Page 86 of Fall onto me

I hit play.

There’s a passing of time, one where I walk away with stomping feet and then another when Mom does too. I fast forward, until there’s movement again.

“Yes, if the paperwork doesn’t trail back to my wife for her arrest, you have the go ahead to continue the hit.”

A stretchof silence passes through the line as he listens to the response we can’t hear.

“I don’t care, Barnes. I’ll up the fucking jackpot by two million if you can get it done fast when I need you to. Dump her in the harbor, bury her in a graveyard, I don’t give a fuck. My daughter is next. If it’s smarter to do it with them together, a car accident maybe, then do it.”

Wes lungesfor him at that, but Foster holds him back.

“I’m not going to have them take a fucking dime of my money, ungrateful spoiled bitches.”

Detective Askena letsout a long whistle before looking at Kent. “You can add conspiracy to murder to your impressive list of charges.”

As the officer shoves him out of the room, I say the last words I’ll ever speak to him. “I learned exactly how not to be because of you. Fuck you, Kent.”

* * *

I hadto come outside to see him being placed in the back of a cruiser. This is a moment that I thought I would never get to experience: justice.

Detective Askena meets me by the front door, and we both watch as the other officer disappears down the driveway, taking my monster with him.

“You’ve all been through enough tonight. Please, get some rest.” She hands me her card. “At some point this weekend, come down to the station while it’s still all fresh in your mind.”

I nod. “I think it will always be fresh.” But then I pause as she begins to walk away. “Detective?”

She turns towards me, softening her face when she sees how exhausted I am. “My friend, Warren. His mom owns the country club over off Willow. Before ownership changed from his father to his mother, my dad did some kind of tax deal with them.”

She nods as I continue, “They knew nothing about this. His father did, but not Laurene. Please don’t let her lose that country club.”

“We’ve already gone through the paperwork. Laurene already hired a lawyer months ago who fixed these discrepancies. Skyler.” She bites her lip thoughtfully. “Can I give you some advice?”

I look over her face. “Please.”

“Stop worrying about everyone else for a change.”

After a moment, she leaves and I slip back inside, to find my mom and Wes in an argument. Foster is looking between them, as stunned as I am about everything, I don’t have the energy to be involved; I simply want to observe.

Mom begins barreling out excuses while sobbing. “It was too hard,” she cries. “I couldn’t watch her live the life I led.”

“You had Grandpa,” Grace interjects with a whisper as Foster comes to check on me.

Mom lets out a choking sob. “I was scared and foolish. I couldn’t look past the pain of that house like you could. It killed me to go there.”

“And look what you’ve done. Skyler feels the same way you do!” Wes bellows.

“You think I don’t know that?” she retorts, and I tug on Wes’s arm.

“I forgive her,” I tell him.

“You do?” Mom cries.

“Yes.” I nod. “Foster and I have been at the clutches of a bad man, but it all started with us having good intentions. Your intentions were good at the beginning, Mom, and then you were too tangled. We dealt with the keeper for two years, and you dealt with my father for twenty-two.”

Grace and Mom walk upstairs. I know it will take time to mend our relationship, but life is made of choices, and I choose forgiveness, not hate or vengeance.

Once the room is quiet, filled with only me, Foster, and Wes, the truth begins to settle around us.

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