Page 220 of Malice and Surrender
Tears streamed from my eyes as I pushed myself away from her body. “It’s not true, Mom, it’s not true, don’t say that,” I cried, the tears making it impossible to see.
“You couldn’t save yourself, just like you couldn’t save Raine.” I whipped my head from side to side to see who said that. “Your father was right. You destroy everything you touch.”
“Who said that?” I pushed myself to my feet and glanced around the garage filled with boxes. It felt like I was in a crazy game of hide and seek.
“Oh, come now boy, you must recognize my voice. I was part of your life for five years. Five long terrible years where I had to put up with a useless sack of shit like you.”
I marched down one long row of boxes and equipment that seemed to go on forever, but when I turned at the end, no one was there.
“Just admit it, Kaivan. Admit that you were never going to be able to save Raine from me that night. You stayed home and let her take your beating for you.”
“Shut the fuck up, that’s not what happened,” I yelled and pushed over some boxes in the direction of the voice. More laughing reached me, and the anger churning in my gut erupted. I slammed my shoulder from side to side and knocked the two stacks down until there were no tall objects to obscure my view.
Dave stood by the garage door without a shirt, zipper down on his dirty jeans, and a knife in hand. “She was always going to be mine that night, Kaivan. You sent her to me, and mmm, was she ever good. That sweet little virgin pussy.”
Roaring, I ran at Dave, and he calmly walked inside the house with a smile as he slammed the door. Maniacal laughing was loud in my ears.
“What happened to Raine was all your fault. You have no one to blame but yourself,” Dave said through the door as I beat my hands and feet off the metal until my knuckles bled. Breathing hard, I dropped to all fours, my eyes stinging with more tears.
“Don’t cry, boy. Cryin’ is for pussies,” I looked up at the gruff voice and stared into Red’s cold glare.
“What the fuck do you want?” I pushed myself to my feet, and he took a step back. “Last I checked, I was off limits to you.”
He licked his lips. “Were you, though? Were you ever really off limits?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” My hands clenched into fists as my gaze flicked to the two men hovering in the doorway.
“I have it under good authority that Mannix lied. You weren’t already part of his gang when he came into the bathroom. Technically, he stole from me, not the other way around.” Red ran his tongue over his teeth, accentuating the gap where a tooth was missing.
“Is that so? I don’t know your source, but they don’t know shit. You seem to have a recurring issue with that. Maybe you need a new informant.” I would go to my grave telling that lie until it manifested into the truth. There was no fucking way I’d ever let Red know that he had something on Mannix or me.
Red’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing into slits. “You’re full of shit and just as mouthy as the day you arrived. You haven’t learned a thing.”
“What I’ve learned is that you’re not as big as you like to think you are. You’ve already lost control of the cigarettes, and I’m working on cell phones next. Soon you’ll be nobody. Nothing but the raping piece of shit you are.”
Red rubbed at his bottom lip and chuckled low like he was amused, but I knew he was seething inside. Controlling the cigarette import and export was massive. He’d taken a huge hit when I got the guards on my side. That had taken some work, but it was paying off.
“One of these days, you won’t be so lucky, and I’ll be there waiting,” Red said, his eyes promising he wouldn’t let this go.
A sharp pain stabbed me behind my eye, and I grabbed at my head. Opening my eyes, I shivered from head to toe as I stared down at Red, a mangled and bloody mess on the floor. My hand was shaking so hard it was hitting the side of my leg.
“Fuck, Kaivan, what the hell did you do? You said you wanted to rough him up a little,” Steve, the guard said as he came in and looked down at the bloody corpse. “Give me the weapon, now.”
Lifting my hand, I realized I was clenching a shank in my fist, once white, now a bright red. Steve held out his hand, and I dropped the blade into it.
“What the hell happened? I need an answer,” he looked over his shoulder at the sound of a door closing and the echo of more guards coming.
“He…he….” I looked up at Steve. “He knocked me out, and when I came to, he was…um…it was self-defense,” I managed to say, and Steve shook his head.
“Fuck, go on, get out of here. The cameras to the east wing are off, go shower and leave your clothes in the garbage. I’ll get rid of them. But, Snake, after this, we’re even.”
I glanced down at Red’s still face, his pale skin glowing even against the white tile. His head turned in my direction, and I took a startled step back.
“You may have killed me, but you’ll never be rid of me. Death sticks to you. I will forever cling to your mind,” he said.
“Kai, get the hell out of here,” Steve said.
“Did you see that?” I pointed at Red, whose head was perfectly still once more.
