Sever

by J. M. Miller

  “Oh, right. Like I haven’t heard that one before. I knew things weren’t going well when you called earlier, but I’m sure you can find a much better situation than this.”

  Damian’s eyes were on me after Tanner spoke, more than likely wondering about Tanner’s reference. I could answer both of them with one name. “Seth. Tanner, I told you Damian never hurt me. It was Seth in the lighthouse that night, and it was Seth tonight, too. It was a setup. This whole night was.”

  “What do you mean this whole night?” Tanner’s eyebrows scrunched with the question.

  I sighed, stretching my arms for the first time as I thought about where to start.

  “We don’t have a lot of time to explain,” Damian said, slipping his hand onto the small of my back, comforting me.

  Tanner pulled his hands from his pockets and folded his arms across his chest, watching the exchange.

  “Do you have your cell?” I asked him.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “We have to call the cops.”

  “What? No. I just dodged that bullet an hour ago. I’m not looking to get caught up in this shit. I have some tickets that are—”

  “Please, Tanner?” I cut him off. “It’s worse than you think. If it makes you feel better, you can take off before they get here. I’ll just need your phone.”

  “Please,” Damian added. “Seth’s at the boat shop now. He was the one who orchestrated everything. He told us that he knows the guy you deal with and admitted to dishing the houses you hit tonight.”

  “What?” Tanner ran a hand back through his hair.

  “He set it all up for revenge,” Damian replied.

  “Revenge for what?

  “Give me the phone, Tanner. I’ll call while Damian tells you more.” I extended a hand and waited.

  After a moment of passing his eyes back and forth between Damian and me, Tanner reached into his pocket and handed over the phone.

  I slid the screen open and walked to the kitchen, dialing as Damian began to explain the details. The phone started to ring, but the tone was cutting in an out. Those trees I liked for the privacy obviously came with crappy cell service. I caught Damian’s eye and pointed toward the deck. He nodded and I opened the door.

  A small breeze rushed in from the bay, circulating faster through the deck’s cove shape, slapping cold in my face and whipping my ponytail around. I moved away from the muted glow emanating from the windows and stepped into the shadows of the deck as the phone rang once more and an operator picked up. I answered her questions and gave all the essentials of the situation.

  “It’s not safe to stay, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to a neighbor’s,” I said, watching Damian and Tanner talk near the kitchen island.

  “Does he have a weapon?” the operator asked.

  “A knife.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Any other weapons? Not that I’m—”

  Click.

  I froze. The sound had come from behind me. Something hard pressed against the back of my head. “Hang up,” Seth said, his voice a whisper in my ear.

  “Annisyn, can you stay on the line while—”

  “No, I can’t,” I said and hung up. I didn’t have to turn around to know Seth had another weapon now: a gun.

  “Good girl. I’ll take that,” he breathed. With the gun muzzle still pressed against the back of my skull, his free hand snatched the phone. I heard a soft thud somewhere over the deck where it landed in the yard. The same hand returned to my stomach, dipping cold fingers underneath my tank top to touch my bare skin. “I guess I’ve run out of time. What a shame. That means I’ll have to get this done faster than I thought. It might get—” His hand pressed me back against his tense body. “Someone else is here?”

  The realization of it all crashed down hard, churning my stomach as I stared through the dark windows watching Damian and Tanner talk in the kitchen. The money was only a bonus. It was never his real goal.

  Seth moved us forward, stepping out of the shadows toward the glass door. “Open it.” The gun pressed harder into my head until I clutched the handle and did what I was told. Seth kicked the door open wider and moved us inside. “Tanner. Welcome to the party.”

  As soon as Damian saw Seth, he lurched forward.

  “Uh-uh,” Seth warned. The gun disappeared from my head for a second then it returned with a small jab to the top of my neck. “I was surprised to see this little gem still stashed in dad’s office.”

  Damian’s jaw clenched and his chest heaved. “You should’ve just left with the cash.”

  Tanner didn’t speak. He just backed up a step against the island.

  Seth chuckled. “You know I couldn’t just let this go. After everything that’s happened? What a fucking joke. I hear the cops are crashing this party soon. It’s a shame really.” His voice lowered and his breath warmed my ear as the tips of his fingers pressed harder against my skin and slid below the waistline of my jeans. “There were things I wanted to take my time with.”

  I thrashed inside his grasp, but his hand pushed lower.

  “God dammit, Seth. What the fuck?” Damian’s voice boomed with a deep guttural growl. He took a step closer, and Seth shoved the gun harder into the back of my head.

  “Back up,” Seth’s warned. “I said back up! I will kill her, D, and you’ll watch me do it.”

  I was bent over pretty far from the pressure on my head, staring at the floor as tears dripped from my eyes. There was no way out of this. He was completely set on how this evening would end, and as far as I could tell, it didn’t involve me walking out of this house.

  Damian’s bare feet backed up.

  “You too,” Seth said, and Tanner’s leather boots moved near Damian.

  Seth pulled me back and lifted so I’d stand upright again. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared ahead at Damian and Tanner. Both looked amped. Their bodies fought to stay as still as possible, but they breathed heavily and shifted their weight from foot to foot, energy coursing through them with no outlet.

  I looked into Damian’s wide eyes and tried to hold my emotions together. The last thing I needed was for the guys to act without thinking. There had to be a way to get through this together, without any more injuries.

  “Seth, you don’t want to cross this line. You have a choice. You still have enough time to leave. Just take off. If you hurt her, there’s no going back. You don’t want to do that, brother.” Damian pushed the words out, trying to reason with him.

  “I know how this works, brother. I know what happens when I pull this trigger. You’re forgetting that I don’t care. I have nothing anyway. She’s the one who took it all from me. This little bitch right here ended my fucking life. It’s only fair that I get to end hers.”

  “She didn’t end your—”

  “Yes, she did!”

  “You did it to yourself. You should never have followed her to the lighthouse you son of a bitch.” The anger and pain in Damian’s voice shook my body. He was holding back, but he was wavering, balancing on a dangerous edge.

  I blinked away more tears, realizing I had to suck it all up and wipe all my emotion away. I needed to be alert, to concentrate in case anyone made a move.

  Seth laughed derisively. “And give up an opportunity for some of this?” His hand moved under my tank top and slid up to grab my breast, clamping his fingers down like a vise. I winced. “I couldn’t pass this up.”

  “You’re a sick fuck,” Tanner said as his lips curled.

  Even from ten feet away, I could hear Damian’s hard breaths. He was nervous and pissed, but his fingers weren’t tapping anything. They were tucking and untucking as his fists continued to clench in waves, releasing some aggression.

  Seth’s hand returned to my waist and the gun’s tip disappeared from my head. It waved beside my face, aimed at Damian. “You’re damn right I’m sick. I’m sick of this bullshit life. I’m sick of people looking at me like I’m some fucking disease, when not long ago,
they looked at me like I was a god. The same people who begged me to go to their parties. The same girls who wanted to hookup anywhere, everywhere. Now they pass me on the street and pretend they don’t even know me. That makes me fucking sick.”

  I looked around the room as Seth spoke. There was nothing close by, so even if I broke free of his hold, I had nothing to back up the effort. He still had the gun and quite possibly my knife too.

  “It also makes me sick that the shop was handed to you,” Seth said to Damian. The gun returned to the back of my head. “But none of it matters anymore. I’m done with all of this shit.”

  I sucked in a deep breath, filling my lungs to the point of pain. We were running out of time. Negotiation was the only option, but what could we offer? He had already stolen all of my stuff and he supposedly had all the money from the shop. What else might make him consider another route? Maybe he would be willing to let them go if I offered …

  “Take me. I’m the one who fucked up your life, right? Take me with you right now and leave them here.”

  “No!” Damian yelled before Seth had a chance to respond. “No fucking way, Syn.”

  I stared at him, begging him with my eyes to just let this happen. If I could just get Seth to agree, we might have a chance. The idea of it might just knock him off guard enough to try something.

  Seth’s grip on my waist tightened and he repositioned the gun to the side of my head. “Tempting as that is, it’s not an option.”

  “I will go. Right now. Wherever you want. I’ll do whatever you want. Please …”

  “Begging sounds so good on you.” His face dipped into the crook of my neck, his lips brushing my skin.

  “Seth,” Damian said, lifting his hands and taking a step forward. “Let her go, okay? I’ll sign over the shop. You can have this fucking house if you want it. Just let her go.”

  Seth’s body tensed at my back and the gun pressed harder into my head again. “No, D. No trades. Now back off.” His hand moved to my shoulder and he squeezed the pressure points at the base of my neck. “Kneel, Syn.”

  Damian stepped forward again. “Seth! Don’t fucking do this. Don’t you—”

  “I said back the fuck up! And you.” Seth dug his fingers deeper, making me cringe. “Kneel!”

  My eyes refocused in front of me as I bent my knees, catching sight of Tanner. His tight jeans and leather boots took tiny side steps, inching toward the kitchen without Seth noticing. I glanced back over to Damian, who had ignored Seth and moved even farther forward. Seth’s body pressed firmer to my back, and I could feel the slight tremor in his muscles.

  This was it. This was the edge. The moment where life would end again. No one in the room would ever be the same. How badly or how well life’s trajectory went from here depended on our actions within the next few seconds. The only thing left to do was hope, because I was certain none of us were going down without a fight.

  The gun muzzle jabbed my head again, harder. I bent forward and dropped to my knees, complying to buy more time.

  “Do you think I planned this for my life?” Seth screamed. “I didn’t. I had dreams. I wanted something normal, but someone stole that.”

  “That doesn’t justify any of this.” Damian took another step. His body was close, but with a gun pointed to my head, the distance may as well have been miles. “You’re the one who chose not to change.”

  Tanner had moved farther into the kitchen. The shadows on his face disappeared as he got closer to the only light source, highlighting anger and focus in every sharp angle. His eyes darted to me then to the knife block near the fridge.

  I blinked, acknowledging his plan. I would have to try and knock Seth off balance and grab the gun. Not impossible, but tricky. Hopefully his system hadn’t completely burned through those drinks. I glanced at the knife block again and the throbbing in my head seemed to pound harder as I was struck with visions for the second time that night.

  The kitchen knife.

  So much blood.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them, seeing that Damian had taken another step closer. His eyes flickered to me and I looked toward Tanner, hoping he would understand.

  The gun left my head. “I told you to back up,” Seth screamed in a rough tone.

  Tanner reached for the block.

  Seth’s hand tightened on the side of my neck and his body jolted behind me, realizing something. He saw Tanner move. I had no idea where the gun was, but I knew I had to act.

  Placing one foot on the ground for balance, I twisted my body, thrusting my elbow into Seth’s side. He bent over slightly, the gun still in hand. He lurched toward me, swiping the air with his free hand, trying to grab me again while turning the gun back toward me. Damian slammed into Seth’s side, tackling him before the gun took aim on me. Both of them fell toward the kitchen with loud grunts from the collision. The gun discharged once into the air.

  I scrambled to stand as they fell. Tanner was beside the island, heading in their direction, knife ready to strike. Seth and Damian landed on the ground, facing the kitchen. Seth’s arm was extended, keeping the gun away from Damian’s reach. His head tilted in that direction, noticing Tanner. The gun went off a second time.

  Tanner’s eyes widened and his limbs went limp, but momentum continued to move him forward. As his body took a dive, he released his grip on the kitchen knife and it flew into the air. It sailed past Damian and Seth and slid to a stop in front of me, spinning. Handle and blade, handle and blade, around and around.

  I pulled Damian’s Lancer along the road in front of Concord Point Lighthouse and eyed the surrounding park between blinks of blurry tears. Even though it wasn’t completely full, the moon glowed enough to reveal that no one was around.

  After parking, I locked the doors and headed up the sidewalk, flipping out my pick set and stifling the sobs that refused to stop. Making quick work of the padlock, I pulled it off the latch then popped the main lock. Since Damian and I had been back a few times following that first night, the alarm wasn’t a concern anymore. I pushed open the door, ducked behind it, and punched the buttons on the panel so no cops would show up.

  I dropped the keys on the ledge behind the door with a sigh and turned, looking around as silence settled inside again. The moon’s soft light shone through the paneled window, delicately streaking the gray granite stairs. It was like the spiral staircase called to me, wanting me to climb one last time.

  My plan wasn’t to linger. I just wanted to drop his keys and text Tanner for a pickup at my place. Staying longer wasn’t a good idea—Damian would search here first, which was the reason I chose to leave the keys here. I hadn’t planned to steal his car, but it was my only way out. If I had let him take me home, my convictions would have crumbled in his arms.

  I loved him too much.

  I didn’t want to break his heart, I didn’t want to break my own, but it had to be done.

  As I reached the top, I pushed open the trapdoor to the lantern room and climbed inside. I kept my eyes down and stayed on my knees, not wanting to be spotted by anyone who happened to glance up at the lighthouse. A clicking sound from downstairs stopped my movements. In an attempt to hear better, I held my breath, but it wasn’t necessary. The door downstairs slammed loud enough to rattle the trapdoor. My heart kicked into a running pace, its pulse thudding a panicked rhythm into my ears.

  Damian must have followed right behind me.

  I twisted my fingers together, not sure how I’d handle him. There was nowhere for me to run, and I couldn’t just sit and wait. If I let him come up to me, I wouldn’t have the courage to leave.

  Shifting my weight over to the trapdoor, I peered down the ladder to the top section of the spiral stairs. He hadn’t reached the top yet, so I dropped through, closed the trapdoor, and stepped down the eight iron rungs as fast as I could.

  “Annisyn,” Seth’s voice said as his feet ascended the last few stairs. It shocked me stiff and my hands clenched the ladder until my fingers ting
led.

  “Seth,” I replied, turning to acknowledge him after a deep breath.

  The lighthouse was by no means large and fitting two people on the top stair was a challenge of balance. The granite only had an arm’s length of space in either direction, with an iron ladder concreted at a slight angle in the center. Damian and I had fit, him pressing me against the ladder, kissing the back of my neck after I’d climbed down. Even that close together, there was hardly any room.

  With Seth’s massive build, it felt even more cumbersome. I pressed myself back into the slope of the ladder to put space between us, regardless of the edges of the rungs digging into my calves, butt, and back.

  Seth’s face held a tiny smile as his eyes took me in. “Bailed on my mom’s dinner, huh?” he asked with a laugh. “Can’t say I blame you. Takeout is more her specialty.”

  “I’m sure,” I agreed as I wondered why he’d come at all. He had to have followed me, but why hadn’t Damian come with him? Damian wouldn’t have sent him. The hairs on the back of my neck pricked up as fear rippled though my body. “I’ve gotta go.” I stood straight up, purposely bumping my body against his, waiting for him to back away.

  “Hang on a sec,” he murmured, dipping his head to the side of mine and pressing his hand to the wall, blocking what little space there was to get around him. “Damian looked pretty wrecked back there. You just dumped him, and stole his car? That’s cold.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said. “I was leaving the keys here because I knew he’d find them.”

  “Hmm,” he hummed near my ear before backing off the slightest bit. His face was close, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. “I had you pegged all wrong when we were kids. With your ratty hair,” he said, pinching a few strands along my shoulder, “and that wild attitude, I had no idea you’d turn into this.” His fingers dropped my hair and he tipped his head to stare at my face. “You had Damian hung up, even back then. Not sure what he saw, but now … I think I understand.”