“Look, how about we stop saying sorry for things that aren’t our fault,” Logan said when he returned to the table after a moment away, with a box of tissues for me to wipe my eyes, “andwe focus on the plan. Because we are so close to the end now, pretty girl – I can practically taste it.”
He was right and by the time their insistences that I was not a monster were done, and we moved onto the plan portion of our meeting, I was able to stop crying. It wasn’t that great, seeing as it had taken me nearly an hour. But it was a good start – it meant I was slightly better than yesterday and that’s all I needed. Trauma was a one step forward at a time thing and so long as I kept going, or even returning to my fight when I stumbled, that was all that mattered.
I only had to survive to tomorrow, and one day I would be a thousand tomorrows away from where I started, and I would be shocked to see how far I had come.
“So where do we start then, gorgeous? What do you want to do first?” Price asked, as he and Misha held hands, cosy together and sitting beside each other.
I was glad to see they were okay. It warmed up another part of my soul that I worried had died in my capture. I was even more glad that everyone at the table seemed to be just as happy as I was at the development of their relationship. Even Logan, who I had worried might have felt a little left out. Not that anyone was left out in a general sense, but Kody and Lincoln were best friends, and now Price and Misha were dating. I had been concerned that my Logan would feel a bit like the odd one out sometimes, but he didn’t. If anything, he seemed to be the happiest that two of the people he loved the most had found even more love in their life.
It was all enough to make me want to cry again, but I had no time for that now.
I was close to winning my unwilling chess game, and I had no time left for distractions.
“I’m going to kill everyone,” I said bluntly. “Everyone here and Hendrix City. Then Diamond Grove.”
Price’s brows rose, even if he wore his signature cocky grin that made my insides melt each time. “Everyone?”
“Yes. Everyone who wears ink that isn’t mine. Everyone who has ever so much as smiled at someone who wears ink that is not mine.” My head bobbed. “I will burn all these cities to the ground to cleanse them and do not think for a moment I want any of you to stop me. There needs to be a big change. I need to make sure this stalker has nothing left to help them. No Vice Kings, or their businesses. Or anyone even remotely not in my pocket.”
Price used his free hand to reach into his jean pocket a moment before he held his hand out, pushing something into my palm. Glancing down, I found his lighter. The metal one that he’d carried for years on end and had refused to give up with his cigarettes. The one I knew the bastard had been using to smoke in my house, just because he knew it would annoy me and give me something to get mad about. I fucking loved him, too. The idiot. I loved that he had such ridiculous ways of coping with things that involved me, because he refused to ever give up on the idea of me coming home to him.
Even his nasty and deadly habit wasn’t something I disliked about him – it was another part of what made Price, Price.
“Tell us where to start the fires and we’ll do it.” He promised. “You know we’re in this until the end, Saph. So, you tell us what you want us to do and we can get it done; we can end this for us all.”
It was going to end. I was done playing games or doing minor things. I didn’t want to inconvenience John and his gang – his fuckingsister. I didn’t want to piss them off a little bit. I wanted to ruin their lives, then kill them.
I wanted to wipe the O’Malley bloodline from ever existing at all, and I wouldn’t be happy until I did.
“I won’t stop until the O’Malley’s are dead, the Vice Kings are no more, and my daddy’s killer is in a shallow grave.” With a false grin, I swallowed the lump in my throat. “As a warning, that you may already know, I am willing to give my life for this cause – to have pain and suffering for it. I am willing to crawl from the depths of hell and back again to claim the souls of those who have wronged me. But I cannot ask you to do the same.”
Kody sat up a little, wincing just a tad against the soreness in his chest. He had healed up brilliantly from the glass that had been embedded in his flesh, but it was still healing and he was still not at his full strength, just like me.
“What are you saying,cica?” He asked.
“I am saying this is your out.” I breathed. “The bullets you took all those months ago as a sign to serve me, you may hand them back. I will not hold it against you now, and I will not judge you for it. I want to make sure you have the option to be free should you wish to take it.”
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me that none of them moved, and yet it was. Not because I doubted their intentions, but because a tiny part of me truly couldn’t comprehend what I had ever done to deserve such unwavering love and loyalty from so many people.
So manybrilliantpeople.
“For once in your life, you spoiled little rich girl, shut up and listen.” Lincoln huffed eventually, his eyes rolling with that attitude I fucking loved. “None of us are going anywhere, Sapphire. We love you and you know we don’t leave family behind. We’re in this together, until the end, and if you ever say something as stupid as that again, I’m going to tie you to your bed and we’re all going to fuck you without letting you come even once.”
They all nodded along in agreement, despite the fact that I had yet to confess the depths of my true feelings to two of themen present. But I supposed it didn’t matter. Logan and Misha knew I loved them too, even if we hadn’t had the chance to say it. I would say it; soon. But even without that, they knew. They had to.
I also wisely chose not to comment on Lincoln’s ‘threat’. Not because I was even remotely scared of him or the idea. But the opposite. It sounded like my kind of fun, and I was fairly sure the sudden desire pooling in my stomach at his words was yet another sign that my brain was returning to normal.
“You totally want to do what Linc just said.”Misha muttered to me, keeping his words quiet and in Spanish.
My cheeks burned bright as I falsely glared at him.“No, I don’t.”
“So if I plan for it to happen, you won’t be happy about it?”I must have blushed harder because his grin was more evil as he said,“Yeah, I thought so. I’ll sort something for you, sweetheart.”
Pretending Misha was being a devious monster, I hurried to continue the regular conversation about my plans.
“Okay then. Well, let me make a final announcement before we go do something fun before we fight.” I forced a bright smile onto my face, as Kody leaned closer, playing with the edges of my loose shirt that I had stolen from him earlier that morning purely because it smelled like freshly baked cookies and his raw, masculine scent that made me feel all squidgy inside.
“Go on, beautiful.” He whispered. “Give us your diabolical plan.”
