Denouement (The Darkness Series Book 3)

by Brightmore, Cassia

  She sat stiffly in the living room of her home and stared at the wall, unable to move, unable to express any type of emotion. Her sister was dead. Her beautiful, vibrant sister was gone. Her twin, the other half of her soul. Gone without a moment’s notice. She recalled their morning together, the playful teasing they’d done and how Autumn had called out that she loved her before leaving the house. She hadn’t even said it back.

  Nora brought her tea and tried to encourage her to eat something but she refused. She walked to the mantel of her brick fireplace and picked up a framed silver photograph of the two of them, it had been taken a few months earlier, a cute selfie with Autumn sticking her tongue out and Aubrey offering a big grin. Her sister had always brought out the best in her. She was the ying to her yang and now she was just gone. Vanished from earth in an instant.

  She sat frozen clutching that photo for hours, Nora at her side. She never left her except to tend to the children once or twice, but Greta handled as much as she could to allow Nora to comfort Aubrey.

  At three a.m., the front door opened and closed and West, Theo, Brady and Sam came in. They’d known they were coming as Theo had texted to see if they were still awake. They filed into the living room and stood except for West who immediately went to Aubrey’s side and took her ice-cold hand in his.

  “Say it fast.” It was the first words Aubrey had spoken in over eight hours. Her voice was dry and raspy and came out as a croak.

  “Aubrey…” West began but she cut him off.

  “West, please. Say it fast. It was her. In the basement. It was Autumn.”

  “We pulled some strings and got confirmation as quick as we could, but yes, Aubrey it was her. I’m so damn sorry, baby. So damn sorry.” He wasn’t ashamed that a lone tear trailed down his cheek as he delivered the news. Autumn was a fantastic woman. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. Her remains…well the very little amount they found—it was deplorable. He was disgusted at what had happened. He’d been the one to find the handcuffs, how those made it through the explosion he didn’t know, but they did and he had no doubt they’d been what had prevented Autumn from escaping before the bomb went off. They suspected it had been attached to her. A horrifying way to die. Not the end that anyone, let alone someone like Autumn deserved to have. They’d had to rely on dental records to identify her and even that had been a stretch as there hadn’t been many that they’d collected. When the results came back he was devastated. He could only imagine how Aubrey felt now.

  Aubrey’s head hit her knees and she started to sob. She sobbed for the senseless loss of life she’d seen that day, for the horror she knew her sister would have endured and for the extreme heartache she felt at losing her other half. Images of Autumn danced behind her eyes as she poured out her grief through tears. The first time she’d learned to ride a bike, encouraging Aubrey to hurry up so that they could ride around the town together. The time she’d convinced her to wear high heels to school and then when she’d tripped and spilled her lunch all over herself, how she’d threatened to beat the ass of every single person that laughed at her. She was a magnetic force. The best damn person she’d ever known. And now, just like that, she was gone.

  “Where is she now,” she asked between sobs. “I want to see her. I want to see my sister,” she demanded. The three men shared a look. No one knew what to say or how to tell her that there was nothing left for her to see. Nothing but a small pile of ash they’d collected so that Aubrey would have something of her sister’s remains.

  “Aubrey,” Brady sat down beside her and pulled her upright. “We’ve taken care of everything for you. You don’t need to worry about a thing. Autumn will come home to you the only way she can now. But I need you to understand that there’s nothing to view. I need you to hear me when I tell you that what’s left now doesn’t matter. What matters is your memories and how much you loved Autumn and she loved you. She never would have left you this way, but this fucker took that choice from her. And believe me when I tell you that we will bury him for this; for you and for her. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  Aubrey gave a jerky nod. No body. There was no body because there was nothing left. Nothing left to bury in a grave for her to visit. She was just gone. Just gone. Just gone.

  “I understand. I’d like to be alone now, please.” She stood and walked to the sliding patio doors, looking out into the night.

  “Aubrey, no. I’m sorry but I’ll be staying the night tonight as will Theo, Brady and Sam. We all need to be together right now,” West told her. He went to her and wrapped her in his arms, feeling her tremble and shake.

  “Let me take you to lie down. Tomorrow we will face what’s coming together. But for tonight, let me just hold you. I need to hold you, Aubrey. Please don’t shut me out.”

  Aubrey turned in his arms and buried her head in her chest, her sobs starting up again. Each one tore from her chest in agony and she clutched at his shirt as her heart broke all over him. Unable to stand it, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her from the room. “Lock up,” he called over his shoulder.

  The days following the explosion were heartbreaking. Aubrey went through the motions of planning Autumn’s funeral, trying to do her best by her sister. Autumn would have wanted an affair to be remembered, but Aubrey couldn’t bring herself to plan any kind of a spectacle. In the end, she decided on a tasteful service at the town’s small church, followed by a wake in her home. There would be no burial, she would keep Autumn’s ashes and had selected a beautiful sand coloured urn to hold the last existence of her sister. She’d arranged for a plaque to be engraved and placed in the cemetery, knowing that she needed that place that she could go and visit her sister when she needed.

  Six people died in the explosion, Autumn included. Several others had been seriously injured or disabled; some having lost vital limbs. Countless more had only minor scrapes and bruises. Those being the luckiest out of the survivors.

  On the day of Autumn’s funeral, Aubrey sat in her bedroom wishing like hell she didn’t have to go through what she was about to. Their mother had abandoned them when they were infants and their father had died a few years earlier. While he’d done his best, the girls had always only really had each other. He’d been heartbroken over his wife leaving him and never got over it. The twins were a constant reminder of just what he’d lost. Now that Autumn was gone, she was completely and utterly alone.

  She stood and looked in the mirror, smoothing down the front of her black lace dress. Autumn would have approved of it as it was one of hers. She’d paired it with her sister’s favorite silver necklace and tiny diamond studs. She’d be wearing flats; a fact that Autumn would have argued until she was blue in the face, but Aubrey needed to be comfortable. She couldn’t risk tripping over her own feet on top of everything else that she was going to endure today.

  There was a gentle knock on the door and Nora poked her head in. “Hey, honey. You look lovely. Are you ready to come downstairs?”

  “No. No I’m really not. But I’m coming. Just give me a minute,” she offered a small smile for Nora’s benefit. Nora returned it sympathetically and then closed the door again, giving her the moment alone she’d asked for.

  Aubrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You can do this, Aubs.” She deliberately called herself by Autumn’s nickname for her. “You can do this for her.”

  The minister performed a lovely service at the church, or so Aubrey was later told. She didn’t hear a word of his sermon. She sat staring at the blown-up photos of Autumn and her friends. She’d always had the biggest smile out of anyone in the bunch. Next were the ones of the two of them. Her favorite was the one of them dressed exactly the same for Halloween. They’d done “switchies” that year as Autumn always called it, going to each other’s classes and trying to fool their teachers. Their arms were wrapped tight around their waists and their cheeks were smushed together as they grinned for the camera. At the last second before the flash went off
, Autumn had winked. A sassy look that was just so her. The large framed photos circled a wooden table that was covered in roses and lilies. In the middle stood the urn that held Autumn’s remains—a shrine to a life lost too soon.

  “Aubrey? Aubrey, honey—it’s time for your eulogy.” Nora broke her out of her thoughts. She nodded and stood, walking slowly to the front of the church. Stepping up to the podium, she looked out into the sea of faceless people, feeling numb. She cleared her throat and began.

  “I’d like to thank everyone for coming today. The outpouring of support and love you’ve shown for my sister over these past few horrific days have been very comforting. I know Autumn would have appreciated it very much, as do I.

  I can’t believe I’m even standing here today. Having to make this speech. Autumn was the best person I knew. She lived every day to the fullest, she was my very best friend; my better half. She was always pushing me to live outside of my comfort zone and experience all the good things life had to offer. She spent every day with no regrets and I always admired that about her. She was my hero, I may have been the older twin; but it was I that looked up to her.”

  Aubrey turned to look at the picture of the two of them. “Autumn, I love you so much and I honestly don’t know how I’m going to carry on without you by my side, pestering the hell out of me to do the next crazy idea that popped in your head. I’ll miss you every damn second. Thank you for being who you were; thank you for loving me and for allowing me to love you. I promise that I will make you proud and never, ever will I allow anyone to forget you. I vow that your name will live on. I love you.”

  There wasn’t a dry eye in the place, herself included, when she finished her speech and stepped down off the podium. She walked to the urn and leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on top of it. She whispered her next words quietly so that no one could hear. “I’ll get him for you. I’ll make sure he pays,” she vowed.

  The wake passed in a blur of “I’m sorry for your loss” and people trying to shove food down her throat. Aubrey played the part as best she could, but after only an hour, she couldn’t handle anymore. Grief and exhaustion were at war with her and she was close to letting them win. Just when she thought she was going to start screaming at the top of her lungs for everyone to get out of her house, West appeared at her side. He took her by the hand and led her upstairs to her room, closing the door behind them.

  Aubrey immediately moved to open it, intent on going back down to the guests. “Aubrey, stop. That’s enough for today. You’ve done enough.”

  “But I have to greet the guests and say thank you and listen to their stories and make sure the food…”

  “No. No, you really don’t have to do any of that and no one expects you to. All you have to worry about is you and what you need. That’s all that matters; especially today.” He sat her down on the bed and tugged off her shoes, then helped her slip out of her dress and into an over-sized t-shirt. Pulling the covers back, he laid her down and then climbed in behind her, kicking off his dress shoes; not caring that he was still wearing his suit. He cradled her to him and whispered in her ear. “Just rest, sweets. I got you.”

  She relaxed against him and closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her.

  West stayed with her for a few hours, pleased that she seemed to be resting peacefully. He knew Nora needed to be heading back home now that Gabe had disappeared altogether and that would leave Aubrey completely on her own. If that was the case, he wanted her to come and stay with him for a while, where he knew she would be protected.

  Pulling up to his house, he noticed Brady and Theo’s cars in the driveway. None of the three men were anywhere to be found when he walked in. Puzzled, he called out to them. “Hey! Where is everyone?”

  They all emerged from his bedroom with furious expressions. Brady stalked towards him and got right in his face. “You. I can’t believe I missed it all this time,” he spat out.

  West had no idea what was going on. “What the hell are you talking about? What did you miss?”

  “Don’t play dumb, you cocksucker,” Sam poked him hard in the chest. “We found the evidence you tried to hide.”

  “Evidence? What evidence? I didn’t hide anything!” he protested.

  Brady spun West around and pushed him roughly into the wall, slapping the cuffs on his wrists.

  “We got an anonymous tip. We decided to follow up on it and guess what I found? Autumn’s cell phone. Pieces of the clothing she was reported to be wearing when she went missing. All here, West. Here. You fucking had us all fooled. You have the right to remain silent—” the Miranda rights were interrupted by Theo who grabbed Brady from behind and shoved him away.

  Theo got right in West’s face. “How could you, you sick fuck? Autumn and all those people, dead. Fucking dead!”

  Brady laid a comforting hand on Theo’s shoulder, urging him to step aside. The sooner they got this over with, the better for everyone involved.

  “Let’s take him in.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The moment had come for Gabe to put his plan into action. He’d been hiding the knife in his sleeve for long enough. Today would be the day he would break free from his confinement and finally make his way back to his family. He’d finally managed to loosen the bonds on his right hand enough to slip it free without anyone noticing. All he needed now was a minute alone and he’d be able to free his left hand. He hadn’t seen Marcus in days and he prayed that today would be the day he would resurface, giving Gabe the chance to stab him in the throat with his knife. He didn’t think he’d be that lucky though. He had an inkling that something was going on; perhaps Marcus’ plan was starting to unravel?

  Dr. Daniels was still in the room with him, muttering to himself as he checked things off on a clipboard. Gabe knew his routine, he would inspect the inventory, test a few pieces of equipment and then turn the projector on to force him to watch yet another “home video” of Marcus and Nora. That’s when he would finally leave and Gabe would have his chance.

  “Are you ready for today’s show?” Dr. Daniels chuckled at his own joke. He was worse than Marcus in many ways. Marcus was evil. Dr. Daniels just chose to act the way he did out of some warped sense of needed acceptance. Gabe would enjoy killing him.

  When Gabe didn’t respond, Dr. Daniels picked up the remote and queued up the video. As had been the norm as of late, it started out with the same video of Nora and Marcus being intimate. Gabe knew that it would then switch to one of Marcus with the children. Lately, it had been a lot of repeats. No new material had been uploaded. A fact he found very interesting. Hopefully Nora was starting to come to her senses; realizing that something was very wrong in her marriage.

  The video clicked on and as he’d predicted—it was Marcus and Nora, yet again. Gabe adverted his eyes, sick to death of watching them together. Dr. Daniels was satisfied with his response, truth be told, he’d been looking for a little more anguish. Maybe once new videos were added it would up the level of torture and despair. He’d have to speak with Marcus about why there hadn’t been much activity lately.

  When Dr. Daniels finally left, Gabe let out a sigh. “About fucking time,” he muttered under his breath. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that the room he was being held in wasn’t under surveillance. If he was going to do this, he had to move fast and be ready for whatever came through that door to stop him. Sliding his right hand loose, he made quick work of the restraint on his other arm and then slipped the knife free using it to cut through the bindings at his feet. There was no time to rub the circulation back into his ankles, he got out of the chair and was at the door in seconds. He stopped short when he saw the keypad and swore. “Fuck!”

  After trying a series of numbers and being met with an offending blinking red light, denying him access, he gave up trying to crack the code. If Theo was here he could have had it open in seconds, that man was a mastermind at that type of shit. But he’d also taught him a few tricks that he was about to put to good use
. He retraced his steps and grabbed the stainless steel chair from Dr. Daniels’ desk. Lifting it, he aimed the leg at the keypad and hit it over and over again until it finally short-circuited and the steel door slid open. Dropping the chair to the floor, he readied himself. His muscles felt rusty from unuse, leaving him no choice but to rely on his instincts to get him the hell out of there.

  Out in the hall, he spotted one guard a few feet to the left and beyond him what looked like the main entrance to a house. It was no surprise that Marcus was once again operating from inside the walls of a home, it was the best cover. Stealthily moving towards the guard, he was caught unawares from behind by an arm winding around his throat. Seeing the needle from the corner of his eye, he knew it was Dr. Daniels. He forced his elbow back into his gut and the arm around his neck slipped free. He spun and brought his fist down into his injured eye socket again and again, ignoring his screams of pain.

  The guard rushed him but Gabe made quick work of him by sweeping his feet out from under him. He lost his grip on his rifle and it flew up into the air, right into Gabe’s waiting hands. He looked the fucker right in the eye when he pulled the trigger, ending him. The sound of shots alerted what he assumed was more guards. He quickly patted the guard down and finding a set of keys, palmed them and raced for the door.

  The bright daylight had him squinting in defense against the light. It had been two years since he’d seen daylight. Two years. The rage of injustice boiled inside him again but he had no time for that now, he needed to get the fuck out of there and home to Nora. He spotted a black Hummer several yards away and ran to it, climbing inside. He tried every key on the ring but none were the one for the ignition.