Page 22

Colt

“Are we there yet?” Nova asks for the millionth time.

Her childlike excitement makes me chuckle. “Almost. Are you nervous?”

“It’s more adrenaline than anything. I’m going to climb out of my skin if I don’t get out of this truck.”

“A few more miles and we’ll be there.”

“Are you good?” She asks and while I’ve dreamt about this for years, it doesn’t seem real now that it’s happening.

“I’m good, baby.”

We’re silent for the next little bit until my childhood home comes into view. Pulling off the road a couple of blocks away, I kill the lights and cut the engine.

I’d always planned to kill my parents one day. The thought surfaced every now and then, but I usually pushed it to the back of my mind. While I wanted revenge, Nova and my work were always my top priorities.

Now, I don’t have a choice. She’s insisted and what my girl wants, my girl gets. She’s giddy and pumped about this little adventure, claiming it’ll be a good bonding experience for us.

She’s full of shit.

My little demon was traumatized by my childhood memories, and she wants her own retribution for my sake.

I don’t fault her. If her mother were still alive, I would’ve carved the bitch up but kept her alive. Every day I would’ve reminded her why she was being mutilated and tortured. Suffering is the only thing the cunt would’ve known until I decided to put her in the ground. Or set her on fire, depending on my mood.

Mothers are supposed to protect their children.

Ours threw us to the wolves like sacrificial lambs.

Most people would have reservations about killing their parents, but I don’t. This has been a long time coming.

While my black soul was lost long ago, my heart beats for Nova. She’s brought me back to life, giving me a reason to survive in this fucked up world. Watching my parents die with her by my side will only solidify our unbreakable bond.

She flips up the console, scooting across the seat, next to me. “You’re pretty sexy in all black, Devil.”

Wrapping my fingers around her throat, I close in, nipping her bottom lip. “Don’t make me fuck you right here.”

She smirks. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

I kiss her hard until she’s panting. “Let’s get this over with so I can get you home.”

She laughs. “This is a monumental event, Colt. You need to savor it.”

Licking the seam of her lips, my fingers flex against her throat. “My cock thinks it’s monumental every time it slides inside you.”

“Let’s get this over with.” She shudders and I smirk.

Opening the driver’s side door, I jump out with Nova right behind me. Reaching inside the truck bed, I bring out the duffel bag with everything we need. Throwing it over my shoulder, we start walking towards the gravel driveway leading to my childhood hell. She stays close behind me, a second set of eyes scanning our surroundings as we approach the back door.

All the lights are off, and the house is quiet. Pulling the lock picking kit from my back pocket, I work the deadbolt and knob until they click, and the door opens. I come to a halt a few steps in, the same smell from when I was a kid slapping me in the face. Mildew and cigarette smoke burn my nostrils and a sick feeling churns in my stomach. There’s just enough moonlight shining through the kitchen windows that I see the same hideous wallpaper on the walls.

The same filth on the tile floor.

The tiny table with four chairs that I rarely sat at because I was locked in my room.

Blinking away the memories, I push away the little boy who suffered, bringing forth the man who will cause the suffering.

We slowly move into the living room, the same shit brown carpet from all those years ago meeting the soles of my boots. The old blue couch with holes and the red chair with liquor stains are still the centerpieces of the unpleasant room.

“You okay?” Nova checks in and I nod.

Tossing the duffle bag on the couch, I pull open the zipper, revealing everything she requested.

“Get the duct tape to cover their mouths.” I tell her and she nods.

I grab the baseball bat she insisted on bringing, saying it would help her relieve some of her pent-up aggression. My personal weapon of choice is the switchblade I always keep in my pocket. I’ve brought some other things with me, just in case I change my mind.

After I slide on my gloves, she hands me the tape and I go ahead and tear off a piece, she does the same.

She turns to move deeper into the house, but I grip her waist, spinning her around. “If at any point this becomes too much, you go to the truck, and I’ll finish up.”

She looks at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. “Like hell! We’re in this together and I’m going to enjoy every fucking second of it.”

I kiss her hard. She gasps and I plunge my tongue inside her mouth, devouring her until she’s breathless. “Alright, little demon. Let the games begin.” I murmur against her lips.

She smiles and it’s both beautiful and sinister, taking the baseball bat from my hand as I lead her towards their bedroom. The dark hallway is short, and I blink to refocus my eyes as we creep slowly so not to wake them. The door is open, and I find my parents sound asleep in the dingy room, barely lit up with a night light shining from my mother’s side of the bed. Nova nudges past me, taking in the room as she walks to her side of the mattress.

I take a few steps before reaching my father, and I’m instantly filled with rage as I look down at him. My mother lies beside him, her face just as cold while she sleeps as it is when she’s awake. They both look bitter, the years since I last saw them not very kind.

Glancing at the bedside table, his belt hangs off the corner, and I grin. Pulling it from its resting place, I meet Nova’s gaze, and she nods. Stretching the belt across my shoulders, I pull the tape tightly between my fingers.

We sync our movements, pushing the tape to their mouths at the same time. They both wake in a panic, their screams muffled, and I revel in their fucking fear. Nova jumps on top of my mother, straddling her waist and pressing her shoulders against the mattress. “Shut the fuck up or I’ll gut you right here, you worthless bitch.”

Sliding the belt from my shoulders, I press the ends together in my palm. Raising it behind my head, I swing it as hard as I can, the old leather snapping against my father’s chest. His body curls, but I lean down, pinning him to the bed. “Good to see you again, Dad .”

His tear-filled eyes widen, and my mother begins to fight again. Nova backhands her so hard, her neck snaps to the side, and I think it’s broken until she starts screaming again.

“Get up!” Nova grits out. Where she was giddy earlier, she’s fucking pissed now.

Grabbing my father by the bicep, I pull him from the bed. “You don’t look happy to see me.”

His eyes widen and I chuckle. “I’m happy to see you. We have so much to catch up on.”

We lead them down the hallway, into my old bedroom. As my mother realizes where we’re going, she tries to run, but Nova simply kicks her in the back of the leg. She falls to the ground, her head bouncing off the wall. She looks at me exasperated. “This cunt is stupid, Colt. It’s hard for me to believe she birthed you.”

I chuckle as we reach my old room, opening the door. All humor is lost when I take a look around, unwanted memories assaulting my mind. Nova drags my mother across the floor, leaving her in a heap in the corner of the room. She walks over to me, gripping my father by the arm. He tries to fight, but she knees him in the balls, and he falls to the floor whimpering. She pushes him to the opposite corner of my mother and comes to my side.

“Hey.” She whispers and I find her gaze. “We’re going to fix this. Once they’re dead, you’ll never have to think about them again.”

I nod as I look around the bare room. When I was younger, I only had a twin bed. There was no dresser, no games, no toys. Nothing.

She threw my clothes in the bottom of the closet, never bothering to fold them or hang them up. So many days and nights, I sat in this room, alone and in pain. Now, the bed is gone, the room is empty and it’s as if I was never here.

Cupping her cheek in my palm, I let her see into my soul. I give her a glimpse of my pain.

The darkness my parents cast me into.

I never found my way back.

She gasps at what she sees, and I grin, feeling free and truly feral. “Will you still love me when I’ve finished?”

She grins. “The question is, will you still love me when I’m finished?”

I fist her hair, our lips coming together in an explosion of depraved intentions and primal lust. She wraps one arm around me, the other holding the bat as she battles for control, her predator instincts unlocked.

There’s shuffling from my father’s corner and she breaks away, giving him a look that almost makes me cower. “Keep your ass where you are, or I’ll make this more painful than I originally planned.”

Slapping her on the ass, I kiss her cheek. “Do your worst, baby.”

She spins around, focusing on my mother. The bitch whimpers as her body trembles and I do what she did to me. I walk to the door, propping myself against the frame, watching my girl unleash her fury.