My mouth dropped open as she raised her glass to him—to us.
“I’ll see you in hell,” she said as she drank the entire glass. “Oh, and one more thing, if you’re in your office, you really should leave, I’ve got a few explosives ready to go off in that goddamned place. If you make it, tell my baby I said hi…and that I’m sorry I had to hurt her.”
With that, she was gone, and I wasn’t sure how to react. Melody sat back in shock, as her eyes roamed the computer screen while the files kept on deleting themselves and everything was wiped clean. She went to click on the video again, but a sudden and violent explosion went off, causing the windows and the walls around us to crack.
“Mel, we need to go!” I yelled as the ground shook violently beneath us. The foundation of the building was no doubt giving way.
“Give me a second,” she said, as she took her phone and hooked it up to the processor.
What the fuck could she possibly be doing now?
Rushing to look outside, I saw the authorities below already clearing the block.
Another loud explosion echoed throughout the building, causing whatever hadn’t yet fallen, to crumble to the ground.
“Mel—”
“Let’s go,” she said as she took off her heels and moved to the door.
The moment she opened it, thick, heavy, grey smoke encompassed us. Electrical wiring hung from the ceiling, as parts of the walls collapsed.
She ran through the aisle when the floor underneath her suddenly gave way.
“Mel!” I jumped forward, and grabbed onto her arm. “I didn’t let you live for you to go and get yourself killed!”
“I didn’t ask to be saved, you ass! Let me go. We can get out this way.”
Rolling my eyes, I did as she asked and let go without giving her any warning. She fell hard against the desk below her.
“Goddamn it, Liam!”
“Sorry. I was too busy being an ass,” I snickered as she rolled off the desk and I jumped down.
I got to my feet only to be punched in the jaw.
“Bitch!” I snapped as I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.
“Stop your whining, we need to get to the stairs.”
Grabbing her arm, I pulled her into me and kissed her. My fingers wound their way into her hair as she gripped onto my neck.
“This isn’t over,” I told, her as I took her hand and ran. I placed my arm over my mouth, trying to keep as much of the ash-like smoke out of my lungs as I could.
We made it into the stairwell and down one flight when the ceiling caved in behind us.
“Is anyone there? Help me, please!” a man called from a level down. His leg was broken; snapped at an odd angle and bleeding.
Mel looked to me, annoyed.
We can just leave him.
“Someone help!” the man begged.
“We can use him to escape,” I whispered. After all, we were still surrounded by almost every law enforcement agency. They’d be wondering why we hadn’t left the building during the initial evacuation.
Mel moved to him, and pressed her thumb against his neck until he blacked out.
“He doesn't have to see us to help us,” she said.
Good point.
Placing his arm around our shoulders, we made our way down the stairs. His legs dragged with every step we took, but there was a price for being saved, right?
“Three more!” a fireman yelled, as he rushed to us. We both kept our heads down, and stared at the gravel as they came to us.
“Sir, ma’am—”
“We’re fine, but he’s hurt badly,” Mel said as they wrapped blankets around us.
“Is there anyone else in there?” a police officer yelled over the loud sirens and growing crowd that had gathered to watch the building burn behind us.
“We couldn’t see anything. We got lost and trapped, and we found him as we were trying to get out,” I yelled.
They nodded just as another explosion erupted inside, shattering all the windows on the top level.
“Move it. Move it! Clear the way!” the officer yelled, as he led us to the ambulance.
“We’re fine, I just want to go home,” Mel told them.
“Ma’am, we need to get you check—”
“I’m going home. This damn city is trying to kill me! Massacres, bombings! I feel like I’m in a fucking war!” she snapped as another bomb went off. The back part of the building began to collapse, sending a thick plume of smoke towards us.
It wasn’t ideal, but it gave us the cover we needed to escape.
“Liam!” Mel yelled with a smile on her face as we moved away from the scene.
“What?”
“Did we just win?”
“Almost.”
After all, we still had Avian to deal with.
MELODY
Dirt and dust coated every inch of me. My hair was heavy with it, and I noticed that even the ends were burnt. Liam looked just as bad, and from the smug look on our faces, it’d be hard to imagine what we’d just escaped. We walked into the basement, not expecting to find anyone but Avian.
However, Monte, who sat at the computer, pulled his gun on us as we walked in.
“Really?” Liam said, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Boss! What happened? Everything’s gone. How’d you do it?” he asked, as he wheeled his chair around to face us.
“What the fuck?” Liam grumbled as he noticed both Neal and Declan beating the crap out of Avian. “I thought I told them to leave!”
“Neal said he had nothing left, Declan called Coraline and then they both went in there before I could talk to them,” Monte responded.
“Really? Before you could talk to them?” Even with one leg he could have said something.
“Alright, maybe I wanted the bastard who took my leg to get what was coming to him.” He fought back a grin.
Shaking my head at him, I walked over and grabbed the handlebars then wheeled him over to the window.
“Then here’s a front row seat,” I told him. I patted him on the shoulder just as Liam entered the room.
“Enough! I want him alive so I can kill him slowly,” Liam said to his brothers.
They froze, their faces covered in blood splatter, no doubt shocked to see him.
“Liam, what in the hell are you doing—?”
“Get out,” I said to them as I entered.
Dropping the brass knuckles, they cleared the room, but not before spitting on Avian.
Avian’s head dropped, and blood dripped from the tip of his nose. He took a few deep shallow breaths before he spat up blood. With what little strength he had left, he pushed himself back in the chair. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and bruised. I had to give it to him, he was a tough old man.
“From your brothers’ reactions, I’m assuming it’s done?” he asked Liam as his good eye looked us over. “You all have more gall than I thought. I was sure you were going to kill yourselves. It’s in your nature.”
“Was it worth it, Avian?” I asked him. “I was in your office, I saw all your hard work and you threw it all away. I don’t understand that.”
“You can’t win if you aren’t willing to lose it all. I fear nothing. I lose nothing. I grieve for no one, and in return, I can spend my life torturing you as you did to me. The fear rolling off you made it worth it. Besides, if I truly wanted to, I could’ve made a deal with the DOJ, and spent the rest of my life under house arrest…”
“You thought you could get out of this?” Liam asked him. “Why not go straight to the DOJ and make the deal? Why did you allow us to do this to you?”
“I’m not afraid of pain. I welcome it. It makes us strong. Bones, bruises, cuts, they all heal. My mind is something you can never touch.”
“The Department of Justice wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole,” I said to him.
He snickered as he spat out more blood. “I didn’t get to where I am without collecting dirt. Before Olivia, I paid off you
r maids, I went through your trash, and I hacked into satellites just to triangulate your jet. I have dirt on them all. They would sooner drop me off on a deserted island than let me spill their secrets. I’m the ultimate hunter, I know how to protect my back.”
“You mean my mother was,” I corrected.
He shook his head. “Your mother couldn’t move without me, let alone think. She did as she was told. She wasn’t a hunter, she was bait, a pawn.”
“She was smarter than we all gave her credit for.” I pulled out my phone and played the video.
“Having trouble there, Father?”
I watched as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock.
“No,” he whispered, before he started to scream. “No! You stupid cunt! NO!”
“Well, Mr. Hunter, it seems like the fox tricked you,” Liam said as Avian struggled against his seat. He walked around him, stood at his back and placed a hand on his shoulder, he leaned down to his ear and whispered, “But it’s okay, you don’t fear pain, right?”
“I’ll ask my question again.” I smiled as I put the phone away. “Was it worth it?”
Liam began to take off his shirt.
“Wife, I may not make it to dinner,” he said to me softly, and I knew what he wanted. Revenge. Blood by his own hands for his father, and I would let him have it. Taking his shirt from him, I nodded.
“Take all the time you need,” I said before turning to Avian. “Goodbye, grandfather. It was never a pleasure.”
“This will be a very barbaric,” Liam whispered to him as I made my way out the door.
LIAM
I whistled as I wheeled him into the crematorium. He screamed against the duct tape, but it was music to my ears. Slamming on the button, the steel gates opened up as the heat from the pre-warmed oven escaped. The fire roared, exciting me even further. He was incapable of moving anything more than his neck after my little chair episode.
“Have you ever read A Thousand Horrible Ways to Die?” I asked him knowing that he couldn’t answer. “It’s a great read—crucifixion, pit of snakes, impalement. I was going to just pick a random number, but the wife said we needed to go deal with Rsamas now. I’ve spent too much of our life on you already.”
He didn’t fight against the straps as he was already weak from blood loss. I patted him on his chest and I knew it burned.
“Stay alive for a few more moments. In the end, I need to see you burn. You’ll die by fire, while we were reborn through the flames Aviela unleashed at your office. It’s all quite poetic, don't you think? We can’t all be the phoenix, some of us have to be the ashes.”
Pressing the button, I watched with joy as the flames took him before the doors closed.
“Just think of it as returning to hell,” I said, as his instincts kicked in and he began to struggle.
His loud muffled screams could’ve woke the dead.
“Checkmate,” I said, turning as the gate snapped shut.
MELODY
As Liam made it onto the plane, I looked over the seats and waved to him.
“Finally,” Declan muttered from the first class seat behind us.
“Greedy bastard couldn’t even allow us to watch,” Neal snickered.
I turned to them both and they immediately placed their headphones on, and relaxed into their seats.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he placed his bag in the overhead compartment.
“Had fun?” I questioned, knowing full well he had.
H smiled and winked in reply. “Jinx knows where to meet us?” he asked a few seconds later and I nodded.
I’d sent Coraline a message telling them to stop in England. They hadn’t been in the air for that long anyway. We all needed a break from the chaos; even if it was just for a day or two.
A sudden movement caught my attention, and I looked towards the front to see Mina, with a little girl in her arms, speaking to the flight attendant. She passed our row and stood where Neal and Declan were seated. I watched as she looked at her tickets, which were no doubt the ones I had sent to her, before looking at Declan.
“I think you’re in my seat,” her soft but confident voice caused Liam to look to me in surprise.
“Oh, sorry,” Declan said as he stood up and looked around in confusion. Then he shuffled off to his assigned seat. The little girl in Mina’s arms reached over and smacked Neal, in an attempt to get his attention.
“Sorry about that,” Mina said to him.
“No, it’s no problem.” He smiled.
I turned in my seat, and looked forward with a small smile on my face.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn on your screens to view a message from the President of the United States,” the pilot spoke over the intercom.
“Right on time,” Liam whispered before he turned it on.
“Good evening. Tonight, I am pleased to report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that has resulted in the disorganization and decimation of the terrorist group known as Rsamas.
“As you all know, they have been responsible for the murder of dozens of innocent men and women within the last month. Today, at my direction, special agents targeted an operation in the small town of Roster, Alabama. And after a firefight, the men responsible for The Blue Garden Massacre, the bombing of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and the murder of federal agents across the country, including my daughter, as well as many of your sons and daughters, were brought to justice.
“Today, all those who seek to bring forth terror are reminded of the greatness and zero-tolerance of this country and the determination of the American people. We will not bend to terror. We will face it and say not today. Not Ever. As such, a memorial shall be built to commemorate the fallen. We must—and we shall—remain vigilant. Thank you. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.”
The passengers erupted into cheers as Liam kissed the back of my hand.
“We won. It’s over,” he whispered to me.
“This is can never happen again,” I whispered back.
“I know.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t speak. Yes, we’d won this war and I was going to make damn sure that it would be the last one we ever fought. Things were going to have to change. But right now—right now all I cared about was having my son in my arms and my husband at my side.
EPILOGUE
“Clothes covered in red,
Eyelids sore and blue,
Never forget the ruthless
Because they won’t ever forget you.”
— J.J. McAvoy
MELODY
I sat patiently with my legs crossed and my hands folded. I was trying my best to keep calm as the teacher in front of me went on about what was possibly wrong with my son.
“…it’s my personal belief that your son has a social anxiety disorder. He rarely plays or talks to the other children. In fact, in all of his time here, I’ve never seen him interested in anything other than his doodles. I understand that you are both incredibly—”
“I’m sorry, is my son failing your class?” I ask her through a smile.
“No, but—”
“Has he been disrespectful in anyway?”
“Again, no—”
“Are you a licensed psychiatrist?”
Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath.
I smiled. “I’ll take that as a no. You're a teacher, a very well paid teacher I might add. After all, this is the best private school in the state. Now, if you took the time to actually look at these doodles, you would see that he has a great talent and a very imaginative mind. I’m guessing the reason he isn’t responsive in your class is because he’s bored…those packets you give, he finishes in less than a few minutes while at home. So instead of blaming my son or trying to label him with a disorder, which we’ve already established is not in your job description, why don’t you try a few other methods?”
Her mouth dropped open as if she
hadn’t been expecting me to say anything, as if I was supposed to just take my son and get his head checked.
“I think we’re done here, Ms. Henderson, thank you for bring us in.” Liam stood and fixed his suit and tie before he offered me his hand.
“Of course, Mr. Callahan. And Governor, I just want you to know that I’m an avid supporter of —”
“Goodbye, Ms. Henderson,” I cut her off, and took Liam’s hands as he led us out.
Fedel and Monte both stood, at the doors.
“Why do you look so glum, sugar plum?” I asked my son as he swung his legs back and forth on the bench in the hall.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked softly.
“No, your mom here yelled at your teacher,” Liam snickered.
His dark brown messy head snapped up and his mouth dropped open. “Mommy!” he scolded.
“I did not yell. I just corrected her mistake is all,” I said to him and he crossed his arms, and glared at me as though he didn’t believe me.
“I don’t want to be moved into another classroom again, I just started to like this one,” he groaned, as he put his head in his hands.
Dropping to my knees in front of him, I brushed his hands away. But he still refused look at me.
“Wyatt, look at me, please.”
He sighed and looked to me with his familiar, big, brown eyes, though his had specks of green in them.
“If you like the class, why don't you speak? Or talk to the other students? I know you aren’t as shy as you act. You and Ethan can talk the ears off an elephant.” I said with a smile as I tickled his stomach.
He tried to not smile, as he wiggled away from me. “I don’t know. Can we go home now?” He looked to Liam who stood behind me.