“Shut up, Melody!” She clamped her hands over her ears as if that would help.
“Every year, you’ve been waiting for someone to connect the dots. To give you justice, to help you. That’s why you came to me….”
“I came to you because you wouldn’t get out of fucking bed!” she cried.
“You came to me because Adriana spoke to you. Deep down, you wanted this. You were crying out for this. You wanted me to find your rapists and deep down, you didn’t want them to go jail. You wanted them dead. You wanted them to suffer as you’ve suffered. You came to me so I could make you a Callahan.” I jumped off the trunk and grabbed hold of her, forcing her hands from her ears.
“You’re waiting for someone to save you, but no one can do that. You need to save yourself. I can help you. But I can’t save you, Olivia. You’re a motherfucking Callahan. We are never victims; we are the victimizers. The penalty for coming after us is, and will always be, death. It’s time for your retribution.”
She looked so lost as I handed her the gun. “I’m not like you, Mel. I can’t kill another person. I’m not a murderer. This isn’t the justice I wanted,” she declared, once again lying to herself.
I hated liars. Walking back to the trunk, I opened it and the stupid pig squealed again.
“Looks like you get to go back to Cancun,” I said to him. “Don’t worry about the girl you raped and murdered there, we made sure to clean it up. Her grieving parents will be burying her this weekend…”
“What are you doing? You can’t let him go!” Olivia screamed, but couldn’t bring herself to come any closer to the car.
“You wanted justice, well, according to the law, this is justice. There is a statue of limitations on rape. Courtney A. O’Brien isn’t even your real name; your case would be thrown out. I’m not going to kill him. He isn’t my demon. So my hands are tied,” I said, pulling the pig out of trunk. I smirked at his bound wrists. “Poor word choice, huh?”
Olivia said nothing, so I pushed more. “I’m hoping this will serve as a lesson. But I doubt it. Pigs like you can’t help but roll in the mud. Where will Harvey hide you now once you tell him? He’s the one who sent you to Mexico after Olivia here became a Callahan, wasn’t he?”
Pulling the gag from his mouth, he tried to speak, but Olivia held the gun to his skull.
“Don’t speak, just run far away,” was all she said to him.
Really? Kill him!
The pig didn’t even wait for me to unbind his legs before he tried to run. He fell to his knees, but still tried to run.
“Remember, no means no.” I frowned, and just when I had given up on her, Olivia pulled the trigger. Not once, not twice, but she emptied the magazine into his body.
“NO means no! I said no! I said no!” she screamed at his body before collapsing onto me. I wasn’t a hugger; truthfully, I hated all forms of touch except Liam’s. However, she needed something, so I let her hug my waist as I petted her head.
“A Callahan, through and through.”
Progress.
LIAM
“Mr. Callahan!” The vultures with cameras called out once I exited the car. Adjusting my jacket, I waved at them, smiling my pretty boy smile…they ate it up like cake.
“Who is this handsome fella?” A hand ran across my back and I spun Melody around, dipping her down.
“Liam Callahan, and you are?” I smiled as she rolled her eyes.
“Melody Callahan. Can you bring me up now please?” she asked sweetly, causing the vultures to laugh.
“Well if it isn’t my lucky day.” I grinned, pulling her closer to me and whispering, “Where have you been, love, and why did you change?”
She was now dressed in a blood red dress that hugged her every curve.
“Not now, Liam,” she said through her smile before turning back to the cameras.
“Mr. and Mrs. Callahan,” a reporter called out.” Many say that your support for Senator Colemen was what has gotten him to this point. Are you only voting for him because of your sister-in-law?”
“Of course not,” Mel replied kindly. “We support Senator Colemen because we think he is the best man for the job. He is kind, outgoing, and hardworking. But above even that, his politics are what I support.”
“Last year, your father was reportedly killed by a bombing in Turkey, of which no one was convicted. If Senator Colemen becomes president, he will be one of the first Republican presidents staunchly against the death penalty and against war. Victims of terrorism, like your father, will get no justice,” he stated, and I felt the urge to put a bullet between his eyes.