Page 107 of Bear
“Thank you, Bear,” Ace rasped. I knew he was in his last seconds. I nodded my head and held his hand as he made his final exit. “I don’t know where I’m going after this but…” he let out a cough and groaned at the pain ripping through him.
“Shh…” Cecily said, touching his hair. “You’re going to heaven, Ace. You made the most selfless sacrifice anyone can make.”
“Nah…” Ace shook his head like he knew there was no space in heaven for men like us.
“You are,” she insisted more adamantly this time. Tears made her cheeks shine under the moonlight. “You’re going to heaven. I know it and I’d never lie to you.”
“Okay, Dimples…if you say so.” Ace looked at me and I saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes. I squeezed his hand a little harder and sighed heavily.
“You’ve been like my brother all these years, Ace. You’re a good guy.” His breathing slowed so much I couldn’t tell if he was still alive or not but I knew, either way, it wouldn’t be long. “When you get to heaven, tell them an angel put in a good word for you.” I looked at Cecily and kissed her temple.
Ace gave the slightest nod then a single tear rolled from the corner of his eye and I knew he was gone. My entire chest ached. I knew we all died the way we lived but Ace shouldn’t have gone out like that.
I motioned for Kareema to come over and she jumped into action, moving Cecily into the house while I walked over to where my soldiers were holding my father. Tito slapped my back a few times and said, “I’m sorry about your guy. I know he was your friend.”
“He was. He was a damn good friend but that’s just going to make what I have to do so much sweeter.” I motioned for my men to step away from Dad. I knew they’d already disarmed him and even if they hadn’t, Titan was itching to put a bullet in him the minute I gave the signal.
“I think this is a new low even for you, Dad,” I said, shaking my head. “You were willing to kill Luanne’s only fucking kid. She was supposed to be like family to you and you’d do that?” I let out a sharp laugh and looked up at the sky, wondering if Ace was floating around up there somewhere already. “I shouldn’t be shocked though right? I mean you killed your own fucking son. There’s no honor left inside of you.”
“No honor left in me?! What about you? You’re the fucking traitor, Bear. You ungrateful little piece of shit. I gave you everything and you turned on me! You plotted against me!” It was one of the only times I remembered hearing my father sound unglued.
It was fascinating.
I studied his wild copper eyes and tipped my head to the side. When he leaped from his chair, I flicked my fingers and two huge men wrapped their hands around Dad’s arms and sat him back down.
Normally, that would have been Ace’s job. The thought left a numb pang in my heart. I wasn’t sure if opening myself to the myriad of emotions that existed in the world was a good idea or not.
“All of you are fucking cowards and traitors! Every last one of you mindless, spineless pussies.” He struggled against the men holding him while I smiled.
“Wow, look at you. All riled up and mad. This is interesting to watch. I never thought you got mad. I never thought anything could get under your skin enough to upset you. I was wrong. Evidently, I possess the power to unravel the great, unflappable Griffon Stone. I’ll add it to the list of shit I’m good at.”
“You’re not good at anything Bear. You’re a follower. You do what I tell you. Without me, you’re worthless!”
“Still grasping at straws, Dad? Maybe I’d believe you if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been running your fucking organization for the past seven years without taking any advice from you. If I’d taken your advice, this entire business would have gone under in the first year. You’re fucking clueless and arrogant and I’m a better businessman than you’ll ever be.
I’m a better man than you’ll ever be. You can die knowing that.” I slapped the side of his face a couple times then pulled a knife from my waistband with fluid ease.
“God. A bullet would be so much quicker.” When I heard Lane’s voice, I looked over my shoulder, shocked. She had her arm around Cecily’s shoulders.
“You okay?” I asked Cecily.
“I’m…okay.” She was cleaned up with minimal traces of Ace’s blood around her fingernails and on her knuckles. “I want him dead.” She glowered at him and I felt ice emanating from her stare.
“Oh, look at that. She wants me dead. Get in line, bitch. Still doesn’t change the fact that I fucked your pussy and came in you one last time,” Dad sneered, baring his teeth. They weren’t bared for long because I drew back my fist and slammed it into his mouth repeatedly until he spat blood on the grass and cursed my name.
“Good. Call me every name in the fucking book. I want you to hate me.” I told him, stooping down to look into his eyes. “I want you to hate me and feel that burn. Know that your only living son loathed the air your breathed. Know that I wished my entire life I could have grown up with my mother instead of you. Know that now that I’ve found Mom, I’m never letting her go and nothing you did in your entire fucking life stopped us from having a relationship. I want you to know you’re a failure, Dad.” I stood up and took a step back from him for a moment.
“You’re still just as fucked up in the head as I am, Bear. You’ll never rise above it. It’s in your DNA. You’re an evil, cold motherfucker just like me. You were always the most like me out of my three boys. You always will be no matter if I’m dead or not and you know it. You can kill me but you’ll never kill the me that’s inside of you.”
I hated his words. They burned through my skin and bones. They burned through to my veins and cycled through me like black poison.
With a growl, I made a lightning-quick slash across his chest to shut him the fuck up. He let out a pained grunt, then another as I sliced across his stomach. I cut deep enough to make him bleed profusely but not deep enough to kill him quickly.
I wanted him to suffer. I wanted everyone to watch him fucking suffer.
“I’m not like you,” I told him through clenched teeth and a tense jaw. “Fuck you. Fuck the curse you put on me.”
“It’s okay, baby…” Lane rubbed my back and I looked over at her. I don’t know what my eyes looked like but they brought her to tears. Silent, mournful tears. I nodded and looked around at all the men lining the backyard in silence.
