Page 59 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

I glance over my shoulder to find Tommy whispering something to Nicky and Rico, who in turn have their wide eyes locked firmly on each other. Suddenly, Nicky gestures with a head tilt so subtle, to the untrained eye at this distance it would probably go unnoticed.

Rico snaps into action, gripping hold of Tommy’s face and forcing his mouth open. Nicky then reaches up, and though I can’t see it from this angle, it’s only a matter of seconds before he’s discarding the bloody blob of flesh off to the side. Rico withdraws to reclaim his spot alongside my guys, but not before spitting on Tommy’s whimpering form.

I make my way back over to find Nicky seething, his glare downright murderous as he stares him down.

“Yo.” Nicky’s head snaps at the sound of my voice. “You good? What did he say?”

His chest heaves, nostrils flaring as his eyes flicker over my face. After a moment, I see a spark of awareness ignite, almost as though he’s pulled back into reality from whatever dark depths he’d descended to.

“Yeah,” he spits, turning to face the traitor before us with a look of disgust. “It’s nothing worth repeating. Just talking more shit about my sister.”

“Really?” I inhale deep, the smell of blood now hanging heavy in the air as it continues to run down Tommy’s broken and battered body. “Let’s talk more about Jonsie, since she seems to be your favorite topic.” His eyes take notice of the small silver contraption in my hand. “You like to watch her, right Tommy? Like to follow my girl around? I think it goes without saying I can’t allow that anymore.”

I lunge forward, digging the sharp end of altered spoon into the outside corner of his left eye. I feel it rupture almost instantly as I dig back, scooping out the fluid filled remnants and allowing it to spill out onto the floor between us. The long, loud piercing cry emitted from his lungs breathes life into me, and I continue my work on the other eye to maintain my high.

Tommy’s body is now noticeably trembling, indicative that shock is probably starting to set in. Our time’s becoming limited.

“Last question from me, Tommy. Then I’m good.” His head briefly lifts in the direction of my voice, his body wracked with silent sobs. “You jerk off to the thought of my girl?”

His sobs become more pronounced, his head shaking from side to side.

“I bet you did, you disgusting piece of shit. I bet you jerked it while you watched her fuck me. Watching us wishing it was you, didn’t you?” I rip his pants down, noticing that he’s clearly pissed himself at some point in all of this. He doesn’t even have the strength to kick at us anymore. “Don’t worry, Tommy. It’s all downhill from here.” Taking the knife from Nicky’s grasp, I sever his dick in one slash, tossing it over in the same general direction as his tongue as Nicky and I step back to admire our handiwork.

Tommy’s garbled wails sound anything other than human at this point, though are fairly more subdued, given he’s fading fast.

“Alright, Tom. That’s it for us. You’re free to go.” Nicky and I turn for the exit before I stop, spinning back toward him with a menacing grin that I’m somewhat sad he can’t see. “Oh shit, I forgot. There’s one more debt that needs to be paid.”

Tommy stills, his head craning as he listens for clues of what’s to come. T saunters past me, slow but with purpose. A bottle of lighter fluid rests in one hand and a box of matches in the other. Without making a sound, he begins dousing Tommy in the flammable liquid. I’m assuming the smell gives it away because Tommy musters what little energy he has left to put up a pathetic show of resistance.

Tristan drains the last of the contents before dropping it at Tommy’s feet. He leans in close, ensuring Tommy hears him loud and clear. “You took the only person I ever loved from me.” Tommy’s body goes rigid at the sound of his twin’s voice. “However, I find solace in knowing Bentley went quickly. You will not know that same peace.” T steps back, striking the match to ignite the flame. “Burn in Hell, brother.” He spits the final word as he tosses the stick into Tommy’s chest.

He goes up like a Roman candle and it’s fucking beautiful. The flames lick at his marred skin, charring his mangled flesh. Nicky and I stand for a moment in appreciation before turning to exit the room.

“Let him burn for another minute, then put it out!” I call over my shoulder. “Get rid of the body when it’s done.”

Nicky follows me out of the cells, through the house and up into one of the guest rooms. I make my way to the ensuite, flipping on the light and stepping inside. Heading over to the linen closet, my gaze catches my reflection in the oversized vanity mirror.

I’m a fucking mess, covered in blood and grime from the night’s festivities, my appearance downright monstrous.

But none of that’s what shakes me. It’s my tattoo, the portrait of J now covered in blood, tainted by my sins, that gives me pause.

Nicky’s right.

My heart stutters in my chest, withering back into its previous cold, dead state at the realization that I have to let her go.

Before this moment, I often questioned whether I possessed a soul. And the only reason I now know I do is because I just felt it die.

Nicky clears his throat, snapping my mind back to the present. I shake off the crippling onset of depression and gesture toward the linen closet. “Towels are in there. I’ll bring you clothes.”

“Mav, about Jones—”

“It’s done,” I cut him off. “I’ll take care of it.”

He nods slowly, looking down at the floor. “And this shit with the Russians and the Sicilians? I need you to stay in power right now, Mav. At least until we ensure the peace.”

“I know. I can’t leave Hydetown to become a war zone. Not when I worked so hard to get it to what it is. We’ll sit down this week and iron out the details. Anything else?” I’m desperate to escape this space, barely holding it together by a thread.

“This doesn’t make us friends.” Nicky’s voice grows detached as his eyes come up to meet me.

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