Page 46 of Promise of Hellfire

When he returned, he had a rusted barrel tethered to a moving dolly. Hunter motioned to Ayers' body. “Help me lift him.”

I took one last look at the dead man tied to the chair, trying to find even an inkling of remorse.Absolutely nothing. All I felt was relief.

After Ayers was placed inside, Hunter rolled the dolly from the room, humming to himself, and turned left, opening a heavy door that led outside. Piles of pallets and rusted metal parts were scattered across the small yard. Joey walked out with a canister of gasoline. Ethan took the gasoline and poured it inside of the barrel, coating Ayers body. “It ends as it began,” he told me as he handed me the book of matches.

I almost laughed at his words as I struck the match and dropped it, the accelerant catching quickly. It wasn’t exactly the end, but he had a point. Everything had started because of a single impulsive act. A blaze that took out a luxury sports car and left me indebted to Oliver Griffith.

It was the end. The end of me being caged in the penthouse. But really it was only the beginning, the start of a new life.

Flames leapt up, filling the air with rancid-smelling smoke. Ethan’s statement earlier about disliking the smell of burning bodies rang true. Even with all the fires I had started, this was only the second time I had smelled burning flesh. It was a smell that would forever be imprinted on my brain.

We watched for several seconds before Hunter placed his hand on my shoulder. “Joey, you’ve got this right?”

“Yeah, I’ll handle it. Go take care of the queen and make sure to burn her clothes.” He laughed to himself again. “Wait until I tell Oliver about this.”

Dominic grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Let me tell him in the morning.”

Chapter twenty-nine

Dominic

IhelpedRayneintothe passenger seat of the car and buckled her seatbelt. She handled tonight well, and I was proud of her. She wasn’t squeamish and didn’t shy away from the brutality of the evening. Instead, she leaned into that part of her. I wouldn’t say anything about it, but seeing her acting with no remorse turned me on. The blood contrasting on her pale skin was beautiful, especially now as she sat at my side.

I knew from his reaction that Hunter was worried about how this would impact her, but I thought of it as potentially therapeutic. Ash might disagree, but what better way to seek closure than vengeance? If her nightmares reappeared from the events of tonight, I’d be there to catch her while she fell.

As I turned the key in the ignition and my mind trailed off, thinking of what needed to be done this week. First thing tomorrow I needed to get the car detailed. Between the blood, dirt, and mud, it was absolutely filthy. The shop across town was incredibly discrete and always did an excellent job. After that, my focus would be on helping Rayne set up her surprise for Hunter. Perhaps I would send Hunter on an errand in the morning, buying myself more time.

Then we’d handle the police chief. And after that, we should take Hunter’s advice and go on a vacation. I didn’t know the last time any of us had stepped away from Strathmore or any of our duties at Jupiter Financial. Considering everything, I thought it was well deserved.

I pulled into the parking garage and glanced at Hunter. “Call Phillip and tell him to wipe the feed from tonight. Just in case.” Even though we’d blackmailed the police chief, I didn’t want to leave any potential loose ends or evidence tying us back to tonight.

I escorted Rayne upstairs and helped her into her bathroom, turning on the shower as hot as I could stand, how I knew she liked it. I helped her peel off the damp clothes, plastered to her skin by blood, and watched as she sank against the shower wall, allowing the water to spray her body. She closed her eyes, ignoring the swirl of red gathering at her feet and I pulled a soft towel from the closet before leaving the room.

Going through her closet, I found a few pieces I thought she’d find comfortable. A pair of black yoga pants, an oversized t-shirt, cotton underwear, and fuzzy socks. I sat them on the edge of the cabinet before stripping out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the bathroom floor, and stepping into the water with Rayne. After she fell asleep, I would burn them all, but right now I needed to shower and check on her.

She leaned into my body and opened her eyes when she realized I was standing there, peering up at me. “Hi,” she murmured.

“Hi.” I squirted some of her strawberry shampoo into my palm and lathered my hair, waiting to see if she said anything else.

This mirrored so many other nights in some ways, but it was very different in others. A few short weeks ago, she would have had tears trailing down her cheeks or her hands would have shaken from adrenaline. There were no traces of that woman tonight as she soaped up her body. All I could see was determination.

“I have to ask, but I think I know the answer. You’re okay, right?” I asked as I rinsed my hair, the scalding water washing suds down my body.

She sighed as her arms circled me. “I’m fine, I swear. Besides, what else were we going to do? Let him continue to terrorize us and lord the fact he was Hunter’s father over his head? Let him become mayor? He had enough power.” She planted a kiss on my chest. “The only thing I’m worried about is whether you’ll look at me differently now. That’s it.”

I lifted her chin to look into her stormy-colored eyes. “Doubtful sweetheart. Pretty sure we’re all smitten with you. If you ever tried to leave, we’d just drag you back. This is where you belong.”

She closed her eyes before whispering, “I gave the three of you my heart. Don’t make me regret it.”

I turned off the water and handed her the towel on the countertop. “I wouldn’t dare. For one, I’ve seen what you can do with a knife.” Her lips tilted up like she was trying to suppress her amusement. “Plus, I know I’m not great at saying things like this, but I’m madly in love with you. A little murder won’t stop that.”

I grabbed a second towel and helped her dry off her body before she pulled on the clothing I laid out. As she left the bathroom, she stopped and leaned close, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “I love you too, Ice King.”

I swatted playfully at her butt as she raced from the room and laughed to myself before gathering everyone’s clothes from tonight.

A while later I watched the flames flicker on the rooftop and wondered what I had done to deserve her love or even Hunter’s and Ethan’s friendship. The three of them overlooked my incessant cleaning and aloof attitude. They were my family and the ones I’d be willing to die for.

The next morning after breakfast, I sent a grumbling Hunter off to run errands and have the car detailed. We couldn’t accomplish anything if he was hanging around the penthouse. If he got back early, I would send him into the office to do… something. I gave Rayne a quick look and motioned for her to follow me upstairs to Hunter’s room.

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