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“Don’t fucking start, Jimmy,” I bite back.
“I’m meant to look out for her, and I know you’re tormenting her.” I feel him getting angry.
“You know shit!”
“You haven’t removed those fucking cameras in the apartment. You’re still going there and for what? To scare the poor girl even more?”
My jaw ticks, but I have no response. My gaze moves towards the opening of the street, but Jimmy has a valid point: I am tormenting her.
“If she knows I’m around, she’ll feel safe.” I reply blankly.
“Safe? Safe how?”
“She knows I’ll never hurt her, but she needs to know I’m around and I’m fucking watching. Maybe then she’ll stop letting her guard down and letting Harry continue to torture her.”
“You can’t be fucking serious? What you’re doing is fucking dangerous and could get us all exposed. We agreed that once the funeral was over, we’d get her to leave and get rid of Harry once and for all. Give her a chance at a clean slate, but if you keep coming around, she might stay.”
I know what we agreed. I don’t need Jimmy’s holier-than-thou attitude ringing in my ears right now. But I can’t help myself. I want to protect her forever, but if she leaves, I lose that control.
“What’s so wrong if she does stay?” I turn to Jimmy, but the question causes him to pale.
“If she does and something goes wrong, she could be a target. Michael could never forgive us for that, and we owe him that much.”
Allowing my gaze to move back towards the street, his words rest heavily on my dark soul. He’s right. The reason this works is because none of us have anything to lose. If a relationship developed, questions would eventually be asked, and everything we worked hard for could fall apart and cause undeniable damage to everyone.
“Sorry to break up the heart-to-heart ladies. He’s turning the corner now.” Axe’s voice breaks the thick tension in the van. Looking in the side mirrors, I spot Finn approaching and Axe not far behind.
Sliding from my seat, I move to the back of the van. As the uneasy footsteps approach, I slide the door open. Initially, Finn jumps, but Axe is soon behind him, pushing him into the back.
“What the fuck?” Finn asks with a wide-eyed look as he spots the black mask looking back at him.
With one smack to the side of the head, he’s out cold. Once the zip ties are secured around his wrists and feet, Jimmy wastes little time in tearing away from the street and heads off into the night.
Settling back into the passenger seat, I zone out for the drive back to the warehouse. Luckily, the drive isn’t long, but I spend most of it thinking about Summer. For a moment, I let my mind wonder whether she could stay in New York and start a new life.
That would involve answering a lot of questions about me, her dad, and Jimmy.
That could complicate things in an instant. I fucking hate it, but Jimmy’s right. At any time, this could blow up in our faces, and we understand that someone innocent getting hurt isn’t what we stand for.
When the brakes screech, I feel my body wince at the whining sound coming from the vehicle. Looking up, the dark old warehouse stares back at me. The evil souls still lurk within the walls, but they can’t hurt anyone anymore. Their torment on this world now ceases to exist.
Sliding open the rear door of the van, we bring Finn’s limp body into the warehouse. As Axe ties him to the chair, I move into the side room with Finn’s file in my hand, something Jimmy managed to obtain. Placing it onto the workbench, my eyes scan the words and photos attached. Shaking my head, I can’t believe someone so violent and cruel has managed to evade a prison sentence.
Then again, after seeing the justice system's failings first hand, I can believe it. I follow each police report, each domestic violence call, each hospital report. Police officers, doctors and nurses seemed to offer all the help they could to Sarah, even offering her a protection order whilst he was out on bail, but it failed. She sadly caved every time and went home to the only thing she knew: abuse.
Her only glimmer in this dark world is her baby. Since she refused to testify, the police were likely concerned about the outcome of the arrest if she did decide to press charges this time round. Their concern would be that at any moment she would refuse, and the vicious circle would begin again.
On this occasion, I can’t blame law enforcement, there are only so many resources, and even if convicted, Finn could still claim his parental rights to that child. Sarah may never escape him. We're the better option for a happy and healthy life for her and her child.
Not wanting to look at the countless images of the abuse suffered at the hands of her own husband, the man who swore to protect her, I drop the file onto an old workbench for later.
“I can’t keep looking at this shit.” I mutter, moving from the back room.
Sliding the mask back over my face, I feel the dark persona overtake me. Easing the building tension in my neck, I crack each side's joints. Releasing some of the building pressure, I stare down at Finn. Still unconscious, he’s slumped in the chair with both his feet and hands securely held down.
As Axe approaches with a bucket of ice-cold water, he pours it over Finn. It takes a second, but he soon gasps, his wild, confused eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. Once he spots us, I can’t help but smile. When the color drains from his face, he sobers up instantly.
“Where the fuck am I?” He bellows, “I’m going to fucking kill you!” The threats continue, but I ignore them, as does Axe and Jimmy.
