Toxic (The Crossover Series)

by Kathy Coopmans

  Scott might be speaking to her, but he isn’t listening. How can any person have that much control over another? I’ll never understand. He always seems so sure and confident. Treated Ava like a queen. He’s as delusional as she is.

  “You shot him,” Scott mumbles.

  “He was going to ruin my plans.” She steps forward, thumping his chest. “I took care of it, which is something you could never do. You are a good fuck, but that’s all you’ll ever be to me. You’re a useless piece of shit. But I will say I have to give it to you; you’ve always been by my side.”

  They continue back and forth, their history spilling while my mind absorbs it all. High school sweethearts, she killed her parents, Scott did his best to cover it up, Lexi, or should I say Crystal, ran when it all became too much. She’s blended in and copied the norm of society. My head is buzzing and ringing, yet it’s all clear. This woman really is crazy. A lunatic. And he’s been brainwashed to believe years of lies.

  I keep trying to move my legs that seem to have fallen asleep. I know trying to escape would be the worst thing for me to do right now. But I have to do something before she shoots me. There’s no doubt she wants me dead and out of the picture. That much I can put together.

  I fight like hell to recollect where my phone is. My skull cracks in pain each time I push my brain. The parking lot, Lance’s dead body. I don’t have my phone. But I called Alex. Aaron was there. They have to be on their way. There’s not a chance in hell the police aren’t involved. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, and that’s the sliver of hope I’m going to cling to. That and pray that Ava made it out of this alive.

  My surroundings are familiar. I struggle to place where I am. Then it hits me upside the head. The storage room inside The Shade Tree. It’s Monday. Nobody will be here. It’s the one day the bar is closed.

  “So, since you have it all figured out, what’s your plan, Crystal?”

  “Don’t fucking call me that!” Lexi cracks the butt of the pistol across Scott’s face. “I’ll do what I want. Alex is mine. He was my ticket to the high road. When I get him to love me, his family will protect me, and my past crimes won’t mean a damn thing. It was destiny when his family landed in Idaho. It was a sign. And this bitch or you aren’t going to fuck it up. Jesus, Scott, I thought maybe you would get a Goddamn clue once you met Ava and we could just fuck each other until I got what I wanted. You’ve turned into more of a pussy than I thought. Men get a whiff of pussy, and they either turn into clingers or they dump them. Well, fuck you and fuck Alex. He is not going to get a piece of me and dump me like I’m nothing.”

  “Goddamn it, Crystal, I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want if it gets you to listen to me.” It’s about damn time he acts like a man and not some idiot. I hope he kills her. “Give me the gun, Goddamn it, and the next time you strike me, I’ll kill you,” Scott pleads dropping to his knees and pressing a hand to the side of his face. “You’ve killed too many people. You need help. This ends here. Call me all the names you want, but you need to stop and listen to yourself. I helped you because I care. Now, give me the gun.”

  I lie there utterly still. My mind in a tug of war. I don’t know if Scott was and still is trying to talk her down because she keeps waving the gun around, or if he really is a stupid idiot. Either way, one punch to her face, and she’d drop it.

  “I don’t need you anymore, you pathetic fuck.” She raises the pistol, clicks the hammer, and pulls the trigger.

  Dead-on kill shot right between the eyes. She nailed it once again like she did with Lance. I gag stifling back the vomit as best as possible, doing my best to play dead. Lexi isn’t a crazy, jealous whore. No, she’s a cold-blooded killer. Memories of my dad always teaching me to fight back and never let anyone take you down fill my head.

  It’s then an old memory compresses my brain. It hits me hard.

  Dad brushed his long blond hair back. Uncle Cub yelled at him.

  “Hart, leave the girl alone. No one will ever touch her.”

  Dad ignored him. He continued with the lesson. It was a bit much since P.J., the classroom bully, pushed me around today.

  “Sissy.” He dropped down to his knees. “There will always be bad guys. I’ve battled them. I know this. It’s how you react. You have to outsmart them. Think everything through. Sometimes it calls for the fists; other times you have to run.”

  He swallowed hard. I knew he’d been to war. I’d seen pictures and the scars on his body. I’d heard the nights Momma had to talk him through it. Daddy always showed us all his scars.

  “Most of the times, you have to outthink them. Think it out. What’s coming next? What are the options? Think it all through, pretty girl.” He swiped my curly hair from my face and tapped the side of my head. “Use your greatest gift and never stop fighting.”

  The memory fades away as fast as it came. The tender smell of lilacs sweeping across the pond fills my senses. I’m at home. The courage builds up deep inside of me. I don’t move. I keep my eyes closed hearing the sound of Lexi pacing back and forth while she mumbles her curses. She’s desperate. Her plan has been blown.

  I don’t dare move knowing damn well she’ll do anything to get out of this situation. Hell, from what I overheard, she killed her own parents. I don’t give a damn about any of it. I want to be out of here. I rack my mind over and over, mapping out the possibilities. There aren’t many, and that fact makes my heart sink.

  “Time’s up. I have to force Alex to make a move, and you are the only ace I have left,” Lexi says in a clear and confident voice. “Time to move you into the bar for the big show, Maria.”

  The next thing I know, I’m being ripped up from the floor by my hair. A piercing pain strikes in my skull. The harsh sound of hair ripping from my scalp makes me sick. My head is bounced back down on the floor. It’s not cement this time. A crusty carpet protects the bounce. I refuse to black out again. I have to get out of here.

  One, two more bounces strike before I’m posed in a sitting position. A fist connects with my mouth, then my temple. Warm liquid dribbles down my chin while strikes of pain course through me.

  “Smile, cunt.” Lexi’s muted profile blurs before me. “Not so fucking cocky now, are you?”

  Lexi turns, giving me her back for a brief few seconds. I react, seeing an opening. I take it lurching forward. My hands connect with the back of her neck. My fingertips dig into her flesh. I use all my power to choke her out. I’m shocked when Lexi battles back.

  An elbow connects with my temple, ensuing the evil storm of dizziness in my head. A harsh metal object collides with my cheek.

  “You evil cunt! You won’t win.” Blow after blow rains down on me.

  I blink my eyelids open only to see crimson red and feel a stinging sensation in my pupils. I don’t know if any of my clawing and lashing out is connecting. I know this crazy bitch has the advantage, and she’s using it well. Every bone in my face cracks and pops.

  Then a round, cold metal object is placed between my eyes.

  “You have one choice, and that’s only because I’m being gracious,” she sneers.

  Even through the puddles of blood I’d recognize her satanic voice anywhere. It’s all too much. I fought. Did what my dad said, and I waited for Alex.

  I lie back on a stale, crusty carpet with the bad guy ready to take my life. All I can do is smile. Yes, a smile covers my face. I’ve lived a life that Lexi will never be able to comprehend. I’ve experienced the love of a family and a good man. It’s what she desperately craves but will never have. And that alone makes me the victor.

  Lexi shakes my shoulders, giving me another punch to my face. “Die or fucking die, Maria?”

  Then the familiar sound of a bullet cascading out of a gun is the last sound I hear. All I think of is the miraculous love of my family and Alex. It’s all I need to escape this earth.

  27

  Alex

  “Has anyone checked...” My heart is in my throat, and I’m still trying to p
rocess everything that went down Ava told me earlier when she lifts her teary, swollen eyes from the spot on the floor, where she’s been quiet and blankly spaced out for the past half hour.

  “Where?” I’m off the couch, my gun already tucked into the back of my jeans. Just like the night I shot the man who hurt Justice, my brain has gone into protection mode. I don’t give a fuck if killing a woman damages me for life. I need to bring Maria back to us safely.

  My front door swings open, and my parents along with Maria’s and Cooper barge through my door before I have the chance to ask.

  “Check where? Tell me.” I pull out the burner phone Aaron gave me, flip it open, and as Ava quietly tells me, I shoot off a text to his burner number I’ve already memorized. After everything we’ve found out in the past several hours, it makes perfect sense.

  It’s been nearly twelve fucking hours since a woman the cops told us is certifiably crazy killed a man, kidnapped the woman I love, and disappeared. A little over ten since my brother took off, eight hours since Justice took over and talked to the press on the team’s behalf, because quite frankly, I lost my shit after I spoke to the cops, and six hours since our parents arrived. I haven’t heard a fucking thing about where my beautiful, brave Maria is. The thought of her being hurt is why my heart is stuck in my throat.

  I’ve never been more thankful for being surrounded by family than I am now. Especially Maria’s. When I first saw her dad’s name flash on my phone, I thought for sure he’d go off on me. Of course, we didn’t have any of the facts, but they shine like a neon bulb that this is my fault. The man remained calm while her mother cried in the background. He told me they’d be here as soon as they could, and if I heard anything before they landed, to contact Peaches.

  During my time sitting behind my desk while the cops questioned me, the need for a drink hit me once. My craving to hold Maria, feel her skin against mine, touch that pulse point on her neck where her heart beats out of control when I’m near are the only things I need to get me through this. I have yet to let my mind wander to the alternative. She and I have only begun, and it’s not about to end if I have anything to do with it.

  Got the proof in my hands spread across my kitchen table that Crystal Alexis Fulton is certifiably crazy. Newspaper articles about how she went off on her parents her senior year of high school and shot them both in the head while they slept. During their investigation, they found out she slept with a married man one time, one fucking time, and she started stalking him. She became obsessed. Stalking his wife and kids. Threatening to kill them and so much more. The guy went to the police, and all hell broke loose from there. From what the cops and doctors gathered, this guy made a deal that he wouldn’t press charges if she agreed to get help. Her parents agreed, and they got into a fight about it, she took off and came back in the middle of the night and killed them.

  Bitch got caught, went through rigorous testing while sitting in a cell screaming that she demanded to see her fiancé. They transferred her to a mental hospital where she was further tested and diagnosed with a mental disorder called Erotomania. Meaning she has delusions of having a relationship with another person. How the fuck they came to that conclusion beats the shit out of me, and as heartless as it sounds, I really don’t give a fuck. I want her wiped off this earth.

  Shit rolls downhill from there. Scott Anderson is an accomplice. They could never prove he was the one who helped her escape from the mental hospital, but being that Lexi and Scott are living in the same town, and from Ava’s story, it sounds like he did. Can’t even begin to wrap my head around the shit I’ve read.

  “Dixie girl, come to grandma.” Vannie scoops up the dog who hasn’t left my side since I walked through the door. Swear Dixie knows something is wrong.

  “Anyone need anything?” Peaches hands Hart and Vannie cups of coffee, turns back around, and returns with two more for my parents.

  “Just my daughter.” Hart glances my way over the top of his mug. As time passes, he’s becoming more agitated. He hasn’t made any secrets about going after her and taking anyone down in his way. It’s his wife who has constantly talked him down in her moments of strength. “You need to quit blaming yourself, Alex. I guarantee my little girl doesn’t blame you.”

  “Trying not to.” What I really want to say is, we all know it is. If I weren’t a drunk and fucked the bitch, then Lance wouldn’t be dead, and Maria wouldn’t be in the hands of the woman whose fantasy-fucked-up head thinks I’m hers. “The cops get any more information out of her friend?” Fuck all if I can remember the chick’s name she hangs around with. From the conversation Maria told me she overheard Lexi and this chick rattling on about me one night, she’s as crazy as Lexi is.

  “No, she keeps on telling them she has no clue where she is. From what we gather, the girl is demanding a lawyer because they won’t let her leave.”

  Wish I could say I feel her frustration.

  Shoving the phone into my pocket after reading my brother’s response, I glance at my dad as he flicks his phone closed. Our eyes mirror one another’s. We’ve been warned by the cops to let them do their job. It’s their way of telling us they know who we are and how we answer when someone double crosses us. Fuckers. All I have to say is, thank God Aaron took off before the stadium was taken over by the press and police.

  I know what he’s going to do before he does it. I watch his subtle way as he approaches Maria’s dad and aunt. In less than ten seconds, they walk into the kitchen. Less than two minutes later, they walk right back out.

  “Vannie, would you like to help me make everyone something to eat?” If this weren’t a life-or-death situation, I’d laugh at how my mom knows what to do.

  “I’m not sure if I can eat. I’ll help or at least attempt to.” With Dixie in hand, she follows her.

  A final nod from my dad once the women have vanished into the kitchen lets us all know what’s going down next.

  “I’m coming with.” Ava goes to stand, but one stern look from my father has her sitting back down.

  Quietly, Peaches, Hart, and I slip out the door and get into her car while my dad hops into his SUV.

  “I need you to do exactly as I say.” This is the second time I’m thankful I went on many drive alongs while growing up. Might have hated what I learned then; sure as fuck am grateful now I was taught how things like these go down. I explain what needs to be done on the drive over. Hart isn’t happy when I tell him he’s to stay in the car. If shit doesn’t go our way, we need them to stay strong and do what they are told. For one, they could get hurt, or worse. For two, if the cops show up, they can get the fuck out of there. Doesn’t get much simpler than that.

  “I’ve been searching this whole Goddamn town. Never thought she’d bring her here.” Aaron shakes his head. Hands running through his long hair.

  “I didn’t either. We have Ava to thank.” I’m no psychology genius, but this is where Lexi and I first met. The Shade Tree. A place I’ll always love and hate.

  I start to slip the key Peaches gave me into the lock on the front door of the bar when my phone vibrates in my front pocket.

  “Bet that’s Lexi,” I say as I pull it out and nearly drop to my fucking knees when I see a picture of Maria out cold on the floor. Her beautiful face is bruised and swollen beyond recognition. Vomit lurches when a video comes through. I press the arrow for play. “Jesus Christ.” A knife flashes in front of me. I watch with bile in my throat as Lexi’s ugly face shows up on the screen. She doesn’t look much better than Maria, except she’s the one alert. She tilts the phone, and we watch as she places her foot under Maria’s body, flips her over onto her stomach, bends and grabs her hair, and frantically starts slicing it off.

  “Give that to me. Let’s go. Alex, stay by me and keep your head on straight. Shoot the bitch if you get the chance, Aaron, and then get the fuck gone,” Dad growls.

  I can’t fucking breathe.

  Those visions are going to haunt me. They also pump a vital shot o
f angry adrenaline to my brain. I appreciate my dad wanting to have my back. The thing is, I’ve never wanted to shoot anyone as badly as I do Lexi. Not going to argue with him when Maria’s safety is the only thing I care about.

  Moving back to the door, I unlock it, hand the key to Aaron so he can get in through the back, and quietly make my way to the center of the room while my dad and I slip behind the bar.

  Nothing, and I mean nothing I’ve learned in the past prepared me for what I see before me. Lexi stands on the stage naked. Microphone in her hand and Maria’s diamond around her neck.

  “It took you long enough, baby. The little slut who tried coming between us is out of the way. I took care of Scott and Lance. Maria is bleeding out nicely.” She jerks her chin to the side. The vision of Maria in a murky pool of blood makes me stand straight up. “There’s nothing standing in our way anymore.”

  “You crazy bitch!” I roar and hop over the bar. Dad grabs me by the collar, but nothing is stopping me in this moment, not even him. All sense of reasoning and common sense long fucking gone.

  I stride straight to center stage. Lexi, the delusional cunt, eats up the attention, waving her hands in the air. I reach back, wrap my palm around the cold steel, and aim the pistol right between her eyes.

  “Alex.” Her eyes go wide in shock; her lower lips trembles.

  “Beg, bitch,” I growl.

  In a split second, I see the moment Lexi realizes her fatal mistake. There’s not a chance in hell I’m standing here pleading with her, not when I need to get to Maria. I don’t give her a chance to internalize her death. Bitch is going to crazy hell anyway. I squeeze the trigger. A gentle pop echoes around the room thanks to the silencer. Lexi drops back. Her body flinches for a second before she takes her last breath.

  I throw the gun at her and rush to Maria’s side. She’s unrecognizable through the blood, cuts, and bruises.

  “Maria, baby, I’m here. Hang on.” I cradle her head in my arms. It’s then I see the gunshot wound to her leg. There’s so much fucking blood. Too much. It kills me to let go of her. But I do to place my hand on her leg seeping blood.