Page 40 of Last Breath

Not me, but others.

If we were in a crowded area, not one body would be left standing.

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “But I never had a chance to look.”

“I’m not moving this car until you do.” Mal has taken the key out and is waiting on the answer. “What does that stick say?”

“Malachi, it makes no difference, let’s just get clear of the—”

Placing his hand on my throat, Salem garners my full attention. He’s never rough, but I’ve come to understand when he’s serious to listen. “Joy, don’t fuck with us. What does the stick say?”

Slowly nodding, I reach for it. There’s no way out of this without an answer from that horrible little stick.

As Salem releases my throat, I pull out the box. Peeling back the top part, I take out the white plastic that holds our fate.

Chapter 20

Malachi

Watching her pull that simple stick out of the package, both of us held our breaths. Are either of us parent material? No, definitely not. But Joy could be.

Watching her slip it out slowly, neither of us had the patience for it. But it’s hers to discover, not ours to rush. Closing her eyes, then slowly lifting her lids, she looks at the stick. Her emotions are in check, and her face gives us no hint of the results.

“Joy, how late are you?” I can only handle so much suspense.

Looking at me, her eyes glaze over and her lips slightly part. Pulling her bottom lip in, dragging her teeth across it, I see the war in her eyes.

“A few months back since I’d had it, Mal.” Peering at me in the mirror, understanding dawns. “It’s positive.”

There’s a chance that either one of us could be the father.

No words are spoken for a moment, all of us dealing with the consequences.

Finally, Sal pipes up. “Well, fuck.”

“Are you sad, Salem?” Joy questions fearfully.

Shaking his head, he turns to Joy with the widest grin on his face that I’ve ever seen. Wider than when he kills, which is pretty wide. And it’s a true smile. Enigmatic.

“Are you kidding me! I’m so excited!” Pulling Joy in for a huge hug, Salem is ecstatic.

Me? I’m happy, but afraid too. This could be bad. Seeing Salem happy is a few and far between emotion, a true happiness, that is. The crash is what I’m afraid of. When he comes down from these highs, that’s when the Devil really enjoys our work.

“We need to celebrate, Joy. We need to celebrate now.” Smiling wide like a Cheshire cat, Salem begins to laugh.

That’s even rarer. I think the only time I’d seen him laugh, we hadn’t hit puberty yet.

“You sure?” she quizzes him.

“Of course! Our life has been needing something fantastic, Mal.” Turning to me, his grin is beaming, it’s so bright. “Turn off over there. Head into the scrub a bit.”

“You got it.”

He wants to celebrate? Fine. Placing the car back in drive, we pull off into the scrub. The ground is so dry that looking in the mirror, the tires don’t even make a mark. That’s the thing with where we are right now, Arizona is excessively dry. Peering at Joy in the rearview, her face is unsure. Offering her a wink with a smile, she releases the tension in her shoulders. I’d be fearful if I were her too. It’s been less than a year that she’s been with us, and she has no idea the depth of that smile and laugh.

Driving for almost ten minutes over some of the roughest ground that the Impala’s probably ever seen, Salem points to an outcrop of rocks where we can park undetected. Pulling in behind them, I park and turn the key, waiting for the cue from Sal. Having him this giddy is unusual, so I’ll roll with it.

“Mal, can you grab the blankets out of the trunk?” Popping my door and hopping out, I do as he asks. With a light tarp to put under it and our toy bag, I feel my dick thinking the same thing. She’s ours, and soon we’ll be more. We treat her like a queen because she gives us everything we’ve ever needed in our lives. Joy completes us. Yes, it’s only been a few months, but we’ve been together every second of the day in that time. We probably know more about each other than those that have lived together for years.

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