I stood above them, still and silent, as I listened to her cries. I felt every tear she shed through my bleeding heart. I knew hearing about her parent’s death would destroy her. She avoided it for too long.
After they went inside and I drove off, I parked down the street and double-timed back to her house. I climbed the tree that stood near her window and broke through the window. I dislodged the lock a few months ago when I was intent on using her for revenge.
I sat and waited for hours, clutching the banister while they attempted to console her, and in those hours, I plotted her revenge. Around midnight, she finally had enough and broke away from them while I quickly disappeared inside her bedroom to wait.
When she entered the dark bedroom, her eyes immediately found mine, and I could see the need in her eye. It was one that I was familiar with thought it was the first time I’ve witnessed it on her.
“Do it, Lake.”
She took the invitation and was across the room in a flash. I encouraged each blow to my chest and slap to my face as she silently screamed through her agony.
“Take it.”
She never let up. She never stopped seeking.
She needed an outlet. A way to release. I knew what it felt like to need to unleash your pain on someone. It would get pretty dangerous if it built up.
“Take what you need to get past the pain…”
I hit my chest indicating where she should strike, and she mimicked.
“…because I will not let you break. It would kill us both.”
I bared myself. Let me become vulnerable for her. Only for her. Always for her. Her hits didn’t affect me physically, but much deeper, it was fucking lethal. She killed me over and over.
“Why?” she wailed as her arms grew tired, and her screams fell to hoarse whispers. She fell against my chest and I could feel her tears soak through my thin shirt immediately.
“He won’t live another day.”
*
The next morning, I sat and watched her sleep while battling over what I wanted to do and what I had to do.
“Don’t kill them.”
It was the last thing she had said to me before she succumbed to sleep. It amazed me that, even after all she had gone through, she still managed to be so damn innocent.
I needed to move and I needed to move fast. Mario was still in the area, which meant Arthur was also close by, as well.
I’ve sat on this and pretended everything was normal for far too long. Since finding out Arthur had come to Six Forks, Mario had been laying low. We stopped meeting, and any phone calls placed were kept short, but on my end, they were tapped. I gave only enough to the police to keep them interested and without raising Mario’s suspicions.
I knew Arthur would still have eyes on me, and with Keenan back in the hospital, I wasn’t able to protect him. His condition had begun to worsen, and John immediately admitted him at the first sign of strain. The patch had run its course, and if he didn’t get a lung soon, he would die.
Monroe began to stir, so I silently stood and crossed the room to her. I wanted to be gone before she awakened. She would try to stop me. Either she would succeed or I would end up hurting her again.
When I reached her bedside, I leaned as close as I could without touching her and whispered to her.
Her eyelids fluttered, but I was already gone by the time she opened them.
*
I called up Dash & Quentin and even dragged Diana from Keenan’s room where she was temporarily holed up until she was convinced the fleas were gone. When I found out what she said to Lake the day I took her to the store, it took everything in me not to shoot her in the face. Lake never said a word about it, and I didn’t ask. I just assumed she had become upset from seeing her climb in my ride.
After explaining to Diana I would rather lose my balls and grow a vagina than fuck her, she seemed to get it, and even appeared sorry. She apparently underestimated Lake. We both did.
As soon as this was over, I’d make it up to her if given the chance.