Page 98 of Bourbon Truths
Jett opened the envelope and pulled out a letter that provided access to a bank account for all the money I had given Linda and Madeline over the years.
“She didn’t use any of it,” I said softly.
“I don’t understand,” Jett said, confused. “Why are we at the cemetery?”
Gathering my will to speak the words that had only been spoken to me a few short hours ago, I took a deep breath and said, “Linda wanted to thank me. She was an abuse victim, Jett. Marshall used to beat the shit out of her; she had pictures to prove it. The love I thought I’d taken away from them was actually hate. That night, the night I killed Marshall, he hit Madeline for the first time.” Jett’s jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed. “Linda brought Madeline to Justice so she could learn how to defend herself if she was ever in a violent relationship. She doesn’t want Madeline to go through what she went through.”
I steadied my breathing and ran my hand over my eyes as tears threatened to fall. My throat constricted as I tried to speak. “She told me I saved her and Madeline. I saved them, Jett.” Tears fell as I cried into my hands. “I didn’t ruin them, I fucking saved them.”
The demons I’d been hiding for so long surfaced as I spoke the words out loud to the one man who’d been through it all with me. The guilt and remorse that had been woven into my soul started to release from my body as I continued to speak.
“She thanked me for changing her life, for giving her hope, for taking away an evil man. This whole time I thought I’d destroyed their lives when in fact, I bettered them. They were happy without him, Jett. At the park that day, when they looked so normal, it was because they were happy. They were relieved. I’d protected them from harm and ended a nightmare for Linda. All this time, they were breathing lighter while I was grasping for air.”
Jett got out of the car and walked around to my side, opened my door, and pulled me out of my seat. He wrapped his arms around me and embraced me as I cried into his shoulder. It was too early for onlookers, but even if there had been people milling about, I wouldn’t have cared. The life I once knew was finally evaporating and for once, in a very long time, I could see light at the end of the tunnel. The old Kace, the demon-riddled Kace, was dying.
Linda had released a part of me. She’d lifted my burden and let me breathe. It took me a bit to accept it, but speaking the words out loud to Jett, I realized my wrongdoings had been a blessing in disguise. They gave me a second life, a second chance, a chance I refused to waste.
Pulling away, I looked at Jett and realized we were both crying. I smirked as I wiped my eyes and said, “Fuck, we look like a couple of dickheads.”
“The hell if I care,” Jett said, pulling me into his embrace again.
He was my brother, the one person who had been by my side during the darkest of my days, guiding me and protecting me. “I would do it again,” I admitted. “I would put up with the guilt, the shame, the sins just to know that in the end, Madeline and Linda would be protected.”
“I would too,” Jett admitted. “Tell me it’s over, Kace. Tell me you’re moving on. Tell me this fucking nightmare is done.” Jett was pleading. I could tell he wanted his best friend back, the man he used to know. It would take some time, but I was ready to move on.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment to be free, and I’m fucking taking it. I just have one more thing to do.”
A giant smile spread across Jett’s face from my confession. I could see the hope, the happiness that ensued him. Not only was I setting myself free, but I was giving my best friend one of the things he needed the most, besides Goldie; I was giving him his brother back.
“What’s the next step, then?” Jett asked.
From the very beginning, this hadn’t only been my journey. It had been his as well, and it was about time we ended it together.
“Time to bid the fucker goodbye,” I answered and walked toward the cemetery, Jett falling in beside me.
I knew where the grave was. The image of Linda standing over it with Madeline was burned in my mind. Now that I thought about it, she’d looked pale and rigid that day, covered from head to toe in clothing that probably hid her bruises. She must have been wearing a heavy amount of makeup to hide her husband’s brutality because I didn’t remember seeing any kind of abuse on her face.
Passing gravestones and old flowers, we finally made it to Marshall’s grave. The urge to take a sledgehammer to the stone itched as I stared down at the inscription.
Beloved husband and father.
“The man got off too easy,”I said while staring down at the grave. If I had known who he really was, what he used to do to Linda, I would have taken my time on him in that bar, making him feel every last blow instead of ending his life so quickly. I would have tortured him, I would have ripped him to shreds and then ended it.” Malice was heavy in my voice. “I’ve never despised someone so much in my life, Jett.”
“Me too,” Jett seethed.
“He took years from my life. He took Madeline’s innocence, Linda’s freedom.”
“And now he’s paying for it,” Jett countered.
Nodding, I crouched and spoke to Marshall directly, letting him know that the inscription on his grave was a lie.
“You spent your years on this earth intimidating Linda, taking advantage of your role as a father and interrogating complete strangers. You dismissed a life you should have been proud of. You threw away a chance to watch Madeline grow up into the beautiful, spicy little girl she is today, and you abused a vibrant woman who cowered under her marriage to you. You’re a coward. You’re the monster, not me, and I will never regret my decision of taking you down ever again. I owe you nothing besides a thank-you for bringing Madeline and Linda into my life. I will be the man they need, the man you never were, and will protect them from men like you, instead of men like me.” Standing up, I patted his grave. “Have a fun time rotting in hell, you sick fuck.”
I stepped back and looked at Jett. He was happy. Bending down to the level of the grave, Jett said, “Thank you for being a beast of a man because you not only strengthened my bond with my brother, but you also proved that justice will always prevail.”
An orange light started to brighten the sky as the sun rose. Jett clasped my shoulder. “Ready?”
“Ready,” I replied. “I have one more stop. Would you mind coming with me?”
