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Melvin weighs the knife in his hand. “Veronica asked me to meet them to hang out. I always liked her and thought she finally liked me back. I thought we were going to be making out by the end of it. Instead, it was all a ruse. George and Alan jumped me the second I got in here.” His eyes meet hers. “She laughed the entire time.”
Any questions regarding Veronica’s involvement disappear in my mind. She’s worse, letting them kill someone for her entertainment. The abuser might be a monster, but the person who watches and does nothing is so much worse.
“Alan first,” Melvin says. “He kicked me first. I’ll give him the same honor.”
As I help Melvin closer, Alan starts to grunt and try to free himself.
“Stop, Melvin! Stop! Please! We made a mistake! We won’t do it again!” he begs.
“No,” Melvin says, leaning down. “You won’t.” He plunges the knife right into Alan’s chest without a moment of hesitation. Usually, when faced with the reality, everyone, even those desperate for revenge, hesitates. Not Melvin, though, and my estimation of his strength goes up. Alan gurgles and slumps over, but it’s Veronica’s screams that suddenly pierce the air.
Heart grabs her jaw and squeezes painfully, cutting her off. “Now what did I say, girlie?” He pulls out a knife, and she voices a muffled scream, tears running from her eyes.
“Don’t,” Melvin instructs, and Heart immediately puts his knife away. “I have something better for her. She’s claustrophobic.” He points to the half-opened stone coffin behind us.
I grin, impressed as hell by him. “Now that’s a nice idea. I like that.”
Melvin meets George’s eyes. “Do you regret it even a little?”
George’s lips curl. “No. I’d do it again.”
Melvin nods. “I thought so.” He sets the knife down and stands up. “I changed my mind,” he says before reaching for Heart’s bat.
Heart giggles and tosses it to him. Melvin doesn’t waste time, clearly thinking he won’t have the strength to swing more than a few times. He bashes the bat against George’s head, and the asshole goes down. He swings again and again, splattering blood over us, the walls, and the floor.
Veronica starts to scream again, so Heart jerks her up and tosses her into the open coffin.
“A little assistance?” Heart asks before Spade and Club come over to help him push it closed. Diamond stands next to me, both of us watching as Melvin destroys his bully’s skull until I’m certain no one will recognize him.
Veronica’s scream cuts off suddenly when the stone lid closes. Only a faint whisper of it can be heard, and it makes me smile.
Melvin sways, and I reach out for him, stopping him from toppling over.
“The card?” Diamond says, holding out his hand.
Melvin reaches into his pocket and presses it into Diamond’s hand, still panting from the effort of swinging the bat. Despite his weakness, his eyes are alight with a fire I know will serve him well.
“To the cirque?” Diamond asks. “Or a new life?”
Melvin wipes his face and meets our eyes. “The cirque,” he rasps. “I never fit in anywhere else.”
I grin. “Then welcome home, Melvin. Welcome home.”
Chapter
Thirty-Two
Iwatch the exchange closely, taking it all in from my spot behind a grave.
I watch her.
She wears a mask just as the others do, the smiling grimace ugly and distasteful. It hides the beautiful face I spent years perfecting. I want to rip it away and punish her for such a statement. How dare she gallivant across the country with these monsters? How dare she play with them?
She’s supposed to be mine to play with.
The boy passes something to the man, and when he holds it up, I catch the glimmer of a red joker in the moonlight. Another card, another pattern. The card is important somehow.
Ember turns as if she feels my eyes on her, but I sink lower so she can’t see me. It’s not time yet, but soon she’ll pay for what she did. Soon, she’ll scream my name, and she’ll be back home where she belongs.
