Page 39 of The Atonement (Arrangement #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

PETER

I placed the gun in my son’s hands. It would be the easiest way to kill him. From a distance. There was no need to get his hands dirty just yet.

I never wanted this life for my children, but now, I had no choice. Ainsley had taken my choices away, and I had to deal with that. This was the only way.

“Okay, safety’s here.” I pointed. “Keep it on until you’re ready to shoot. Do you hear me?”

He nodded, eyes trained on the gun.

“Go in the front door. They’ll be so happy to see you, no one will notice it.

I’ll sneak in through the laundry room. Keep it in your belt until you’re behind him.

Now, if he tries to hurt you, you have the weapon, but I don’t think he will.

Get behind him, point the gun, and shoot.

Don’t second-guess. Don’t overthink. It’s the only way. I’ll be right there to protect you.”

He was trembling, his face pale, eyes wide. He couldn’t seem to wrap his fingers around the gun.

I put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at me. “Dylan, I need you to promise me you can do this. I’m not going to send you in there if you can’t handle it.”

He met my eyes, swallowing. “I-I can handle it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He gripped the gun. “I’ll be okay.”

“After it’s over, I’ll take care of everything. No one will ever know. I promise you.”

“No police?” he croaked.

“No police,” I assured him. “Your mom would be the only one who could tell, and she’s not going to want you to go to prison. You’ll be saving us. Bringing us all back together.”

My phone chimed with a text message from M .

Dylan is missing. Is he with you?

“They know you’re gone,” I told him.

“Mom’s been calling me all morning,” he admitted, looking guilty. “From Grandma’s phone. I was scared to answer.”

“That was smart. We don’t want to give them the upper hand.”

I texted my mother-in-law back quickly. I’ve got him. He’s safe. Let me in the side door and I’ll explain.

“Alright.” I studied him, nodding affirmatively. “You ready?”

“Mhm.” He didn’t look ready, but he pushed the door open anyway, sliding the gun in the back of his belt like I’d shown him. He crossed the street, making his way up the walk just as I jogged across her lawn toward the side door.

He rang the doorbell, and it opened in an instant. I pressed my body to the side of the house, waiting until it shut to knock on the exterior side door that led to the laundry room.

I waited, then knocked again.

When no one answered, I twisted the knob. It was locked, as I’d expected.

Come on, Adele. Where are you?

I didn’t have time to waste. I shoved my hand through the glass window, ignoring the pain that tore through my hand and turned the lock. I stepped inside the house, shutting it behind me and listening closely.

“You put us all in danger, is the point!” Ainsley was screaming.

“Now, I asked you if he was dangerous, and you said no. How was I supposed to know the truth when all you do is lie to me?” Adele argued.

“You told him where we were—”

“Mom, stop!” Dylan shouted. “This isn’t Dad’s fault.”

“I just wanted the two of you to be together again. I wanted to help you fix your marriage. All I’ve ever wanted for you is what I didn’t have,” Adele said.

“I trusted you. I trusted you, and you betrayed me.” Ainsley was furious, and with good reason.

If my mother-in-law hadn’t told me where to find Ainsley at the hotel and arranged for Matt to take her out long enough for me to sneak in, I might not have found her at all.

She was so sure Matt would show her how much she needed me, how lucky she was to have me.

That had been a major miscalculation, but still.

Having her help was a tremendous boon to my plan.

She’d been on my side, even more than her daughter’s.

She knew what a mistake it was for Ainsley to leave me.

“And you,” Ainsley was saying, “sweetheart, you scared us to death. Why would you do that? Why would you run away and not tell anyone?” It sounded like she was crying.

“Why are you here, Mom?” he asked, going off script. “And what did you do to your hair? Did he make you dye it?”

No.

He was supposed to pretend everything was fine until he could get a good angle and go in for the kill.

“What?”

“Why are you leaving Dad? For him? What’s he done to you?”

“No. Dylan, you’ve got it all wrong—”

“Do I? What happened to your face? What did he do?”

“He? Oh, sweetheart, Matt didn’t do this. Matt’s a friend. But, listen, honey, we have to go. Your dad could be here any minute, and—”

“He’s already here,” he said firmly.

“What?” she gasped.

“He brought me.”

“At least he brought him back to you,” Adele said. “See, he was trying to help.”

Ignoring her now, Ainsley spoke directly to our son. “ Dylan, there are some things you need to know about your father, and—”

“There’s a car outside,” Matt confirmed.

“We don’t need you to tell her what I already told her, asshole,” Dylan shouted, his voice erratic. He was losing control. Getting too emotional. He wasn’t ready for this.

“Sorry,” Matt mumbled. “I was just trying to—”

“Dylan! No!” Ainsley shouted, her voice echoing through the halls. The crack of a gunshot rang out. I smiled as I heard a thud.

A body had fallen to the floor.

His body.

I stepped out of my hiding place, taking in the scene: Matt was slumped in the corner against the wall; Adele was on the stairs, her eyes wide with the horror of what had happened; Ainsley stood in the center of the room, a hand over her agape mouth; Dylan was pale-faced and quivering, the gun dangling in his hand at his side.

“What did you do?” Ainsley asked in horror, crossing the room to examine Matt.

“I’m sorry… I had to…” He couldn’t seem to form words. It was time for me to interject.

“Attaboy,” I said, approaching him from behind and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Peter?” Ainsley stood, her back slamming into the wall. She shot a glance at Dylan, then leered at me. “You did this? You…you had him kill an innocent person? Why? Why would you do this? To get back at me? ”

“Of course, he didn’t,” Adele argued, looking at me with disbelief. “Tell her you didn’t, Peter.”

“He’s hardly innocent,” I said, gesturing toward her face. “You can give up the act. I told him everything. He knows Matt’s the one who did that to you.”

“You’re…you’re insane. Delusion—”

At her feet, Matt groaned, his body shuddering as he released an exasperated breath.

“He’s not dead.” Ainsley fell to the ground, a hand over the wound on his shoulder.

“You know what you have to do,” I told Dylan, lowering my mouth to his ear.

“Dylan, sweetheart, don’t listen to him. Just…bring the gun to me,” Ainsley urged. “Please. Please, son. Bring it to me. You’re confused. You don’t want to hurt anyone. I know that.”

“He’s protecting you, Ainsley,” I argued. “Stop lying.”

“Dad, I’m scared—” His voice quivered.

“Sweetheart, please,” Ainsley begged, one hand on Matt’s shoulder and the other—bloody and shaking—outstretched for Dylan. “Please come to me.”

“You have to do it, Dylan. You have to kill him. It’s the only way she’ll ever be safe. It’s the only way she’ll ever stay with us.”

“What is he talking about, Ainsley?” Adele asked.

“Is that what this is about?” Ainsley shouted, a new sort of rage filling her. Her face was pink, her entire body pulsing with electricity as she moved toward me in a flash. “You’ve turned our son into a murderer to punish me?”

I spun, using Dylan as a shield between us. “If she tries to hurt us, you’ll have to kill her, too.”

“What?” Dylan was crying then—his face coated in snot and tears.

“Don’t listen to him, Dylan. He’s a bad man. Your father is a bad, bad man. He’s a murderer. I’ve tried so hard to protect you kids from all that he’s done, and now he wants you to kill me, too. Matt is innocent.” She lowered her face to meet his eyes. “Do you hear me?”

“Don’t listen to her,” I warned him.

“Matt did nothing wrong. He is a friend. A friend who has been really kind to me. These marks on my face, your father made those. Not Matt. Your father has been working behind my back with your grandmother, trying to set this all up.”

“Ainsley, I didn’t know!” Adele cried.

Ainsley didn’t budge, staring only at me. “I should’ve known she was the one telling you how to find me.”

“She wants us to be together,” I said simply. “She knows how good I am for you.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop this, both of you,” Adele cried, fanning herself as if she were going to pass out.

Ainsley looked down at the blood on her hands, scoffing and taking a step forward. “How good you are for me, Peter? Really?”

“Ainsley, we are good together. Your parents want us to be together. The kids want us to be together.”

“The kids don’t know the truth about you— ”

“Or you—” I warned. Two could play that game.

Ainsley turned her focus back to our son. “Dylan, please, baby. Please give me the gun.”

“If you give it to her, she’ll shoot us both. She’d do anything to save him.”

She shook her head, her forehead creased with concern.

“You know I wouldn’t do that, don’t you?

You know I’d never hurt you. Not in a million years, Dylan.

I love you. I love your brother and your sister.

Think about them, okay? Get out of your head about what your dad’s told you, and think about what you know is real.

I know this is really scary, but there are things you know, right?

You know I’d never hurt you. You know that in your gut.

” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “You have to.”

Behind us, Matt groaned again. “Ains…” he whispered, no strength in his words.

Just die already, tough guy.