Page 43 of The Book of Wrath

“I’m always here, I never left you,” Matt’s voice sung to me like a long-forgotten song that I could listen to on repeat. I listened to his voicemails daily for years, saving them in my email so they would never be deleted by Ryan. The last connection I had.

“You’re gone, you left me and never came home!” I tried to yell. I was angry that he left me home that night. I was angry that he never came home. I was shattered when the police showed up at my door to tell me that he was gone. D.O.A. Dead on arrival. Nothing could be done no matter what I said.

“I didn’t leave you. I wanted to come home to you, I’m sorry. I tried to hold on, I tried to come home. I never wanted to leave you, I never wanted to hurt you,” Matty laid down on the sand next to me, rolling into my side like he used to when we would cuddle in bed.

“You didn’t answer my question. How are you here? How can I hear and feel you?” I try to ask with more authority than my voice will allow.

“You are closer to me than I am to you. Megan, you can’t be here anymore. As much as I want you here with me, like we used to be. I need you to wake up,” Matty cried. His hold on me was tight that I couldn’t think that this was a dream.

“I am awake Matty, I am awake, and you are here with me. I tried to move my head down to kiss him, but I couldn’t move.

“You’re not awake Megan. You’re fucking dying!” He sat up, pain and panic crossing his face. He put his hands on my face, a flooding of memories danced across my mind. Max and I in our bed, Ally and me dancing in the library like no one is watching us. Roark and me playfully bantering over what music band is superior, Ethan and I eating ice cream on my couch. “Megan, you have a life still. I love you. I will always love you until the sun stops shining and all that’s left is the stars. You are my soul mate, but you lost me and found another half to your heart. If you die here, he will go through the heartache you did. He will be lost without you. I love you, but you need to go back to him. I’ll fight him for your love when you both join me much later on.”

I sobbed, Matt’s hands wiping away my tears. He pressed a firm kiss to my lips one last time. My soul and heart shattering once more. “I love you until the sun stops shining.” I whisper back to him.

“And all that’s left is the stars.” He says as he breaks our final kiss and vanishes into the night.

Chapter 35

Max

They were late, I had Ryan drugged up so much that he had no idea where he was or even who the hell he was. I don’t know who the fuck these people were, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Roark was sitting shotgun with me; Tony and Ally were both in separate boats with sniper rifles aimed at my back. It unsettled me how much Ally knew about our operation and how skilled she was with computers and weaponry. I really need to talk to Megan about who she keeps as friends. Not that I’m complaining.

A black sedan slowly crept through the port, making it’s way straight for us. If I didn’t see Megan or if she was harmed in any way, they would die. The car came to a slow stop in front of us, headlights on trying to blind us from who they were. Three of the car doors opened and only three people came out of the vehicle. All three were large men, none of them were Megan.

“Where is she?” I growled, about to advance on the men who were heading our way. Roark grabbed my arm and reminded me to keep my head about this. The Paxley’s found out that we had Ryan, so they know who we are. Or at least they think they know who we are. They may not be fully certain.

“She won’t be making it this evening,” The guy in the middle of the group spoke loud and clear. He stepped into view; his tall, muscular frame outlined with the light from the headlights. The family resemblance was uncanny. He was definitely related to the Paxley’s but in what capacity. The other two, also tall and muscular, didn’t look like they belonged. The blonde looked like a complete idiot, probably the muscle with zero brain cells from all the steroids he was taking. The other man, the dark haired one, looked like a snake, pale and submissive. He may have muscles, but he is closer to the one in the middle, maybe his second.

Roark must’ve sensed what I was calculating as he stepped next to me. “I think those two are the ones who grabbed Megan out of the library. The black-haired one is slightly smaller than the others. The one in the middle is probably the one who put me down,” he growled.

“No offense, but right now I only give a fuck about where Megan is,” I snap at Roark. He takes a step to the right knowing that I am a ticking fucking timebomb just waiting to fucking explode. “I’m going to ask again. Where. The. Fuck. Is. She?” I clench my teeth together as I ground out the words.

“She’s not here. Like I already said, are you fucking deaf?” The man replied with a slight attempt at humiliation.

“Then your deal is off. You said she would be brought here, she’s not here. I guess you don’t get the piece of shit in the back seat,” I reply coolly, waiting for them to make a move. I want them to jump and do something stupid just so I can crack their fucking skulls open and rip their brains out and feed it to whichever one I leave living.

“You probably didn’t even bring him,” the man called out to me. So, it was a challenge that he wanted. I could make that happen.

“Are you sure you want to play that fucking game with me?” I say, looking at Roark. “Get the piece of shit out of the backseat.”

Roark rolled his shoulders and opened the back door, letting Ryan fall out of the back seat and onto the asphalt. Damn, it didn’t crack his head open. Guess I would have to do it myself. Roark kicked Ryan in the ribs rolling him over onto his stomach as I walked over to them.

I watched the men follow my every move. I grabbed the black sack off of Ryan’s head and tore it off with force. Fuck him. He grunted as I let his face smack back on the ground. I smiled at the men across from me. I was ready for them to be stupid and try something. I wanted to kill them, tear them apart limb by fucking limb, and use them as fucking puppets.

“Don’t you harm another hair on his head or you’re brains will be painted across your fucking car,” the tall blonde man shouted at me. I just laughed. I couldn’t fucking help it.

“Has anyone ever told you that you sound fucking stupid? If you shoot me, my happy trigger best friend here won’t blow your brains out, he’ll kill this fucker,” I kick Ryan in the center of his back as he screams out in pain. I press the heel of my shoe deeper into his spine. “Go ahead, fucking try me.”

“We have your bitch! You want her back, you better fucking stop or she’s dead,” the other man called out. Roark laughed next to me. “The fuck are you laughing at?”

“I was laughing at you. Calling her a bitch is by far the worst thing you could’ve done. Not only is that his girlfriend, but she’s become a dear friend of mine. I’m also laughing because you don’t fucking have her,” Roark shouted. Alerting Tony and Ally that she wasn’t here. They were clear to take aim and fire at my command.

“We.. we have her!” The blonde man shouted, but it was the man in the middle, the fucking Paxley who stepped forward.

“How do we come to an agreement so that he comes with me, and you get her?” He was trying a more diplomatic approach, interesting. He was just being a smug smart ass at the beginning of this meeting and now he’s switching tactics. Roark must be right. She’s not in the car.

“Start off by telling me where the fuck she is,” I say, slamming my foot into the back of Ryan’s head. The satisfying crunch of bone on pavement made me smile. “See, she’s not here. You don’t have her. The panic on the face of your two goons tells me my friend is right.”

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