Page 124 of Oliver

Oliver

“What did he teach her?” I whisper but I know. I fucking know.

He raises shining eyes, and my jaw drops because for the first fucking time, I think he’s crying.

“I tried, son. I tried so damn hard, but she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t.”

My legs are numb as I stand. The guard closest to me stiffens as I say, “Who Dad?”

He looks me dead in the eyes and says, “Your mother, of course.”

Chapter 37

If you cry, you go back in the bad place.

Penny

When I peek around the corner, I find Mrs. G holding a gun. My heart sinks to my toes, and I grasp the doorframe to keep upright.

“You’re insane! Don’t you think her family deserves to know she didn’t suffer?” Bone says, holding his palms in the air.

“Me? I’m the bad guy here? Those little sluts fucked my husband. I—“

“Yeah, and you got your revenge, right? This is too twisted. Can’t you see that?”

“The only thing I see is a little sniveling bitch who can’t keep himself together. Be a fucking man.”

A shiver crawls down my spine at the weird tone to her voice and Bone cocks his head. “What’s really going on here? What happened to Matt and Ghost?”

Mrs. G grunts and waves the gun around. “All I care about is protecting my family. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Bone says, eyeing the gun with a frown.

“You see, you little bastard, this is my house. This is my world. I am the master puppeteer and you’re just a sad overused puppet.”

Bone drops his head and I step through the door. I don’t understand what’s happening, but this is wrong. So wrong.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” he whispers. “You sucked her in. You convinced her to be free, but freedom didn’t mean shit, unless it was what you wanted her to do.”

My heart is pounding so heavily, I press my hand to my chest and whisper, “Charming Charlie?”

Mrs. G spins on her heel with a snarl as Bone turns to me and whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I ask, licking my lips.

“I didn't know. I was trying to calm her down, but I had bad shit,” he says on a sob.

Rubbing my aching chest, I say, “Why didn’t you call the police? Why did you cut…off her head?”

Mrs. G waves the gun around in her hand, saying, “Because I wasn’t going down for this shit.”

After all this time, searching the seedy underbelly of the dark web, the person responsible for turning Dixie into a monster was hiding out in the suburbs.

I guess monsters really do come in all shapes and sizes.

Her eyes narrow and I shiver when she smiles. “Do you know what my husband said when I married him?”

Shaking my head, I eye Bone as he backs away. This bitch is clearly unstable. How the fuck do I talk her down from whatever she plans to do with that gun?

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