Tom’s eyes flick from me to her, and then he starts to talk and my world crumbles around me. “Sorry, Cara, I can’t have you running around. I thought I could, but they’ll kill me.” He looks around the dingy office. “I’ll lose all of this.”
Disgust wells up in me as I stare the man down. He turns his back on Cara and says, “Just do it quick. I don’t want her to suffer.”
Keeping hold of Cara’s hand I walk to the desk. I grab a pair of scissors and then shove her away from me. I lunge at Tom just as he turns to see what’s happening. I plunge the scissors into his gut and watch him sink to the ground. As I kneel down beside him, I catch his horror-stricken eyes, and say, “I’m a cleaner, Tom, not an assassin. I rid the world of filth like you. You think you’re hiring a hitman, but in the meantime, you’re paying for your own death.”
I yank the scissors out and plunge it back in, right under his ribs, praying I hit a lung. “Fucking hurts being stabbed over and over, doesn’t it?”
He tries to say something, but it comes out garbled, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
I yank the scissors out again and then get up, watching as the light goes out in his eyes.
They say hell is where you relive your worst nightmare, over and over. I fucking hope it’s true for this bastard.
Cara~
I stare at Uncle Tom’s body and I can’t find a glimmer of relief. I feel a strange sadness, as if I lost more than my uncle.
I watch as Damian uses Uncle Tom’s shirt to wipe the blood from the scissors before he tucks it into his back pocket.
My mind can’t get past what Uncle Tom said, that he hired Damian to kill me.
Damian was meant to kill me.
He turns to me and avoiding my eyes, he looks around the office. “Did you touch anything?”
“Kill me? You have to kill me?” I ask, still reeling in shock over that.
“Not now, Cara. You can freak out when we’re a safe distance away.” He grabs my hand and drags me out of the office. He closes the door behind us and then walks down the dark passage, towards the back. He shoves a heavy door open and we slip out.
He keeps walking, just pulling me along, and like an idiot I follow him.
It’s a long walk to the petrol garage. One good thing is that there are no police driving past us, which means they still don’t know Uncle Tom is dead, or the police are taking their sweet time.
When we get to the garage, I have to make the call for a cab. I don’t know how I keep my voice normal as I give the address to the cab company.
When I’m done making the call, I walk away from Damian. I need some space. I need to think.
“Cara!” he whispers harshly, quickly catching up to me.
When we’re out of the light and direct view of people putting in petrol, I swing back to him. “Kill me! You were paid to kill me?”
“No,” he snaps at me. “I took the job so I could save you!”
“You didn’t know me. Why would you want to save me?” I cross my arms, feeling totally hurt and lost. “You said you came for me, Damian. You lied.” A sob ripples up my throat. “You lied to me.”
“I just didn’t tell you the truth, but I didn’t lie when I said that I came for you. When I got your file, fuck, anyone with half a heart could see that you were innocent. I didn’t lie to you, Cara. I’m a cleaner, I’m not a hitman.”
“What about that girl you saved? Were you meant to kill her, too?”
“No, she was kidnapped, and I just had to get her back.”
“But me … you had to kill me.” I don’t know how to process any of this.
“That’s what Tom wanted. I couldn’t tell you that. Fuck, Cara, you were broken. Telling you something like that would have destroyed you.”
“Instead you let me believe that my loving uncle sent someone to help me? Oh wait, you said he paid so you would look after me? That was just another lie.”
“Yes, to save you the heartache!”
“What’s the full story, Sam?” I whisper, needing to hear it all.
He looks around us before his eyes settle on mine again. They are filled with guilt and I wonder if it’s guilt over the fact that he lied, or because he got caught?
“Tom wanted you dead. He sent me your details and the first recording. He said to make it quick, to put you out of your misery. He didn’t want you to suffer.” He swallows and then looks at the road. “I pretended to take the job and when I got you and the memory disks, I figured it was a win. I returned the money he paid, and I closed the account. I would never hurt you, Cara. I just wanted to help you. Yes, I kept things from you, but it was to save you from the pain of knowing who your uncle really was. I didn’t lie when I told you about the mafia. Your father and uncle got mixed up with the wrong people, and when your father wanted out they killed him. Your uncle on the other hand, didn’t want out. He’s been laundering money and carting drugs for them for years. But then they found out that you got away. I don’t know how. I only know that Tom wanted a quick death for you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I whisper as the tears start to fall.