Page 162 of Unravelling The Beast

As I respond, I look at him, confused.

"You're not coming with us?"

He gives a small shake of his head.

"I need to finish this one once and for all, or it will never end."

My eyes widen and I shake my head frantically as dread sweeps through me, just thinking about the possibility of losing him again. I clutch his shirt hard in my fists.

"No! I've already fucking lost you once tonight; I can't lose you again!"

He gives me a tender kiss on my forehead while gripping my wrists and pulling them firmly, causing me to release his shirt. He brings his eyes to mine, still holding on to me, and speaks reassuringly.

"I'll be back."

I shake my head once more.

"No! Please no!"

As he climbs out of the car, he releases my wrists, and before I can reach out to stop him, he is too far away.

"No, Arlo!"

He keeps his eyes fixed on mine before slamming the door in my face, and I scream and pound on the window.

"ARLO!"

Iattempt to ignore Wren's cries and pleas from inside the car as I approach another car that clearly belongs to one of the bastards we killed.

I hear Jasper coming from behind, and as I open the door, he rests his hand on my shoulder, causing me to come to a halt and side-eye him.

"I have complete faith in you to finish him, but please make sure you return in one piece, brother."

I give him a slight nod before reaching into my pants and pulling out my house keys, which I toss to him as I speak.

"Look after her."

I don't say anything else as I leap into the driver's seat and stoop down to find the wires that will start the car. When I find them, I ignite them, and the engine roars to life as I settle back into the seat and slam the door beside me.

As I drive towards the location where I'm almost certain the meeting will take place, I start thinking about Wren and how bad I feel for just leaving her like that after everything she's been through. I'm hoping she can understand why and that I'm doing this for everyone involved. For fucking with us. I was so angry and sick to my stomach when I saw Cash all over her.

I dread to think what the horrible cunt would have done to her if I hadn't gotten there when I did. I can't let her go through that again. I can't bear to see her pretty, big eyes that fucking petrified again. Even someone like myself, who has seen the most horrific stuff fucking imaginable, was haunted by the horror and anguish on her face tonight.

I was on the verge of firing the trigger right in front of her, but I stopped myself because I didn't want to scare her any more than she already was. Cash got the easy way out, unfortunately for fucking me, because if I had my way, it would have been a lot fucking worse for him.

There's a special place in hell for him, and when I die, I'll find him there to torture him for the remainder of his wretched fucking death.

Now I'm about to enter a fucking room full of potential foes. I'm not sure which side people are on or what I'm up against anymore, but I might not even walk out of that room again. But I know one thing: Charles Hayes, my father, is dying with me if I die tonight. If I die, he won't be alive on this planet; I'll be bringing that fucker right to hell with me.

I'm on the back seat, my knees to my chest, while my head is resting on the car door, and I can't shake the fear that something horrific will happen to Arlo and I won't see him again.

They kept him alive for a reason. Cash didn't finish him because Charles wants Arlo alive for some reason, which I'm not sure of, but it can't be good. I can't help but think Arlo is about to walk into some kind of twisted death trap, and maybe he already knows that. I don't know, but the thought of it terrifies the hell out of me.

Tonight, I got only a small taste of his cold and horrifying world. It tastes acidic and bitter, with a metallic aftertaste of blood. It's ominous, brutal, and cruel, with no bounds on how deep the darkness can go. It's no surprise he is the way he is if this is the world he's grown up in.

He knows nothing different and sees nothing different, but I hope that one day I can show him what normalcy looks like. Regardless of what I saw tonight, I don't want to change him. Arlo is who he is, and I care deeply about him despite it all.

The car vibrates beneath me as we drive, and the streetlights flash inside the car as we pass them, and I notice Jasper side-eyeing me now and then to see whether I'm okay.

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