil answered, coming out of the room they were keeping Lexie in as she neared the top of the steps.

”We're going ahead,” she informed him as she walked into one of the other bedrooms at the top of the stairs.

”How'd you get Flint on board?” Neil asked, following her inside.

Sabine spun around. ”I didn't, exactly.”

”What did you do?” Neil asked with a cunning smile turning up his lips.

”What needed to be done.” Sabine picked up her cell phone and began scrolling through the numbers but paused when Neil dropped to his knees in front of her. ”What are you up to?” Sabine asked with narrowed eyes.