Page 77 of Four Times Saved

"You're sick." Eric spat.

"Maybe." I nodded. "But you know I'm right."

"We're not murderers." Matt argued.

"Aren't you?" I retorted. "Tell that to Ryan." I scoffed at the now very dead Carter.

"You did that. You made him do that!" Matt's face was so red, he was on the verge of tears. Like a little baby. Aw, bless.

"Did I?" I wouldn't remind them that they all willingly followed me here, knowing my intentions.

They would've been just as guilty anyway, whether or not they stuck the knife in.

"Okay, let's do this then. You're down to two choices. Little hint? They both involve murder. I know when I'm outnumbered. You can all easily overpower me. You could try to beat me up. I've taken on bigger and stronger men than you, and won. So you could give it your best shot. See if you're lucky.

"If I'm not dead, you're going to wish you had killed me, because I will find you, no matter how far you run, whether or not I'm behind bars. I'm not bluffing. So, again, we're back to the two choices. Kill me, run free. Then it defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Wouldn't you rather save that energy for your real enemies? Sorry. Enemy. I guess there are three options, you could kill us both, but it still comes down to murder. The thing you're trying to avoid is unavoidable. So, it's up to you. Me or the man who tormented your woman her whole life? Whose blood would you rather stain your hands with?"

"She'll hate me." Ethan shook, his voice broke.

"She won't find out. I promise. There is one silver lining. All I'm asking you to do is stick the knife in. You don't have to be an overachiever like Ryan over there and deliver the death blow. Each of you stick the knife in, I'll take care of the rest. The other option is full-on murder. Because if I survive, none of you stand a chance."

Ethan exhaled and turned toward me. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, I love a good thriller." My eyes shifted between the knife and the old crock of shit.

He took the only option he'd had all along.

Surrendering to helplessness, he walked over to Lily's dad. He gained momentum from a shared moment of eye contact. From experience, I deduced that he was replaying every story Lily had told him about this man, and if that wasn't bad enough, the most recent trauma he had inflicted on her. He took his encouragement from those thoughts and plunged the knife into his shoulder. He winced at first, but when the old skinny rat shrieked in pain, I spotted a slight smirk of satisfaction as he walked away.

One by one, Eric and Matt grabbed the knife, shut their eyes, and got it over with. I delivered the final deadly blow, fucking his heart with the knife, twisting it until his pants were no more. Adrenaline coursed through me and the sweet metallic scent washed over me.

Selfish, they all left me to do the heavy lifting.

"Great, thanks for your help guys!" I threw over my shoulder as they hurried back to the car.

An hour and two dead bodies in the trunk of the old jalopy later, I sat in the driver's seat.

"No hard feelings, right guys?" I sighed.

Groaning when I looked down to see all the blood on my clothes, I started the car.

"We're gonna have to dump the clothes too. Find something else to wear. Don't worry. I'll figure it out," I assured them.

After disposing of the bodies in the lake and the car at a junkyard where they didn't ask questions, as long as there was money involved, we paid someone to get us a change of clothes before taking a cab.

Back at the guys' Airbnb where they could get changed, before heading back to the Women's Shelter, I confessed, "You know I wasn't actually going to kill you, right?"

I was like a man pleading at the door of his lover as they stopped at the door to scowl at me.

"I mean it." I did. When I gave up the mob life, I lost a brotherhood.

But, it was worth it for Ann-Marie. Meeting them, however, and being involved in this, had reawakened that desire to connect with people who could relate to my sick impulses. They might not be able to relate, but we were still bonded by this dark secret now; we were all hiding something from the women we loved. And I wasn't so alone in that department. Misery loves company, I guess.

"You fucking cut me!" Ryan gestured to his neck.

"Ah, what's a few cuts and bruises between friends." I waved him off.

"From now on, just stay out of our way and we'll stay out of yours, okay?" Ryan's shoulders were rounded and dragging forward.

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