Page 38 of Redd

Chapter Seven

Redd

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The entire ride back, all I could do was think about the dangers that lurked around the woman I brought home. She was teetering on the edge of a black hole, threatening to pull me down right along side her. She was the weight, and I was the rope barely holding her up.

And that thought, it turned my insides raw.

For years, I was the barbwire that kept danger out. My sister was safe with me, I protected her. That was my job, that was why I was still here.

I didn't want this, I didn't want to insert myself into the middle of some torrid execution. But that's exactly what I did.

That girl was on the brink of death, tortured in ways I could never imagine. I could see it in every ounce of her being. With her thin limbs, her sunken cheeks, her dull locks that were knotted and mangled. Her skin was pale, the only color was blushed pockmarks of past and present bruises.

I didn't like finding her that way. The second I locked eyes on her, all I wanted to do was drag her out of the fire.

It was hard for me to deny that I liked what I had done a bit too much. Slipping in, taking something that wasn't mine; it felt good in the moment, a rush purged my veins and turned me wicked.

But that glorified feeling quickly faded. And now I was angry. I was pissed that her very existence in my home could cause a ripple effect.

The engine hummed as I sat in the driveway, trying to settle my nerves so I didn't do something I'd regret. I knew what beast laid dormant inside, I knew what could happen if I didn't stifle the anger and use my fucking head.

I'd see red, I'd lose it. And once I passed that point, once the beast took shape and gained access to my muscles. . . That girl wouldn't stand a chance.

Because this wasn't just about me, it wasn't just about my safety and what might come nipping at my heels. I had someone who depended on me, the only flesh and blood I had left on this earth. The loyalty I had didn't fall on the woman I stole.

My sister comes first. Period.

Drawing in warm air from the vent on my dashboard, I exhaled even hotter air, fogging up the window. I did that same motion again and again, creating a thick layer of carbon monoxide on the glass.

It's time for answers.

Gripping the handle, I opened the door and walked with slow strides up to my house. Listening to the wind, I watched the silhouettes of the trees as they rocked and swayed behind my house. Their shadows danced over the lawn, moving in tandem with the thin blades.

The first time I laid eyes on this place, I thought it was perfect. Tucked away from everything, quiet, and peaceful. It was completely different from the home I grew up in.

So I bought it. It was going to make our lives better. And right then, better seemed farther away than the sun in the sky. I hated the feeling of dread that came over me as I walked to the door. I hated the knot in my gut and the tension in my muscles as I thought about going inside.

That woman had tainted my home. She filled it with everything I wanted to escape.

You made a choice, no blame falls on that woman.

She didn't come to you, you went to her.

My gut clenched, turning upside down. My palms grew sweaty and clammy the more I let it sink in that it was my choices that did this. Not that woman.Me.

You opened that door, you killed that guy, you stole her.

I did this.

I did this. . .

I repeated that over and over in my head. Everything I was about to face stemmed from my greed. I couldn't stomach that an action of mine could create a tidal wave of backlash, and my sister could be swept into the undertow because of something I wanted.

A new enemy took shape. And that was one thing I wouldn't tolerate.

With my head down, I flipped through my keys, searching for the one to the house. Positioning the key between my thumb and forefinger, I lifted it to the handle. Stopping in mid air, I looked through the tattered screen and right into my living room.

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