Page 83 of Forever Midnight

“Say it or spend the rest of your life dangling from here as you bleed out, slowly and painfully.”

The smell of urine hits me and I gag. Vinni fucking peed himself.

“So-sorry,” he yells, scrambling to grab the windowsill out of his reach. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” I ask.

“Uh, sorry for hurting your sister.”

“Lucia,” I yell. “Say her name.”

“I’m sorry for hurting Lucia!”

Midnight looks at me and I nod. He drags Vinni back in, who slumps against the wall, his jeans stained with blood and piss, his face red, and panic in his eyes.

“Thank you, Vinni. I’ll pass it along.”

I shove the knife straight into his chest, twisting it to make sure it fucking hurts, and smiling as his eyes grow wide. “No pills for you.”

“May I?” Midnight asks.

“By all means.”

I have no idea what he plans to do, but I’m happy to watch. Midnight growls, tilting his head ominously as he uses his sharp nails to literally rip Vinni’s throat out. I step out of the way just in time to avoid being splashed with blood.

Midnight drops Vinni’s body and we stand over him for a moment, watching him gasp and cling to life. Funny how they have no problem taking other people’s, but fight for their own. Once Vinni takes his final breath, his eyes staring lifeless at the ceiling, I exhale.

“Come on,” Midnight says.

We walk over to the table, where piles of money, drugs, and all the incriminating evidence of Lucia’s mistake exists. Midnight pulls a lighter out of his pocket, but I stop him for a second.

“I want to tape it so I can show Lucia it’s over.”

“Good idea.”

I turn my actual phone’s video feature on, taping it all as Midnight sets everything on fire except the money. He tears the laptop apart with his bare hands, adding it to the burning pile. Surprising tears stream down my face as I watch it all go up in smoke. It’s finally fucking over.

Midnight stands behind me, his chin resting on top of my head, his arms around me. “I’m proud of you, Tru. You’re a total badass.”

“Somewhere inside me, I guess. I found it when it mattered.”

“Yeah, you did.”

When the last bit of evidence is nothing but ashes, we turn to look at the mess in the room. Thorn, covered in blood, leans against a wall smoking a cigarette, while Eros and Raphael sit in two chairs chatting. Syn, Bowie, and Yves are in another area, also talking. Body parts, blood, and guts cover the room, but they act like it’s just a normal day at the office.

Midnight guides me over to them. “It’s done,” he says.

“Excellent,” Yves says. “And New Onyx is finally rid of the Malice gang.”

“Thanks, guys. All of you.” I blow out a breath. “I literally couldn’t have done this without your help.”

“That’s how we do it, little madman,” Thorn says, blowing out a ring of smoke, his chin still covered in blood. “You’re family now. You never have to do anything alone.”

I lean into Midnight, filled with happiness and security. “Thank you.”

Bowie winks at me as Syn wraps his arms around him.

“Let’s finish this off,” Yves says. “You have the shield, Thorn?”

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