He shook his head, his cries growing louder and I knew it was because she had confessed what he’d done.
“How many more girls were there?” I asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“None, I swear.” Bryce wiped his hand under his nose, his white shirt now vibrant red. He leaned his head against the wall.
“That computer background isn’t Ella or Katie and I know all about the timeshare.”
“That fucking bitch can’t keep her mouth shut,” he mumbled and I began to clench and unclench my fists as every muscle in my body begged to hit him.
“Don’t talk about Ella like that or I will make sure your death is as slow and as painful as humanly possible. I’ll bury your body in a shallow ditch if you fucking piss me off.”
He sighed, his body sagging against the wall opposite of mine, his words slurring. “Five,” he confessed as he looked down at his bloodied arms before his eyes met mine and a hint of a smile played on his lips. “But Ella was my favorite.”
“Shut the fuck up, Bryce.”
“When she was pregnant, she would cry and beg for me not to hurt that baby. My baby. So I would force her to lie on her stomach.”
Next thing I remember I was on my back, several feet from Bryce as Phantom stood over me, his head shaking as Trigger pressed against my chest, my old wounds burning under my skin. My face was damp with tears as I thought of the suffering Ella endured at the hands of this monster.
“He wants you to kill him so he doesn’t have to suffer and you get caught. Think it through, Ryder.” It was the first time I could remember Phantom saying my name since we left Silver Lake. I took a few more ragged breathes before I nodded and Trig released his hold on me. I sat up, looking at the sad, bloodied excuse for a human before me. “Is that what you want, Bryce? Huh? Since we’re sharing secrets, I have a few of my own.”
“What’s that?” his head bobbed and his eyes were hooded as he struggled to focus on me. “You also will be implicated in the death of Ella’s dad. The night I shot him, your father’s whereabouts are accounted for, but his gun and you have no alibi. Ella and I will live long happy lives with our daughter Macie. No one will miss you. No one will cry over you.”
“You…,” Bryce mumbled. “You murdered her father?”
“No, asshole. You did.” I smiled as his eyes closed and I pushed to my feet. He’s bleeding out pretty heavy now. It won’t be too much longer,” I tried not to think of how long Katie laid in the woods, suffering and alone. Without anything to thin her blood it could have taken hours for her to die. “It’s been about a half hour. Let’s finish this up so I can go home to my family.”
I walked around Trig and Phantom to the living room, sitting down on the couch as I waited for the life to finish draining from Bryce.
“It’s over. You want me to make the call to Hang?” Phantom was in front of me now, trying to pull me from my thoughts. “No. Let him rot,” I sneered and Phantom patted my shoulder as they walked around me toward the front door.
* *
Janel disappeared into a bottle of liquor and was forced to live after losing everyone. That was enough of a punishment for me and Ella.
After taking a few months off to recover, we began to play local gigs again, occasionally traveling to visit the family of the other guys. But with Macie in Head Start, my family couldn’t always travel with us. Luckily, my mom was always eager to babysit Macie whenever she got the chance.
Now that I had a family to take care of, I had to decide whether or not I wanted music to be my career or get a full-time job with a reliable paycheck. I decided we could do both. Ryder Bentley was now the proud owner of Get Bent, the hottest new club in Orlando. We play there live every week as well as a few other up-and-coming local bands. There was even a story about my club and the changing of the music industry in Rolling Stone.
I was better at controlling my anger now, but Ella was still able to bring out my darker side, enjoying that monster she fell in love with.
“Get on the fucking bike, El. I’m not going to let you get hurt.” I tried to hide my frustration, but my patience was running thin. She didn’t trust me.
“I’m scared.” Her voice wavered as she broke eye contact, looking over my black motorcycle.
“Of me or the bike?” I cocked my head to the side, and her eyes narrowed. I could see her stubbornness begin to surface. She had too much pride. I was going to win this battle.
“Fine.” She snatched the helmet from my hand. “Go slow,” she ordered as she slid it over her head and strapped it in place. I rolled my eyes as I threw my leg over the bike and waited for her to join me.