“You had everything I ever wanted, and you refused to pay respect to those who had helped you get where you were. I wanted my piece of the pie. I did what I could. Then this bitch got in the way and fucked everything up. You say love is weakness, but when I watched you look at her, I saw the same look I used to give Delilah in your eyes.”
The words leaving his mouth were both vile and full of anger. I hated Mack just as much as Zerro did, but right now, listening to those words, I felt for him. I knew what had happened between him and Delilah was tragic. I knew it turned him into a monster the same way the death of Zerro’s mother did for Zerro. The only difference was Zerro had me. I could save him, but there was no saving Mack. He was broken beyond repair.
You can only be broken for so long before it gets to you—before the hate and guilt you carry around eats away at you. You could care less about being alone for the rest of your life because nothing matters to you. That’s what happened to him, and I could feel it happening to me. Blood pumped through my veins rapidly, echoing in my ears. Everything around me became white noise. The only thing I could hear was my own shallow breathing. My hands felt like they were being weighed down by bricks as a thin layer of sweat formed on them.
This wasn’t fear. No, it was preparation for war. For death. Long gone was the fear of my own death. Instead, a deep ball of anxiety formed in my chest. I was anxious, but I was also ready. Ready to deliver the monster known as Mack back to his home. To a place where maybe he could find his own peace.
My teeth were clenched together as I readied myself for the final blow. The savage desire to kill was pushing me to madness. The need for blood was overwhelming any further thought as I turned to face Mack. I knew there was a gun pointed at the back of my head, and there was a high chance I could die. It didn’t matter though.
Everything happened in slow motion as I got my footing. I clenched my fist, my nails digging into the soft flesh as I formed a hard fist. With a precision I didn’t even know I had, my fist landed hard on his balls. A rush of air left his chest as he bent over, the creases of his face filling with rage.
Without even thinking, I had plunged the knife upwards at the same time he had tumbled over in pain. The gun going off and his voice were the only sounds ringing out in the warehouse. My heart was racing as the bullet missed me by mere inches. I had no time for fear to sink in. I knew there was no going back now. I heard Zerro scream NO, as if to tell me not to do it, but I couldn’t stop. I had lost my shit and nothing would tame the beast in me having finally been set free.
My muscles tensed as I applied pressure to the knife I had lodged in his left eye. His screams only became louder, full of pain and suffering. Blood squirted out, landing across my face as I yanked the knife out. I watched Mack fall to his knees, his hands covering his eye as if he were trying to stop the blood from pouring out in masses. When I looked at him, my mind went back to all the times he treated me as if I were nothing. I couldn’t stop the urges flowing through me as I heard a little voice say ‘make him pay.’
That’s all I needed to hear. He needed to pay, and I was going to collect the payment today. I found myself walking behind him, my hand still securely wrapped around the blade. Coming to a halt directly behind him, my free hand snaked through his hair and jerked his head back. Whispering in his ear as I placed the blade at his throat, I asked him, “Do you remember all the times you threatened to slit my throat—after you fucked me, of course?”
My voice held so much pain I could barely recognize it as my own. A rumble sounded in his voice as I heard the mumbling of the word bitch, which only fueled the roaring fire inside of me. “Bitch? Hmm... I guess Zerro taught you something, after all, huh? Die with honor it is.” Those were the last words I said to Mack as I roughly dragged the knife across his neck.
A gurgle sounded in his throat as I threw him forward with the little bit of strength I had left. Time stood still as I loomed over his body, blood covering his face and neck as it slowly dripped to the cement floor. I watched him fight to breathe, the rise and fall of his chest coming and going as fast as he could inhale and exhale.
A breath escaped me as I watched the light leave his undamaged eye. I had killed him. “Love always conquers, asshole,” I whispered more to myself as I looked down at my hand covered in my enemy’s blood. I think everyone in this room knew I needed to do this. I needed to be the one to take Mack out because no one tried to stop me. Not when I stabbed him in the eye and not when I sliced his throat.
I knew the moment his arms wrapped around mine as if he never thought he would see me again. His lips kissed at any skin he could get his mouth on, and I sighed against him. Relief flooded me and tears fell from my eyes. Happiness wasn’t something I had felt for months, and with Mack dead, I knew there was a chance I could do this.