Page 72 of Secrets That Bind Us

Verity

Present Day

"Have you seen Savannah?" I ask Dean, as we watch the newlyweds dance to the soundtrack of our youth.

Dean furrows his brows. "Come to think of it, no. She said she was gonna change into a different dress since she didn't want to ruin the one she was wearing and was going to be right back."

I think back to the small bag Savannah brought from Dean's. She didn't tell me she brought something to change into, and she did get her first period last month. I contemplate it. "When was that?"

He flicks his wrist so his sleeve rises to look at his watch. "After pictures. So about… twenty minutes or so ago."

We both frown.

"I'll go get her," he stands.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go; in case it's a girly issue."

"Alright. But if you're not back in ten, I'm going in after you.

Girly shit or not." He replies. He was the one who picked her up from school that day because I missed the phone call from the school nurse while I was in a meeting to move forward with the limited series.

I have to say– he handled it all pretty well.

He was highly rewarded for being a good father.

I grin, stand, and press a kiss to his temple. "Okay, baby. Keep an eye on Noah. He's had about three Diet Dr. Peppers."

Dean laughs, putting a hand on the small of my back. "I know. I'm watching. You look great in that dress, by the way."

"It'll look better on our bedroom floor later," I flirt unashamedly with my fiancé, smoothing down the black satin halter gown.

It feels good under my fingertips. But my belly swoops at Savannah's absence.

Dean squeezes my hip, and I know it's a warning for me to behave.

We have close to a hundred people in the remodeled barn, which is gorgeous and beautifully decorated.

Heavy black and maroon curtain-like tulle drapes hang from the center to the outskirts to create a type of canopy.

Tealight candles are in the center of every table, along with their centerpieces.

The caterers and staff are handling the copious amounts of BBQ and southern-style sides on the tables closest to the walls– still being heated by the small burners underneath.

People are dancing, laughing, and eating. It’s a good night.

But the best part is seeing my best friend finally dance with her groom. Her person.

"Alright, let me go get our daughter. Hey Dean, if you see her here, but not me... come find me anyway."

"You're playing a dangerous game, baby."

"I know," I wink and walk away. I stop by the coat rack, find my small sweater, and slip it on, then step out into the brisk, early-December air.

My breath fogs as I walk to Mama's house (that I have yet to put on the market), when I notice a small flicker of light in the living room window. A sense of dread I can't shake fills me the closer I get, like the house itself is calling to me to hurry up. I walk a little faster, then into an almost full sprint in my heels. It hasn’t rained since we moved into Dean’s house, so thankfully my heels aren’t sticking into mud.

I reach the side porch, pull the screen door open, shove the door in, and I call out to her.

"Savannah, honey?" and stop dead in my tracks– the scent of something oily hits my nostrils. But it’s the sight before me that takes my breath away.

"Mommy," she sniffs, tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I forgot my necklace. I was just trying to find it. I’m sorry.”

I shush her, reaching for her carefully, letting my feet slowly stride forward. "Hey, Savannah honey. You're okay." I stare at what looks to be Micah's disfigured ghost. But he's not a ghost. He's alive , looking like my nightmares.

And he's holding a gun to my daughter's head.

He grins, looking creepier in the flames of the flickering candles placed everywhere. "Long time no see, Ver. I was just catching up with Savbear here." He pets her, the butt of the gun touching her small face, then he yanks her head back.

Savannah can't help it. She cries out and wets herself– a large puddle on the floor. But Micah laughs, the sound of it sending shivers down my spine. "Still a scared little thing, isn't she?"

“Mommy!”

I hold back my tears, doing my best to remain as calm as possible. "Let her go. Whatever you're thinking about doing, she's innocent. Let her go. She's just a child."

He shakes his head, "No, Ver, I don't think I will. See, it all started with her, didn't it? And you will end with her. When they find her daddy's alive and her mama's dead, they'll give her to me. I'll have full reign of the money again."

"Her daddy is alive, Micah."

He growls. "But he ain't the one on the birth certificate."

Neither is he, but I don't tell him that. I have to remain calm.

"Then it is me you want. Let her go, Micah. Savannah, honey.” I speak softly to her, trying to get her attention so she can calm down.

“Let her go, Micah. I'll go with you– just please.

Please let my daughter go. Please . Just..

. just let me hug her goodbye. Okay? And I'll go with you.

" I can't help myself; tears spill at the thought that this is the last time I'll ever see my baby girl.

My son... oh God. I didn't even kiss him goodbye. And Dean...

I never got to write our story.

He shoves her toward me, and I wrap my daughter in the fiercest hug, making it a good one.

"Mommy, no!" she wails.

"Hey, shh. Shh, sweetheart. It's okay. You.

.. you go to Mommy's room okay? You get in the closet, you cover your ears, and you don't come out– no matter what you hear, okay?

Alright?" I sniff. "I love you. I have always loved you. You are the best kind of rainy day– the kind that comes after a drought. You are going to be incredible. You are going to be the best big sister Noah will ever have. You’re gonna go to school for your art.

And Mommy will watch over you forever. Never doubt my love for you, Savvy.

It'll all be okay," I soothe with a trembling voice. “Okay? And I’m sorry, Savvy. I’m so sorry. Always remember this was none of your fault. Okay? I love you.”

She nods with me, tears streaming down her face. “I love you, Mommy.” Her little arms hug me tighter, and I give her a squeeze, putting all my love into it so she can take it with her when I go.

"Ahh! Hurry up!" My once-dead husband bellows with a rough gargle that makes him choke.

“I love you more. To Jupiter and back and every sunflower you ever see.” With one last kiss to her forehead, I let my baby girl go.

“ Run .” Savannah runs to my room, and I hear a door slam just as Micah rushes toward me.

Yanking me by the hair, he shoves me down, and I'm now kneeling in front of him– gun at my temple.

"Years, Verity. I've been waiting years for this."

"How did you do it?" I have to ask. "You fooled us all. But something went wrong if your face looks like that." I'm an idiot. He puts the barrel of the gun to the back of my head and thumbs downs the hammer. Oh my God. I’m not going to have an open casket.

I can feel his malicious grin, then points to his face.

"Oh, this ? How nice of you to ask. This is real, Ver.

I mean, I had a few surgeries– ended up shelling out for a prosthetic mask so I could go out.

Then I lived off the grid here for a while.

I plotted on how to get back at your precious Dean.

Imagine my surprise when I heard voices and it's my wife and kids. "

"Ex-wife." I remind him– and regret it immediately.

He pistol-whips the back of my skull and I fall to the ground, but he yanks me back up by the hair on the top of my head. I whimper, wincing at the pain. "Now's not the time to be smart. Is it?"

"You're right. Please, come on. What do you want? More money? I can get you more money. Just leave us alone. Please."

"It's too late for that, Verity!" He screams, his melted face close to mine, and I can smell his rancid breath.

"I saw everything! You fucked him. You fucked him.

You said you love him. I heard everything– and you broke my heart!

You told me Noah wasn't his! You swore it!

You lied, you lied, you lied ! Always a fucking liar!

I knew you were coming back to him. I was good to you.

I raised your fucking ungrateful rotten kids!

" He screams roughly, as though it hurts him to talk.

Every word he says, he yanks my hair harder, my scalp burning.

"And because of that... you have to go. But it's okay.

I'll put you in the walls like you did your daddy, and then I'll burn this fucking house to the ground. They’ll never find your body. "

"Micah, Micah, listen to me, okay? Listen. They need me. I'm their mommy. Kids need their mommy. Please don't do this." I beg.

"I'm not doing this to you , Verity. I'm doing it to Dean ."

"Why?"

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

My stomach pulls, and nausea rolls– but I keep my breath steady. "Tell me what?"

"Yeah, tell her what?"

I feel the shift in Micah as he grows tense, but he's smart– moving quickly to have me in his grasp, my back to his front, arm around my neck in a chokehold, gun still at my temple. I can’t help but close my eyes at how cool the metal is against my skin. I open my eyes to look at my dark angel.

Dean takes a step forward, but Micah steps back, dragging me with him.

"Golden boy here put a hit on me."

My eyes clash with Dean's burning cerulean gaze.

"Did I?" He smirks with a lifted brow, looking as villainous as Micah due to the shadows the candles are casting.

"Don't fuck with my head, Dean! I know it was you. 'I fucked with the fuel line. He’ll never be seen again.' That's what you said to Zoey. I heard you. I heard everything!"

"When Micah? Huh? When did I say that to Zoey?"

Micah clutches me tighter and black dots appear in my periphery. He points the gun at Dean, still keeping his arm around my throat– squeezing tighter.

Dean’s hands fly up in surrender but makes a gesturing motion with one. "Put the gun down, Micah. This is between us. Okay? Your quarrel is with me. Let Verity go."

"No... No, I don't think so. You took it all away from me. Now it's my turn to take it all away from you."

"Took what away from you? Verity was always mine, Micah."

"No... no. You... you... I saw you that summer at the beach house party. I saw you at every single one of her signings in Texas. You were there. Always there. Fucking with my head. Then in Venice– it was Venice. The boating accident. You... I saw you there, too. I don’t know how you did it. But I know it was you. The gallery."

"I think the drugs have fucked you up more than you want to admit, Micah. I've been here the whole time. I’m a sheriff in Small Town, USA. How would I have the time to go to all these places? The money ? Huh? C'mon now– give me the gun. You aren’t thinking clearly." He takes a step toward us.

"I was never on any drugs!" Micah growls. "After the boating accident, yeah. But there wasn't... I wasn't... sick. You were on the boat when I proposed to her. You were a waiter. You slipped that stuff in my drink."

My brain goes back to the night Micah proposed– how he was so drunk he almost went overboard.

I keep my eyes on Dean, but he's looking at Micah, who’s dragging me closer to the wall of candles all over the floor and end tables.

That’s when I see his blankets on the floor.

He was here this whole time, squatting while we were living here. How did Will not see anything?

“My workers have seen stuff in the basement…”

“Mom, I swear I saw someone in here…”

Oh God. They tried to tell me– and I brushed it off.

But it’s still not making any sense. “But the body! I buried someone!” I try to fight out of his grasp, but it’s too tight.

“You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to purchase one from a failing morgue.” He chuckles gruffly, sounding like a monster awakening from deep slumber.

“You… you just had a corpse available?” I rasp.

“Of course I fucking did!” he roars, jerking me to the side.

“I watched my security camera feed and saw when Dean snuck into my house! I knew he was gonna fuck with my car! So maybe I got burnt a little, but I did the old switch-a-roo while driving. I bet you saw that, huh, Dean? Saw the car swerve a little bit? Did you like it? Did it get you hard thinking I was going to die, and you’d finally get my little wife? ”

Oh my God he’s fucking crazy.

“You sound like a fucking lunatic, Micah!” Dean says what I’m thinking.

It makes Micah choke out a maniacal, wet, garbling laugh– not noticing he’s shuffled us even closer to the flames.

I sniff. “Dean?”

His eyes stay on Micah. “Yeah, baby?”

“Was Savannah out there?”

He nods. “She’s good, baby. She got me. She’s with Noah.”

I let out a sob.

It’s the perfect storm.

We were always a convolution of objections and disasters.

“Dean?”

His eyes finally find mine, and I take a deep, shaky breath and simply mouth, “I love you. ”

“Verity, DON’T!”

I smash down the heel of my shoe down on Micah’s toes, elbowing him in the gut.

When he loses his grasp on me, I use my hands to push over all the candles.

They fall on his blankets. The sofa. The curtains.

I scream when he grabs at me, but the fire is beginning to spread.

There’s more shuffling behind me, but I kick at more of the candles.

More grunts– and the windows shatter the higher the flames go.

I look at the stairs to see Mama smiling at me before she turns away and goes up, the flames following her like she’s leading them– and they swallow her flickering form. It’s spreading so fast.Too fast.

Panic rising, I gasp, seeing another figure Noah’s age moving toward the kitchen– more flames dancing behind them.

But a noise like a firework grabs my attention, and soon I’m pushing Micah off of Dean. He rolls onto his back on the floor, and I let out an itchy, burning breath– the smoke now clawing at my throat. Dean gets up quickly. “We have to go!”

I nod, looking at Micah’s lifeless body, then at the thickening smoke and high flames surrounding us, licking at me. I cover my mouth with my hands. Dean said Savvy was safe. She’s okay.

“Front door!” I stumble over Micah’s corpse as we make our escape, but the train of my dress snags on something.

I turn around to rip it– only for a still-alive Micah to yank on it harder.

His hand comes up… and he shoots, just as the flames engulf him.

I fall beside him, watching as my nightmare is engulfed in flames, melting before me.

I blink. “Mama?”

“VERITY!” Is all I hear Dean scream before I take Mama’s hand.

She’s so warm…